Spain 22 - the Alhambra - not the Yorkshire one, Granada - not the Manchester one and the Generalife

---

Last night we were offered a trip to listen to flamenco music and watch authentic flamenco dancing in a gypsy community just outside of Granada . Perhaps had the price been cheaper than 100 euros for the two of us we might have considered it. We didnt feel like parting with that much money for a style of music we are not fond of. Now the Manic Street Preachers or even Tom Jones at Chesterfield Stadium would have been worth it. As it was we stayed home in our little plot trying to dry out damp washing and catching up on blogs.

Life goes on back home. It's election day for MEP's for the European parliament. I wonder how voting will go. The in and out of Europe issue is looming large back home with parties dithering over what to do. Do we stay in and keep paying money in to get little out? Do we leave and see if we can survive on our own making our own way in the world part of Europe but slightly apart when it comes to trade and paying in? America likes to see us in as we appear a bridge between them and Europe. It is a different European Union than the one that I grew up with. A common market where trade was paramount. We were promised a better life from it . Not sure that ever happened. Perhaps it is time to get out and go it alone. Not sure if it is election day here in Spain. The posters are out and we have seen election propaganda but it seems too quiet to be a day of voting unless things are done differently in Spain.

When I was younger much younger than today - OK got the song in and I try to . I am getting like Chris Packham for those who watch Springwatch as he tries to include a song title in each programme. My dad brought home a big thick red encyclopaedia . It was well worn and I loved turning the pages and looking at places I never thought I would ever see. The Taj Mahal, the San Francisco bridge, the Grand Canyon and the lion fountain at Granada. I fell in love with the lions and always said I would get there one day. Well today is that day - 55 years later by my reckoning. Its taken a long time coming.

Woke early and sat around for a while. We had had rain overnight. The awning had been left out and was damp. The washing left out damp too. By 11 we decided to hit the road and headed for the bus stop. At the bus stop we saw some fellow campers - sounded like Australians by the accent. We were later to find out they were as British as we were . Both retired and extolling the virtues of Madrid a city sadly we missed on the way down and probably wont pick up on the way back.

We stood waiting for the bus . Glenn suddenly looked worried . Had I got the Alhambra ticket ? No !!!! Have you ???? No . Five minutes to run for the tickets and hopefully get back for the bus. Usain Bolt had nothing on Glenn as he shot off to Suzy leaving me to hold the bus up if it arrived before his return. He got back with a minute to spare.

Our first stop the cathedral. A huge imposing Baroque pile in the middle of the city. Imposing yes - interesting no - well not for us. Too baroque and fancy on the outside and pristine white inside . Another one we gave a miss to. This style of architecture never quite does it for us.

Second stop churros and chocolate . How can you resist such yummy chocolate thick and sweet in a cup with a spoon and thin doughnuts to dunk in. You cant . You just have to dip them in and enjoy them. The shame is you get so many and we have never learned to ask for one portion which would be plenty. Our eyes are bigger than our stomachs as mum was say as we look at them and try as much as we can to munch our way through them. When made well they are the nicest treat you can enjoy. Made badly - well think of a doughnut that is too thick and stodgy and you get the idea. We ate them listening to the accordian player on the corner. Next to him a band playing their music as if in competition with each other and to complete the scene a guy sitting on a mat cross legged with a bucket next to him. We didnt quite work out at the time what he was doing but we did later.

Next stop the Alhambra to try to work out where we needed to go at 2pm. It is a very complex site over many miles and the ticket system is as complex as you could imagine. You can buy tickets from the campsites but we didnt know that at the time and I guess that you just have to hope you can get a visit on the day you choose. You can buy a Granada card which is expensive and get in but its a very expensive way to do it or you can do what we did in January. We checked the Alhambra site and bought a ticket from Ticketmaster who administer the site for them. We picked 2 as we had little idea how long it would take to get to the site or how long it would take to go round it. What we hadnt realised was that you can only go in the palace at the time stated and if you miss your slot you forfeit your visit. There is no second chance . You have to get it right first time. The rest of the ticket is free to use between 2 and 8 to see the rest of the complex. With hindsight we probably could have picked a 10 am slot but hindsight is a wonderful thing which we didnt have .

As we were too early we watched the young lad sitting on his mat. His trousers falling down showing a builders bum. He was blowing bubbles from some contraption that didnt work. It all seemed much more vibrant than Leeds on a Thursday lunchtime or any British city. I guess it is the sun which makes the difference as life goes in the cafes and spills into the streets.

Access from the city to the Alhambra Park is by the Puerta de las Granadas - the gate of Pomegranates which is a triumphal arch dating back to the 15th century. A steep ascent leads past the Pillar of Charles V, a fountain erected in 1554, to the main entrance of the Alhambra. The main entrance is called the Puerta de la Justicia the gate of Judgement and is a massive horsehoe shaped affair . A narrow passageway cool in the middle of the day leads up to the Plaza de los Aljibes the place of the cisterns which was a good broad open space to find a shady spot to eat a welcome ice cream.

