The Alhambra

Jamón y Queso Tosados

It has been a couple of months since our trip to Granada and I did promise that I would write an account of our trip. It won't be long before our return to the UK so I thought I had better knuckle down and get it written, so here it is.

In October we went to the local travel agent in Alhaurin el Grande and enquired about a trip to Granada including a visit to the Alhambra Palaces. About half an hour later we came away with a two night booking for the Hotel Don Juan and instructions to pick our tickets up from the ATM machine at La Caixa bank. So heading round the corner to the local bank branch and putting my credit card into the ATM duly had us furnished with our Alhambra tickets.

Tricia in front of the Towers of the Alcazaba Fortress

On the 6^th of November we set off for Granada, a journey of about 140 kilometres, and arrived at our hotel at around lunchtime. The hotel receptionist was very helpful and explained where to go to get the bus to the Alhambra and how to get to the city centre attractions. He also asked if we would be interested in a visit to the Albayzin Muslim quarter, the gypsy quarter of Sacromonte, where people lived in cave dwellings, and taking in a Flamenco evening in a cave restaurant. We thought this would be worth checking out so signed up to the trip for the following evening.

The Alcazaba Fortress

After inspecting our room and unpacking we set out in the rain to time how long it would take to walk from the hotel to the cathedral where the Alhambra bus stop was. Unfortunately we set off in the wrong direction and were trying to figure out where we were when we were helped by a kind Spanish lady. An about turn was done and we stopped in a local tapas bar called Chaplins for lunch. We ordered a couple of jamón y queso tostados (ham and cheese toasties) and were a little nonplussed when the waitress asked if we wanted half ones or whole ones but we plumped for whole ones. To our horror, the biggest tostados you have ever seen arrived a little while later but we were hungry and did manage to eat them.

A view of the Almayzin from the Alcazaba Fortress

Carrying on towards the cathedral in the rain we eventually found the bus stop and headed back towards the hotel. The cathedral was shut for renovation which was a shame because we had heard it is worth visiting. After spending the rest of the afternoon in our room watching TV, a rare treat, and dozing we went out to find somewhere to eat. The hotel receptionist had recommended both the restaurants on the opposite side of the road and said they were both reasonably priced. We decided to try one but would go back to Chaplins for a drink first. Every time we bought a drink the bar staff tried to get us to have tapas but, as we were eating later, we kept refusing. At about half past eight we walked back to the restaurant and found a table. We were perusing the menu and trying to work out what the offerings were, it was all in Spanish, when a young chap who was eating with his family on the table next to us offered to help with the translation. With his help we managed to order a very nice, reasonably priced, meal and then retired to our room for the night.

The Interior of the Alcazaba Fortress

On our ticket it stated that we had to enter the palace complex one hour before our allocated entry time to the Nasrid Palaces at 10:30am. Our walk to the bus stop had been timed at about 10 minutes so we doubled that and decided to set out for the bus at eight o'clock, after having eaten a hearty cooked breakfast in the hotel. The bus arrived on time and whisked us up the hill to the Alhambra in twenty five minutes or so and so we entered through the main gate in plenty of time.

The Albayzin and Ermita el San Miguel Alto (top left)

Granada Cathedral from the Alcazaba Fortress

The Alhambra was so called because of its reddish coloured walls and the name means Red Castle in Arabic. It is located on top of a hill known as al-Sabika, on the left bank of the river Darro, to the west of the city of Granada and in front of the area known as the Albayzin. You enter the Alhambra complex into the Un-irrigated Land where there are lots of ruins of Arab and Christian buildings. This area got its name because the irrigation channels that carried water into it were destroyed in the 16th century.

Walking down through the Upper Alhambra we went into the Carlos the Fifth Palace which is a two story building with a circular central courtyard. The Emperor ordered the construction of this palace next to the Nasrid Palaces and work started in 1527 but was not completely finished until 1957. The construction went through several stages, the works being stopped due to lack of money and revolts, and the building was sometimes neglected to such an extent that the ceilings collapsed. It was built as a winter residence for the Emperor who used the other palaces as summer residences.

The Courtyard of the Carlos V Palace

The upper rooms contained a museum and a lecture theatre but neither were of much interest to us so we then moved on to the Alcazaba fortress and walked around the walls until it was time to visit the Nasrid Palaces. The Alcazaba is the oldest part of the Alhambra and it is thought to have been built on older constructions that pre-date the arrival of the Muslims. Its existence was first referred to in the 9th century. From the walls there were fantastic views of Granada, the Albayzin and Sacromonte, the gypsy quarter.

