The Alhambra

Yesterday, I visited the Alhambra, a Moorish palace on one of the hills in town. It was absolutely stunning, and do not think my description or photos do it any justice. I am trying to upload all my photos to shutterfly, but its being a pain in the butt. So, I will post a few here for now, and update you when I have more available on shutterfly.

I know that my version of why the Alhambra exists is not complete, if you are interested, I suggest reading the wikipedia entry, it is quite extensive. During my tour, I saw an old fortress/castle, a stunning palace and many gardens and fountains. The architecture was amazing.














Description of my pics (from top to bottom, left, then right).
1. A sign on the fortress wall indicating where I was, the Alhambra. Notice the stone wall? That is what the walls of the fortress looked like. Stone and clay. Amazing. I cannot imagine how long it took to construct the entire palace and city.

2. This is a horse reign on King Charles V palace. After the Christians defeated the Moors and took over the Alhambra, they tried to eradicate all traces of the Muslim religion. The built a Catholic church, and a palace for King Charles. It contrasts very much with the remaining buildings, but is still beautiful. King Charles ended up not staying in Granada very long, an earthquake freaked him out, and he moved to Madrid.

3. A view of the Palace of Nasrid through one of the many arches. This is the most spectacular of the palaces. It is full of amazing details and intricacies.

4. A view from the upstairs of the palace to one of the many garden/patios.

5. Me! Standing in a doorway. I love the shape of the doorways.

6. A view from the inside of King Charles V palace. The outside looks like a rectangular building, but once you walk inside, there is a circular inner courtyard.

7. A view from the top of one of the fortress towers down on the city of Granada.

8. This is some detail from the walls inside the palace. Every wall was covered either in etchings like this, many with Arabic words inscribed, or in colorful mosaics of tile.

9. Another door. Notice the etchings surrounding it.

10. A view of the "Myrtle Patio" (named for the type of plant on either side of the pond), showing a reflection of the palace.

11. Another patio and garden.

12. The Cypress walk leaving the gardens.