The Alhambra

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Too much for just one visit

Before I begin: 1) Thank you guys who write comments and emails. I hope you get my responses. It is nice having the connection to home and to some neat people I haven´t met! 2) This will not be my only Alhambra blog because there is TOO much to talk about. I will give you another blog when I go with mom (I can NOT wait to take you there mama!)

The Alhambra is impresionante (impressive/stunning/breathtaking). I went on a tour with my class and had an incredible guide giving us the history. I am sure I won´t remember everything, but next time I go I will give more as I learn it. We went for a 3 hour tour, and I felt rushed. (Mama, I think when we go we need at least 5 hours, at the very least. So make sure you have good walking shoes)

Alhambra is one of the words in Arabic for red. Tradition says it is called this because of the red dirt that the building is built with. Legend says that at the time it was built the sultan had red hair and thus named the structure to represent himself. The Alhambra was originially the military hub-bub for the Muslims who occupied Granada. The people actually lived in the Albaicin (to the east of the Alhambra). The sultan himself lived there. After some time, the current sultan of the day decided he wanted to live in the Alhambra and 3 palaces were added to it.

With your ticket you get to enter 3 different areas. One is the original building, which remained as the military force. From that tower you can see the entire city. The next are the palaces (you have to be careful here because you have a 30 minute window to enter...the other two places do not matter). Then you get entrance into the Generalife (pronounced he-neh-rahl-ee-feh), an outstanding garden.

We first entered the tower. You can see where the army slept and lived. They have just recently excavated these areas. You can see the Albaicin, and in the distance the mountains in which the Reyes Católicos found the weakness of the Muslims of Granada and began their war.

There are 3 palaces as I stated. The first one you walk into is the Judiciary palace, then the Governmental Palace, then the Private palace. Each one becomes more and more intricate in the details. The details are INCREDIBLE. Only a portion of the original walls remain, but if you can imagine all the walls with the same intricasies it is awe inspiring.

Each palace is a square with a fountain in the center. They too get a bit bigger and more intricate as you go on. In many of the areas you see a fountain with four ¨rivers¨going towards it. These ¨rivers¨represent the 4 rivers of the Muslim´s paradise. I can not remember, but each river is different (honey, water, wine and 1 other I have now forgotten).

There is a point at which the palace ends, and a new palace begins. After the fall of the Muslims, the Reyes Católicos had control. The grandson (Carlos V, emperor of Austria etc.) built an addition to the Alhambra in which he lived for 8 months with his new wife (and cousin), the princess from Portugal. He destroyed a portion of the Alhambra to build his building. He also started another palace on the grounds that was never finished.

After this we headed to the Generalife. If you like gardens you can get lost in there. I will leave the pictures to tell that story. This area used to be a city within a city when the Muslims thrived. The rich lived within the walls here. Later, after the Muslims fell and the Alhambra was ¨forgotten¨the vagabonds lived there, then they were headed out...Washington Irving spent some time living in the Alhambra and it gained notariety again, and the ¨city¨was destroyed because the homes were in such poor condition. The land was then rented out for a while, and the family built the gardens.

Believe it or not, I have only given you the abbreviated information. The pictures should tell you more. You need at least 2 visits, or 1 really long visit. Go early in the morning to get tickets. It is well worth it. I might would recommend the headset guide so you get the information. I was glad we had the guide from school, it added to the awe knowing more of the background.

Today, I am off to take a siesta and relax. Tonight we are going out to the Generalife to see a flamenco show based off a poem by Frederico Garcia Lorca (one of my favorites). We are getting all done up for it too. I am REALLY excited, unfortunately I am fighting a bit of a cold...so, taking it easy until then!

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Photos

Puerta de la Justicia
One of the entrances. Muslim faith believes you should not show your wealth on the outside of a home, so it is very simple...it is inside it is detailed. There is a hand up top (protection from evil) and a key just above door (paradise)

Fortification
The jail if you were bad...it goes DOWN.

Fortification
the outlines below are the outlines where the army lived.

Puerta de Judios
this was the gateway for the jews to enter. The neighborhood below (where my school is) was orginally the Jewish Quarter

Palacio Carlos V
Part of the Alhambra was torn down for Carlos V to build this palace to show the power of him being Emperor.

Details
just amazing. The view outside is the Albaicin

Governmental Palace
The water used to be clean back when Muslims were in control. It is supposed to be a reflection of the palace in the heavens.

Governmental Palace
See, I was really there.

Detailed
just check out the walls...intricate

Home
one of the remaining ¨homes¨ from the city within the city

Alhambra
from the Generalife

Generalife
Carrie and I with the Alhambra in the background, at the end of the tour.

Comments

[Heidi Witzel]

I think I was here too, been so long, but I something is ringing a bell inside this cranium of mine!!