Granada - Day Twenty-Three

Day Twenty-Three

Date:     April  2013

Place:    Granada

Weather:   Sunny, mid-twenties.  Cool evening.

Accommodation:             Hotel Alixeres

We had a full day in Granada and as we had our tickets already purchased there was no rush to scramble all over the Alhambra.

After a leisurely latish breakfast we started our tour with the audio guides at 11am.  It was a glorious day – sunny and not too hot!

As we had already visited the Palacios Nazaries the previous evening we set off following the suggested guide and the ‘not to be missed’ sites which were highlighted on the brochure.

As the Alhambra is a very large site over six acres we tried to be quite methodical in our approach.  Generally, the area is made up of four historical areas representing the eras of settlement in the unsettled times from 700AD to 1600’s.  The history covers the Moorish empire to the reconquest by the Catholic empire and Ferdinand and Isabella.   The four areas are:  The Palacios Nazaries – Moorish  influence;  the Palacio de Carlos V begun in 1526;  the Alcazaba – the fortress of the 11^th century of the Islamic rulers; and the Generalife – the gardens and summer palace of the sultans.

The Palacio de Carlos V is a very pretty building which from the outside is rectangular but after going through the foyer the central area is round, two storeyed and colonnaded.  From here it was only a short walk throught the Puerto del Vino (16^th century) to the Alcazaba which was the fortress for the area.
 

Looking down from the upper balcony....can you pick David in the centre?

 

From the top of the Alhambra particularly the Torre de la Vella in the Alcazaba tourists can see the Sierra Nevada Mountains which are still heavily snow-capped.   The bell-topped tower is the larget feature and stands high above Granada with four standards.

Fantastic views from the Alcazaba....looking back to Carlos V Palace.

 

Yep....it's the Odd Couple abroad!

Granada! 

We then wandered up to Generalife at the far end of the Alhambra.  The Generalife was wonderful – carefully tendered and colourful gardens form displays around water features a very distinct feature of the Arabic influence.  The grounds are so beautiful that it is very easy to be snap-happy!

Walking up to Generalife...finally got a photo without thousands of tourists!

The Generalife with its magnificent gardens.

Looking through a window from Generalife to the Torre de la Vela, the flagged tower which formed part of the Alcaszba.

The magnificent gardens of Generalife!  Wow!!

 

It was time for lunch so we decided to revisit the restaurant  where we dined last night as it was so delicious.  The Italian restaurant delivered more very tasty meals and we then decided to give ourselves the afternoon off and meet up for our next venture at 7.30pm.

I had an afternoon sleep….I needed to do a bit of catch up and David organised our plane fares to Morocco.

David and I set off about 5pm and walked down through the gardens to the main centre.  There are myriads of streets all touting souvenirs which are distinctly northern African with some flamenco wares.  After a look at the local cathedral we enjoyed people watching while sipping juice and a beer to give our feet a rest and put in some time before we met up with our fellow travellers for the evening.

We all walked up to San Nicolas on the hill over-looking the Alhambra.  It was a spectacular view and we weren’t the only ones up there!  We looked around for a restaurant and eventually after a discussion concluded that viewing the Alhambra was one of those life-time experiences (like the Parthenon a couple of years ago) and we decided to splash out and dine at the lavish restaurant overlooking the Alhambra.  When the bill arrived we realised we had broken our record...hey, YOLO!

 

Bathed in the afternoon sunlight ...what a view from the restaurant.

The Sierra Nevada Mountains in the background.....still heavily snow-capped and a spectacular backdrop to beautiful Granada.

 



Dessert envy! ....Cameron's choice.

 

We were absolutely delighted with our meals……a very attentive but unobtrusive waiter, a view to die for with a gradually setting sun, the Alhambra being gradually flood-lit and the realisation we were very lucky tourists.

The lucky tourists heading home....wallets a bit lighter but what a great evening.

 

A magical day!