Granada & the Alhambra
21 October 2009 | Benalmadena, Spain
Kat
So given that we have spent lots of time getting the boat ready for the ARC and sailing South to Gib we decided to have a day off to do touristy stuff and hired a car to go and see Granada as I have always wanted to see the Alhambra.
After finally managing to track down a hire car, surprising difficult given that it is no longer high season, the drive inland reminded the aussie's of home - a hilly dry landscape with the classic Australian red earth! Soon though we could see Granada against the beautiful backdrop of the Sierra Nevada mountains.
The tickets to Alhambra are strictly limited and time allocated so once we had bought ours we settled down for a picnic in the grounds to await our alotted time. Granada was taken by Muslim forces in 711 - they called the town Karnattah - from which the current name is derived. The Alhambra, the arabic name referencing "red castle" is the fortified town which between the 12th and 15th century was home to the Nasrid Sultans. During this time Granada became one of the richest and most populous cities in medieval Europe. In 1491 the Christians besieged Granada which finally surrendered 8 months later - this began an era of persecution of Jews and arabs and the town fell into decline until interest was revived in 1830. Since then there has been significant restoration work and today the Alhambra and the surrounding grounds (called the Generalife) are very well presented.
There are 3 key parts: the original fort - the Alcazaba, the lavishly decorated Nasrid Palaces and the Generalife gardens. The grounds are beautifully set out with fountains and waterworks throughout and the arabic influence in the decoration of the Nasrid palaces is more akin to Morocco and definitely not something that we have seen in our med travels.
It was definitely worth a visit!
For more pics see: http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/bradmcmaster1/Spain2009GranadaAlhambraWithRobbieJess#