Alhambra

The Alhambra looms over Granada, set on the top of the hills overlooking the town. It is a palace, or more a series of palaces, and a fort, surrounded by a protective wall (or at least parts of the wall still remain). This is centuries of history all in one spot, with the reign of the Muslims layered with the Catholics and even a garden with the Lions of Judah all in one place.

The design is truly awesome, not in the surfer "gnarly awesome" sense, but in the true sense of seeing something that makes your jaw drop open. To get to the Alhambra, you walk straight uphill and enter a giant keyhole shaped doorway. Inside there are many buildings, each built at a different time by a different reign, and each unique in its design. Some of the rooms were once mosques, turned later into churches. 15th century Islamic design then added to in the 1700s, turned into a church with a balcony for the choir with baroque paintings.

 

Some room are completely covered with alabaster plaster. This is not your typical plaster. In New England they mixed horse hair into the plaster to keep it strong. At the Alhambra, they added ground-up marble powder, giving the walls not only strength and staying power, but a marble sheen that makes the whole place shine. There are poems written in Arabic covering the walls, mixed in with the words are geometric designs. I would read this and think it would all be way too busy, but somehow, although every inch is covered with designs, it is so peaceful and serene.

In addition to being visually stunning, there is water that flows throughout the palaces and gardens. In some places this is man-made streams that flow through the buildings and borders, in other places there are fountains. The sound of flowing and dropping water adds another element to the peacefulness of the place. One large fountain is from the Jews - the Lions of Judah all in a circle in the middle of a building.

I took a ton of photos, some of which are still on my phone, but here are a few hundred...not yet edited down, but the variety gives you a glimpse of the different styles and a bit of a feel for the place... View Album