Posted in Culture, Travel

Granada 2013

I first came to Granada, in Andalusia, Spain, in 1999.  I only spent 2 nights there on a tour of Andalusia.

The pictures I took back then can be seen on my other site: www.twimpg.net

Bee and I stopped in Granada for 4 nights before our Eclipse Cruise – more on that later.  It was a great opportunity to see the Alhambra again, and discover more of this wonderful historical city.

We arrived just before lunch – lunch time in Spain that is, so got to the hotel around 1:30 PM.  We stayed at the Alhambra Palace, just a stone throw away from the Alhambra itself.  On the way to the restaurant for lunch, we saw our first glimpse of the outside wall of the complex and the imposing fortress.

In the afternoon, we went to visit the town and stopped at the main cathedral.  It is a very impressive building that was designed and built after the moors were chased out of Andalusia and Granada was the seat of the Spanish Royal family.

We discovered that, on week-ends, the gardens of the Generalife are opened to the public in the evening, after sunset.  We had therefore booked for going there on our first evening.

We tried to be early (I did not have to try very hard!) so that it would not be too crowded and we succeeded.  The one palace on the Generalife was almost empty and very peaceful.

It is amazing that this was built in 1400 when the rest of Europe was in the “Dark Ages”! Granada was actually a place of great learning during that time, with scholars from all over the known world visiting and lecturing thousands of ‘students’ who came there to learn.

From the Generalife, we had a good view of the Alhambra complex, but could not go there.  Actually, we probably could have walked around there too as most of the area around the Alhambra is public, but we only found that out on the next day, during our daytime visit of the palaces.

The detailed work of carving on the stone and the wood is always incredible in these buildings.  It is amazing that this survived during the last 700 years.  Notice how the patterns are different on top of each archway over the doors!

Looking back at the garden and fountains from the main ‘house’ must have filed the inhabitants with so much pleasure.  I can only imagine what it must have been like having a cup of sweet tea while philosophizing on the meaning of life and the life of the universe looking at this view.

This is a longer exposure, without flash to try to get more depth of field.  Notice that now the fountains are continuous stream whereas before they were individual drops.  The building in the back is now brighter as it is better exposed.  Before, the flash was really highlighting what is in the foreground as it does not have enough power to go very far (small flash from the camera as I did not bring my big external one).

The gardens were sparsely lit, so there were not a lot of opportunities for good photos. From the gardens, there was a good view of the Generalife Palace, after I could convince the American Students not to stand in front of me while I was trying to take this picture…

The next day, we had a guided visit of the Alhambra and other sites in Granada.  While we were waiting for the guide, I noticed this small bird perched on the very top of a cypress tree.

As we approached the palaces, we had this good view of the hill across the river called Albayzin or Albaicin.  This is one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Granada and is where the you can see the best flamenco shows in town.  We will do that later during our stay.

The Alhambra Complex has several buildings that were built over many years.  It was started by the Moors when they occupied the area.  I already showed the fortress that gave the defensive power to the complex.  There was also a palace built by Charles IV in later years.  While the palace is rather square on the outside (both shape, decoration and aspect), there is a huge circular courtyard inside which gave lot’s of light.

This is what the courtyard looks like from the first floor

By the time I realised that you have to book your entrance to the Alhambra Palace in advance, everything was fully booked for the days we wanted.  However, I found a guided tour that seemed interesting, so that is what we decided to do.  We came in through the back door, bypassing the people who were waiting in line to get in at the appointed time.  The first stop was at the “Embassadors” court, where people would be ushered as they waited to see the Sultan.  I discovered the reason why the ponds in these courtyards are designed as they are.  There has to be a fountain at both ends of the pond, that is tradition, but the sultan did not want the fountain to create ripples on the surface of the pond and ruin the reflection.  There is therefore a very elaborate system to “calm” the water from the fountain before it enters the pond.  I did not take a picture of that, but will try to get something from Internet to show what it is.

This is not a great example, but it shows the typical design.  The ripples in the circular part are calmed by the narrow and shallow channel which then should empty into the main pond below the liquid level, not above as in this case.

It is clear from the photo below that even after 500 years or more, the system still works as intended.

On the opposite side of the courtyard (is it a coincidence?) is the apartment where the courtesans were kept.

There is even more intricate decorative carvings here.  In some places they were able to find the original colours inside the vaults.

Here is a better view of Albaicin.  We were able to visit the private apartment of Isabella, queen of spain after the Alhambra was taken over by the royal family.  A private apartment was built with this view – this is closed to the general public and only visible on these special tours.

View of the Generalife Palace from the Alhambra.  By the way, this is not a garden sponsored by a local Insurance company called “General Life”!  The name comes from the arab Jannat al-‘Ariff, litterally translated into “Architect’s Garden”.

From the “Throne Room” we were able to glimpse at the most famous part of the Alhambra – the court of Lions.  I took several photos, and superimposed them in order to try and get rid of as many people in the way as I could.  Not totally successful, but this is a better view than any individual photo…

When I was here in 1999, the fountain had not been restored in many years and the lions were dark and sooty.  It was hard to tell that they were lions and that they are all slightly different.  The fountain has been restored recently and now looks splendid.

definitely worth a second look!  We were lucky that even though the entrances were fully booked, there were not a lot of people inside the building as we visited.  They must keep the number of entrances each 1/2 hour rather low to reduce the crowds.

We went out through what used to be the main entrance to the palace and is now being restored.  the dome over the foyer was exquisitely decorated and carved – what else would we expect?

There is a very interesting contrast between the Carl Palace which we saw first and the Alhambra Palace which we saw later.  Carl Palace has a lot of bling and decorations on the outside but is rather plain on the inside while the Alhambra is totally plain on the outside and intricately decorated on the inside! A very different way to display wealth.  In western society, wealth is flaunted so that all can see it.  In muslim society, wealth is private and intimate, only for the enjoyment of friends and family.

Later that day, Bee and I returned to the Generalife in order to see it in the daylight.  It is still very impressive.  This is the public courtyard, where visitors are ushered in.

There was also a private courtyard for family and courtesans.  A couple was taking wedding pictures while we were there – quite a nice setting for a wedding album.

The same courtyard seen from above

In the evening, just before sunset, we went to Albaicin where one has the best views of the last rays of the sun onto the Alhambra.  We stopped in a bar and had a beer while we enjoyed the view.

The Generalife too reflected the setting sun

On our last night in Granada, we went to a restaurant that also featured a Flamenco Show.  Yes, touristy, I agree.  It was interesting, and because it was touristy, I was allowed to take photos with my flash, so you get to see this.   So please keep your snide remarks to yourself next time!

Here is the full band: one guitarist, one singer two dancers and one person who seemed to provide the beat by hitting whatever he was sitting on at the far right.

The guitarist gave a solo recital while the others rested – he was very good!

Male dancer – the position of the hands is always very important in Flamenco.

He had a lot of energy and was very entertaining.

Female Dancer

No sure if this look is due to the intensity of the dance, or if she is mad at me for taking her picture!

We had a great visit in Granada – next: Cordoba

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