The Kingdom of Granada once stood strong for 250 years in Europe, and under the ruling of Muhammad I, Sultan of Arjona, Granada was the capital of their Kingdom (the Nasrid teritory).
To enter the Nasrid Palaces, a time slot is given. Limited visitors are allowed in here and only a time frame of 30 minutes is allowed to go through the palaces. Time slots should be booked in advance on the ticket website, and it goes really fast. Missing your visiting time would mean you can't enter the grounds.
The view of Granada from the palace entrance
Our slot was at 5pm. And there was already a long que waiting to enter those place doors.
Architecture which consists of carvings on wood and stone.
Each and every corner of the palace was carved specifically and is still preserved till now. Every ceiling, wall and pillars. All this was made out of humble maetrials such as timber, plaster and tiles. Surprisingly no cobwebs were found stuck in the bits of carved holes. They did a good job preserving this palace.
Patio del Mexuar, a court used by the Sultans to hold meetings with the ministers.
Using the elements of space, light, water and intricate decoration, this place was suppose to represent paradise on earth, and was built by the caliphs during the Nasrid Dynasty. Nonetheless, this place does make you fall in love again and again. Blue skies, green water topped with stunning facades.
Pation de Arrayanes
Court of the Lions, the main court of the Palace.
This court represents the architectural materialization of Paradise. The gardens, the water, and the columns form a conceptual and physical unity. On 12 marble lions rests a fountain.
Jardin de Lindaraja, a garden created by the King as a gift to his wife. Up on the balcony, a view of the city, once which they all conqured.
Palcio del Partal, the tower and arched patio which remains the oldest of the Alhambra.
This ends our visit to the Alhambra. We then had to walk back uphill to return the electronic guides, and since none of us want to 'smartly' walk back down to town, we took a bus from the entrance, which costed 1.20€ one way, back to town. It dropped us at the cathedral and from there, we walked back to our place.
That night, we booked a ticket to watch a Flamenco show which was 20€, with a drink and Tapas. Before the show we went to have dinner, which was dead cheap for four people, including drinks. And we all got to have seafood tapas. It was a nice little Cantina with big portions of tapas (and cheap!). We then took a cab to the restaurant where the show was held. It was high up in the mountains, a small open garden with fresh air and sounds of spanish guitar in d mindst of strong feet stomping.
Jardines de Zoraya Flamenco Show.
That night, we became happy people with Andalusia at heart.
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