Andalusia Day Two - Alhambra, Granada

Monday 18 October

We spent the day at Alhambra.  It is a truly magnificent site containing centuries' worth of construction/destruction/reconstruction by various Moorish rulers, Spanish royalty and religious leaders all of whom made their mark on Alhambra.  At the west end is the Alcazaba, the fortification; the mid section contains the amazing Palacios of Comores and de los Leones, various salas (halls) and a Palacio de Carlos V (the last and most modern addition); and in the east is the Generalife, another whole set of buildings, halls, palaces etc.  This is surrounded by walls, look out towers, walkways and other fortifications.  Amongst the buildings, arches and towers are magnificently laid out gardens of various eras and styles.

No wonder we spent 8 hours in there.

The architecture and decoration is breathtaking - carved from wood and stone it must have been a person's life's work adding detail to some of these walls.

The Arabic script tells a story and, apparently, the Alhambra is a poem from end to end.

This the Lion's Courtyard.  A courtyard within a palace with rules as to who could be there, talk to whom and enter/leave.  Beautifully stunning as they are, I can't help but see them as prisons: rooms from which women, in particular, were not allowed to ever leave without permission. 

The Moorish fascination with water meant that many of their buildings use ponds and reflection as a key theme.  I can totally see why.

By now I was well and truly into my Uzbek look with scarf/sunhat look keeping the super heat off me.

Some hours later we wandered into the eastern end of the site, Generalife.  It's like a whole visit itself with beautifully laid out gardens, Moorish architecture and reflecting pools.  

Last time we visited the Alhambra complex we were dashed around by an incompetent guide (it was a last minute booking, the only way we could see it) in 2 hours.  This was me 6 hours in and still enthralled - I admit aided and abetted by a guide book that I read, pretty much, from page to page whilst JC photographed.