We sat around people watching in the Granada complex. It was difficult to work out where to queue. Had we not gone last night to pick up the ticket and check I am pretty sure we would have got the whole thing wrong today. We joined the queue for the 2pm visit. Behind us an American from North Carolina who had welsh grandparents. In front of us an elderly Danish couple. EVeryone checking with each other that they were in the right queue. It seemed awfully disorganised.

The doors opened , our tickets were checked and we were allowed to go to the next gate . Tickets checked again and then into the Palacios Nazaries the building everyone wants to visit. The iconic Alhambra. The downside was that it was heaving with people and impossible to get a photo without someone intruding upon it. This part of the palace complex was built by Muhammad I al Ahmar between 1237 and 1273. he was the founder of the Nazari dynasty. Further additions to the complex were made by Yusuf I between 1333 and 1354 . It was a building that changed over time by Muhammad V between 1354 and d1359 and again between the years 1362 and 1369.

After the Reconquista by the Catholic Monarchs in 1492, some portions were used by Christian rulers. The Palace of Charles V was built by Charles Roman Emperor in 1527, was inserted in the Alhambra within the Nasrid fortifications. After being allowed to fall into disrepair for centuries, the Alhambra was rediscovered in the 19th century by European scholars and travelers, with restorations commencing. We were not fond of the Palace which looked rather out of place and of a Baroque style . We do not like Baroque so again we gave it a miss .

Once inside I was captivated with its loveliness. We had saved the best until last . Inside was dark and cool and islamic calligraphy and geometric patterns filled every available space. It looked like a spider on speed had crawled in an inkpot and covered every possible surface with writing. Over doorways, in the ceilings , around the archways. Each inch covered with a complex pattern which seemed never ending. You didnt need to know what it said - seeing it was enough.

The Moorish poets described the palace as pearl set in emeralds a description both apt and beautiful. Each room seemed prettier than the last, each bit of carving more intricate and fancy. it was a feast for the eyes and the senses. Rooms stretched out from a central court . Windows opened out to the gardens offering tantalising views of the hillsides and the city beyond. Oh to have been in it on my own. If there was a downside then I wish I could have spent longer there and have been on my own. Oh to have won the lottery and paid for exclusive rights to see it by myself. Other people spoiled it.

Slim delicate columns in the palest of colours and fountains reflected light and cooled off the building. Pools reflected light. It was a delicate palace. Nothing heavy nor chunky here. Most of the decoration in a Mudejar style which we have come to love. The ceiling sometimes looked as if it were made of delicate stalactites rather than stone .

We most enjoyed the fountain of the lions which was the first image I remember of the complex from my encyclopaedia .And it did not disappoint. Those lions looked strange but beautiful. Almost mythical. Sadly by now we had been rushed through the complex . Half an hour to get round just isnt enough time to do the place justice but behind us was the next queue waiting to get in.

After our visit we walked through the miles and miles of terraced gardens. Box hedging was infilled with Love in a Mist, delicately blue , mellow gentle coloured pastel Larkspur, Sweet Peas grown as ground covering plants and roses . The heady scent of the rose was everywhere. Water cascaded down rills, down walls and canals joined up with fountains. And to our relief there was hardly anyone there . Whilst we didnt have the place to ourselves it was the next best thing. It is a hike up to the Generalife but there is always something to see. Climbing roses, the Bearded Iris had recently gone over. And there was always a view back to the palace or up to the Generalife and in places a view of the city beneath. The great wall of the city was clearly seen from some vantage points. Even in the heat of the middle of the afternoon and it was now touching the 30's we were able to find shade under the trees which lined the path which went ever upwards.

AT the very top the white Generalife came into view. It was different yet again from the Alcazabar or the palace below. There were rills and fountains and small courtyards but everything was white which acted well to reflect the sun away from it. Balconies opened out overlooking the valley below and Islamic insciptions were again in evidence although nothing so elaborate as in the Palace below us. Some people are disappointed with the Generalife particularly after visiting the palace as it is plain in comparison. I can understand that but I think for me in particular I had fulfilled my dream and seen the lions and the Court of the Myrtles and this part was just as pretty. More importantly it was virtually empty.

We had a lovely day. We probably would have done things differently but on a wet January night in Britain you just have to make an educated guess as what to do and perhaps looking back we should have changed things. We did it though and the memory will live long.

Tomorrow something completely different and for that you need to be able to whistle. Get practicing tonight for tomorrow I am going to set you a challenge. We are heading for the Desert of Tabernas - perhaps that might be the clue to why you need to whistle.

.

---