The Alhambra

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Today was our day to go to Granada and tour the Alhambra, one of the most famous places in Spain to visit. Granada was the last vestige of the Moorish influence in Spain and from the 11th to early 16th centuries the Moors built a series of fantastic palaces at the Alhambra, some of which survive today.

Tickets to visit the Alhambra had been sold out in advance (often the case) so we had to purchase tickets through a private company that included a guide. That turned out to be very worthwhile. The guide we had was very knowledgeable, both in history and religion. He spent a lot of time explaining the design and use of the Alhambra from the Muslim point of view. The tour was a little long (2.5 hrs) for Will and Diana, but it was very informative.

We drove back to the Marriott and finished the day by the kids playing outside and Mark and Deb taking a long walk on the beach. At sunset it was possible to see a long silhouette of the African coastline, which was surprising. Evidently, that is only possible in the cooler months when there is no haze.

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Photos

Larger perspective from fortress
In the hills behind are the caves first inhabited hundreds of years ago by the "Gypsys" which now are some bars and flamenco clubs.

Courtyard
The channel in the ground is feeding water to a pool of water under the covering. The Moors use of water rarely was a fountain.

Arabic writing in plaster
Most walls are covered with large plaster pieces from forms

Palms must be hardy
It was a cold morning when we were in Granada!

Fountains in gardens
Added later after Catholics controlled Granada

Sierra Nevada Mountains
This picture doesn't really capture how beautiful they were.