The Ceiling of the Hall of the Boat - Nasrid Palaces

At ten thirty we queued up for entrance to the Nasrid Palaces and what we saw on entering was remarkable. The ornate plasterwork, the marble and intricate painting were all spectacular. The Nasrid Palaces are so called because they were built by the Nasrid dynasty of rulers. There are three independent areas within the palaces: the Mexuar, which would have been the semi-public part of the palace for administration and state affairs; the Comares Palace, which was the official residence of the king; and the Palace of the Lions, which was the private area of the palace, where the Harem was located. Because of their functions these areas have different architectural characteristics becoming more and more opulent the further in you go. Everywhere you looked there were carvings and intricately moulded plasterwork, on the walls, ceilings and columns. The photographs do not really do it justice.

A Tiled Wall in the Comares Palace - Nasrid Palaces

The Court of the Myrtles - Nasrid Palaces

The Court of Myrtles - Nasrid Palaces

The Entrance to the Palace of the Lions - Nasrid Palaces

Ceiling of the Hall of the Ambasadors - Nasrid Palaces

The Hall of the Mocarabes - Nasrid Palaces

The Hall of the Mocarabes - Nasrid Palaces

The Emperor's Chambers - Nasrid Palaces

The Patio of the Lions - Nasrid Palaces

The Emperor's Chambers - Nasrid Palaces

The Emperor's Chambers - Nasrid Palaces

The Emperor's Chambers - Nasrid Palaces

The Emperor's Chambers - Nasrid Palaces

The Generalife

After leaving the Nasrid Palaces you are guided through the Garden of the Partal and then through more ornamental gardens along the outer wall till you reach the path that leads up to the Generalife. This is another citadel that is above the Alhambra and was the kitchen garden; producing vegetables and flowers for the palaces. Water is collected in cisterns higher up and flows down to the Generalife through pipes and channels on every side.

The Generalife

This citadel occupies the slopes of the Hill of the Sun, from which there is a fantastic view over the city and the valleys of the rivers Genil and Darro. Its name may have derived from the "Governor's Garden", the "Architect's Garden", or the "Vegetable Garden of the Gypsy Festivity Organiser" which is probably the least likely. Built in the 13th century, the Generalife became a leisure place for the kings of Granada when they wanted to get away from the official affairs of the palace.

The Generalife is today formed by two groups of buildings connected by the Patio of the Irrigation Ditch but it has been altered and rebuilt so often throughout the Christian period it is difficult to know what it originally looked like. 

The Patio of the Irrigation Ditch - Generalife

Unlike the Nasrid Palaces, in the Generalife there is very little decorative plasterwork or points of architectural interest. The buildings are quite solid but in general simply built. The main attraction are the gardens and water features. These provided a more intimate and peaceful atmosphere that encouraged the kings use these gardens to rest.

Cave Dwellings on the Sacromonte

All too soon it was time to leave as morning visitors have to be out of the complex by 2:00pm. So it was back to the bus stop and onto one of the buses that run every ten minutes to get a ride back into the city. On the walk back we stopped at a bar advertising 10 tapas for 10€ so we shared those for lunch before wandering about the area around the cathedral and having a look in the shops. It had rained most of the morning and now it started coming down torrentially so, after sheltering under a shop awning for a few minutes till it slackened off a bit, we headed back to the hotel.

The Cave Restaurant - Sacromonte

Waiting for the Flamenco Show - Sacromonte

That evening we decided to go back to Chaplins for a drink and when we order were told by one of the bar staff, who spoke very good English, that the tapas was free with an alcoholic drink. So we had a few drinks and sampled the tapas instead of having a proper evening meal. Later on we were picked up by coach for our trip to the Albayzin and, after wending its way through the narrow streets, it deposited us at the restaurant in the gypsy quarter where the Flamenco show would be held. We were treated to a brilliant demonstration of the dancing in the traditional gypsy style; not a frilly red gown or a castanet in sight. After the Flamenco it was back on the bus for a short distance followed by a short walk through the narrow streets of the Albayzin to visit a view point and get a spectacular view of the Alhambra all lit up and the city spread out below. Unfortunately, because the bus was delayed at the start of the excursion, we didn't get to see the Sacromonte but that will be one for next time.

The Wall at the Ermita de San Miguel Altos

We spent another night in the hotel and ate a hearty breakfast once again before driving up to the Albayzin to see it in the daylight and get some photographs. There was a wall that we had seen from the Alhambra and had to be checked out so after parking in Calle Jardines el Alto and climbing the hill following the wall we reached the Ermita de San Miguel Altos. A bit of photography ensued and then we began the return journey to Malaga. It had been a really enjoyable few days and there are still a few things that need to be seen which will require a return trip sometime.