Granada & The Alhambra Palace

Raff's Dad came over to see us in Benidorm, and for many years has been exhorting us to visit the Alhambra Palace in Granada with him. Almost before he'd touched down he was asking whether we had organised a visit whilst he was with us. We had discussed it previously and felt it was probably a bit far to travel 180 miles for three up in the Smart car. Faddy was eager to go and said that it wouldn't be a problem travelling as a back seat passenger so we set to and booked an overnight hotel in Granada.

Travel time was just under 5 hours including a couple of stops. Driving on Spanish roads is a pleasant experience, mostly dual carriage ways - we avoid the peaje (toll roads). The hotel we'd booked was in the centre of Granada and the reception desk were very helpful providing information on where to visit within the city, where to get buses and restaurant recommendations. Once we'd settled into our rooms - for one night this didn't take long as we were travelling light, we set off to explore!

We had a good walk around the town centre which seemed peculiarly quiet from about 4:30 pm. We didn't want to eat too early so we popped back to the hotel before venturing out again little later. The city had suddenly come to life, the Christmas illuminations had been turned on and they were stunning. We enjoyed a meal in a restaurant tucked down a little side street and wandered back through the streets marvelling at the lights.

We had booked out tickets for Alhambra in advance online. During the summer there can be a significant wait for tickets, but for us we were able to book for the day we wanted and a convenient time. The timed tickets are only for the Nasrid Palace all other parts of the Alhambra are free to walk around.

We arrived around 10:30 and converted our online booking into printed tickets. It is a Palatine city and the only one to have survived due to continuous use. We walked to the 'General Life' area first which was used as a resting area by the Islamic monarchs. The gardens are beautiful even at this time of year with trimmed hedges, topiary and little garden areas all with water features which are naturally fed from the River Darro. The palaces in the General Life are exquisite but seem rather plain when compared to the Nasrid palace. From the General life we walked through the passage of the Cypresses to the other palaces.

In the 15th century when Spain gained control of the area they wanted to demonstrate their power. Carlos V, Holy Roman Emperor (a Catholic Monarch), commanded a palace to be built. The Palacío de Carlos V is a square building with a circular internal patio it is plonked in the middle of Alhambra with a completely alien architectural style to the rest of the buildings. Part of the old palace was demolished to make way for this one. It was never finished or inhabited and was unroofed until the late 1950s. The internal patio is surrounded by a two floor colonnade which is pleasantly cool. Interestingly the ground floor is a Doric colonnade whilst the upper floor is Ionic.

The highlight of our visit has to be the Nasrid Palace. This was a timed entrance and although low season was very busy. From the queuing are we were taken down to a rather plain looking entrance compared to the Palace of Carlos V next door. but once inside it was like entering an Aladdin's cave of culture. Stunning mosaic tiles, intricate carvings, ornate plaster panels and woodwork. Although time has on occasions been unkind to the palace - it was squatted in for a while, and damage has occurred to the fabric of the building, that which remains is amazing. It is difficult to know where to look in case you miss something elsewhere. Each area within the palace has a naturally pressured water feature or pool which give a sense of calm and serenity, notwithstanding the number of visitor present. Now a UNESCO world heritage site - if you have never visited you should put it high up on your list. (http://www.alhambra-patronato.es)

Raff took so many pictures we cannot put them all here but we have attempted to give you a flavour of the overall ambience which we enjoyed on that beautifully sunny December day. We must of course thank Faddy for encouraging us to make the trip.