Europe Travel Diary – Part II – The Alhambra

Previously: Part I – Madrid

We caught at 7:40 train from Madrid and arrived in Granada about 4.5 hours later. From the train station we took a taxi to our hotel, Hotel America, which is on the grounds of the Alhambra. After checking in we took a bus back down into town for lunch and a visit to the Royal Chapel (with the tombs of Isabella and Ferdinand). Then we took another bus up to the San Nicolas viewpoint on a hill facing the Alhambra. It was great to see The Alhambra from a distance to really take in it’s magnitude. We went to bed that night eagerly anticipating our visit of the Alhambra the next day.

Here’s a brief history lesson: The Alhambra is a Moorish palace built in the 12th century. At one point 2,000 Muslims lived within the Alhambra’s walls. When the Catholics conquered Granada in 1492 they took control of the Alhambra. There are four main points of interest within the Alhambra. (1) The Alcazaba: the original castle/fort on the hill. It’s mostly in ruins now (although several towers still stand) but it was once the main defence point of the Alhambra. (2) Palacios Nazaries (Nazrid Palace): this is the Moorish royal palace and the highlight of the Alhmabra. The rooms and halls have intricate stucco work and amazing geometric tile patterns. The courtyards have beautiful fountains and the whole thing is amazingly preserved. (3) Charles V’s Palace: Built by the conquering king but never finished it’s a square building with a circular courtyard that was meant to be topped by a dome. (4) The Generalife Gardens: These gardens once fed the residents of the Alhambra. The sultan also had a summer palace here.

Since we had an afternoon entry time we couldn’t pick up our tickets and enter the grounds until 2pm. Our first stop was The Alcazaba. Next we got in line for our 3pm entry into the Palacios Nazaries. They let 300 people in every half hour in increments of 50 every 5 minutes. We took our time walking through the palace trying to take it all in. I don’t think I can find words to do justice to the palace’s architecture, design and beauty. I was most impressed with the geometric tile patterns. They were amazingly well preserved. After the palace we toured the Generalife Gardens and then walked back through the grounds to the Charles V’s palace. What a day!

After our visit we had dinner and the Parador San Francisco Hotel right next door to our hotel (but 2.5 times more expensive per night!). The meal was excellent and served on a patio overlooking the buildings of the Generalife under a full moon! I ordered from the vegetarian menu and had pumpkin and kidney bean soup and vegetable paella. I’m still dreaming about that soup and will have to try and recreate it at some point!

Our visit to the Alhambra was the highlight of the trip for me. The rest of my Alhambra pictures can be seen here.

Next: Part III – Gribaltar