November 27th We get to see the Alhambra

Well today is finally the day we get to tour the Alhambra.  A couple weeks ago I purchased tickets online and we got our reserved time.   We’ve been assigned a time of 13:00 which means we can go in as soon as it opens in the morning and see all the sights except for the Palacio Nazaries, which is where all of the famous Islamic architecture is located.   Our weather reports said that today would be rainy but when we woke up there was not a cloud to be seen, however it was perhaps the coolest morning since we’ve been in Spain.  In order to maximize our time at the site we decided to take a taxi up to the entrance and it was the right decision.   We got into the site around 9:00 am and spent the four hours before our entry time seeing the Generalife Palace & Gardens, the renaissance Palace of Carlos I, and the ruins of the old Moorish fortress.   At 12:30 we lined up for our entrance and were among the first in for our time slot.  When we wandered out at nearly 3:00 we were completely entranced.  The Alhambra is an attraction that rates with the Taj Mahal, at least for us, as a must be seen place.  It is among the most compelling places I’ve ever been.  Even at this time of year so many plants are in bloom and everywhere you look is another water feature.    There are pools, flowing channels, small waterfalls, and fountains everywhere.  Once we entered the Nazaries Palace we were transported to the Moorish world of the 5^th to 13^th century, though primarily from the 11^th century onward. 


 It’s pretty amazing that the Spanish monarchs, Ferdinand & Isabella, and even their progeny didn’t let their militant Catholicism destroy this beautiful site.   One must remember that without the Islamic philosophers and intellectuals that European culture would most likely have lost all contact with the ancient Greek and Roman thinkers - they didn’t call it the Dark Ages for nothing.  We particularly loved the Courtyard of the Lions because it now looks much as it must have when first created by the Moors in the 1300’s.  In the last few years they conserved the 12 lions, rebuilt the fountain and repaved the whole courtyard in marble. We feel extremely privileged to be able to see it in a completed state.  I want to create another entry next week showing many more pictures of the Alhambra, and Deb wants to create an entry highlighting the plants and flowers, so stay tuned.  

Tomorrow we go to the old Moorish neighborhood which should be very interesting as well.