On Wednesday 31 October 2012, my wife and I paid a visit to the Alhambra in Granada.
The Alhambra reigns supreme in the city of Granada and rightly so. If it stood on a flat plain, it would still be one of the most spectacular fortresses ever built. However, it sits at the top of the highest wooded hill in the city. Not only that - this red-walled palace has the fairy-tale backdrop of the snow-capped peaks of the Sierra Nevada.
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| Alhambra viewed from the Mirador San Nicolás |
There's lots to see in the grounds.......like the Convent of San Francisco where you don't have to have religious tendencies to stay because it also serves as a Parador...
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| Convent of San Francisco |
There are pleasant views...
...the Sierra Nevada...
...and the Albaicin area of Granada...
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| Alcazaba wall |
The distant views might be spectacular but the interior of the Alhambra is simply stupendous! There is so much of artistic merit to see. However, there are four main areas to explore: the Alcazaba, the Palace of Charles V, the Casa Real or Royal Palace and the Generalife Gardens.
The 'must see' part of the Alhambra is the Royal Palace which really comprises a number of buildings called the Nasrid Palaces. They are the central nucleus of the Alhambra. Visitors, who have already admired other parts of this magnificent fortress, are spellbound when they encounter the magnificence of these palaces. If you do not have time to explore the Alhambra in totality, you simply must allow time to visit the Nasrid Palaces! They are built around three courtyards - the Golden Room, the Myrtle Courtyard and the Lion Courtyard.
Such is their splendour and unsurpassed beauty, that I cannot really find the words to describe the exquisite detail of the palace interiors, so I won't! Instead, I will add a few of the many photographs that I took!
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| ceiling of the Comares Palace |
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| Patio del Cuarto Dorado |
In all the rooms of each palace and patio the walls and ceilings are exquisitely decorated.
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| Patio de los Arrayanes |
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| Patio de los Leones |
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| Sala de los Abencerrages |
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| alcove in the Sala de la Barca |
...even little alcoves are exquisitely decorated!
---another beautiful ceiling in the Hall of the Two Sisters!
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| Sala de las dos hermanas - ceiling |
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| a view from the Alhambra |
There are a number of lovely patios and gardens in the Nasrid Palace complex...
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| Jardines de Daraxa |
another pleasant garden in the Alhambra - the Jardines del Partal...
and then, of course, there are the Generalife Gardens...
I have covered only a small part of this magnificent World Heritage site. To see more photos of the Alhambra and Generalife click on the link below...
http://www.panoramio.com/user/2391258/tags/Alhambra
more blogs by Robert Bovington...
"Spanish Impressions"
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"postcards from Spain"
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"you couldn't make it up!"
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"a grumpy old man in Spain"
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"bits and bobs"
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"Spanish Expressions"
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"Spanish Art"
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"Books About Spain"
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www.tablondeanuncios.com
...even little alcoves are exquisitely decorated!
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