We arrived in Granada after an 8 hour train ride from Valencia. We (mostly Todd) have been experimenting with taking pictures from the moving train; with some success and a lot of bad photos. This ride was very scenic.
Spanish countryside from the train.
And another train photo.
Granada is near the Sierra Nevada Mountains. They are covered with snow even though it was 70 degrees in Granada.
The main attraction in Granada is the Alhambra, an immense complex of a Moorish citadel, gardens and palaces. It began as a fortress in the 9th century and the palaces were begun in the 1400s. This is a tower of the Alcazaba, which is the main citadel of the Alhambra.
Palace of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, built in the Alhambra in 1527. The palace is now a museum and there was a Matisse exhibit we visited. Matisse visited the Alhambra and signed the guestbook. It supposedly was a great influence on his work
The most ornate palace in the Alhambra is the Palacios Nazaries. It was built in the 1200s by the rulers of the Nasrid Dynasty, the last Moorish dynasty in Spain. It was surrendered in 1492 to Ferdinand and Isabella. Columbus visited them here. Almost every surface is decorated.
More of the palace. There is a saying, "If you die without seeing the Alhambra, you have not lived." Don't know about that, but it was very interesting and beautiful.
In the Alhambra.
Pool and courtyard in the palace.
These lions are part of a fountain that is currently being restored. Each lion has a unique design.
Washington Irving visited the Alhambra and lived here for a time in 1829. On the English version of the audioguide, Irving is the "voice" of the tour and describes his time here.
View from the Alhambra.
One of the many courtyards.
The Partal in the Alhambra. Another story: When the last Moorish ruler fled the Spanish forces, he supposedly looked tearfully at the Alhambra as he was leaving and his mother told him "You do well to weep as a woman for what you could not defend as a man." Thanks Mom!
There is a large garden area called the Generalife in the Alhambra.
More of the Generalife. These hedges created the maze.
Courtyard and fountain of the palace in the Generalife.
Steph liked the Audioguide and Washington Irving. The stairway bannister was part of a fountain in which water flowed down both sides of the steps.
Archway at the bottom of the park leading up to the Alhambra.
Plaza Nueva where we had a meal after visiting the Alhambra.
On a hill on the outskirts of Granda is the Sacromonte, a neighborhood in which a Gitano (Spanish Romani) community built cave homes in the side of the hill in the 1800s. These buildings developed from the caves.
Tapas! Most of the tapas restaurants in Granda provide free tapas when you purchase a drink. This plate included ham, sausage, blood sausage (black stuff at the top), an egg, potatoes and a pepper. It was all good, except the blood sausage. It is not pleasant to any of the senses.
From Granada we head to Gibraltar by bus.
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