Back to the hotel for breakfast with Marjan, and off we set about nineish. For those of you who do not know the Alhambra is a complex of palaces, gardens and buildings from the final days of Islamic Spain. Started in the 10th century over a Roman ruin, it reached its zenith under the caliphate of the Nazarines in the 12th and 13th century. When the rest of Europe was in the dark Ages this was a flowering of Islam in Spain. Anyway we started at the Generalife, the private retreat for the royals from the court. Quiet places, the sound of water everywhere and symmetry an almost mandatory component. I loved the Escalera del Agua (waterway stairs) where the water flowed inside the u-shaped balustrade.
We then checked out the other buildings, the baths, christian church, Palace of Charles V (two later additions), the Alcazaba (the original fortification), and enjoyed the views they each afforded. Luckily our hotel was in the grounds....it is actually a building of that period, but not restored to original state.....as we had a private toilet a nice morning refreshment before heading out again.
We finally got in to the Nazarine Palaces for the Wow factor. It is hard to explain or to show the effect this has. It is very crowded and you are basically kept moving through as the 1PM group will be coming soon. However it is a wow place, the water, symmetry and amazing decorative architecture were taken to amazing levels.I was most touched though by the woman reading the Arabic inscriptions. She said it was hard in parts but she could still read the poetry. Nothing I could do on a first visit could do it justice. Many visits and many fewer people, and perhaps I could show you something of the beauty.
By 2PM we were spent, and it was about 39. We headed back to the hotel and actually slept for a bit and felt much better for the rest. We wandered don the hill through the Alhambra forest and into the Albaicin (Arab) part of town. We were aiming for one of the miradores (lookouts) on the hill across the valley, so that we could catch the Alhambra in the afternoon/evening light. Nice climb..........Marjan was looking daggers at me, and it was still hot. The first Mirador looked out from the city rather than in....a disappointment, apart from the fact that there was a nice plaza and a bar serving very cold refreshments. We were not the only ones in need....a very pale Irish family were gasping when they got there, with Mum quite grumpy.
Luckily the second mirador was across the hill....and the views....to die for. Also we had some free entertainment from a local flamenco busking group. We listened for a while a noticed a bar just below with basically the same views, so........two summer reds (tinto de verano ....a combination of red wine, lemon squash and ice) and some zucchini chips with honey and we were ready for another bout of flamenco.
Eventually though, we wandered down the more direct route. An interesting vignette was the young Spanish family, child about 3-4 struggling up the hill and whining. Dad pulled him in by his hat, looks down sternly and says in a very cross voice "Now you know what you have to do during the afternoon rest! Sleep!"
Walked through a really narrow street, that brought forth thoughts of Arabic bazaars. Keyne could spend a week here, even if it was just to laugh at the Granada boomerangs. They did have some interesting crafts, and spices and foods, and.........but all that bracing on the downhill had made us thirsty.....so another tinto de verano.....and we were in the part of town where they serve tapas with drinks, so some meat balls, and we ordered croquetas and a coke...so out came the croquetas....and some octopus. The Ecuadorian bar tender was lovely, and we had a nice chat, so he gave us some toasted ham as well. All up $12.
It was well into the evening, the weather had cooled a little and the bus back up the hill was almost empty....we were dead on our feet, but possibly one of our best days. We did have time to download a copy of Washington Irving's 'Tales of The Alhambra' to read during the trip.
By the way, I updated yesterday's blogs with some pics.
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