Granada

We took a bus to go from Malaga to Granada and with front row seats we had a great view.  Once we left the coastal hills near Malaga we were travelling between  olive groves with an occasional market garden or agricultural crop here and there.

In Granada our apartment was in the 'old town'.  The building we were in was in the old Arab quarter, it was in a narrow cobbled street and the buildings abutted each other.  In places the street was only 1.8 metres wide, there were signs to warn drivers about it's lack of width.

We were the second door down and second floor up

A walk in our neighborhood lead us down and up narrow streets and lanes, many of the streets turning into steps part way up.  

The retail shops that flank the streets are interesting with more stylish looking clothing and shoes than we see at home.  In Granada there were a couple of streets that seemed to be mostly clothing or shoes.  These streets had shade sails overhead which made it more comfortable when browsing, especially as the temperature got to 37C+.  Even after the sun had gone down these streets were cooler than those without shades.

As it was hot and hilly we decided a hop on/off bus would be the way to see the sights.  We were taken up and down narrow cobbled one way streets and it was a bit of a bumpy ride because our ‘bus’ was more like a train as it had a motorised unit towing 2 small carriages.  The public buses that commute the old streets are 8 metre Mercedes buses, like what we use for campervans, standard buses wouldn't get around the corners.  We hopped off at plazas and churches and had views over the city.  Although it was very hazy we saw the mountains in the distance.  It seemed strange that we could see snow while we were sweltering in 37+ degrees.  

If you look hard you will see the mountains.  Alhambra is in the foreground

The mountains were clearer the day we left 

Alhambra is a notable attraction in Granada and we had a guided tour there.  Alhambra is a fortified palace built in 1238 by Mohammad I al-Ahmar, founder of the Nasid dynasty.  Over centuries successive rulers added to and modified Alhambra.

Alhambra

We visited 3 palaces at Alhambra.  Outside the Mexur palace ( built 1314 - 1325 and additions 1362 - 1391 ) there was a patio ( courtyard )with orange trees and an ornamental pool.  The building was built as a throne room and became a reception room when the palace was expanded.  Arabic stucco carvings and geometric patterned tiles adorned the walls.

Floor put down in Christan times

The Comares palace (  built 1333 - 1354 & 1362 - 1391 ) has 7 arches and a reflective pool. 

 There are only traces left of the colour on the carved stucco facade so you have to imagine what it originally looked like, but it's still stunning.

The tower contains the throne room and it is very decorative with double arched windows, walls with carved stucco motifs and calligraphy and tiles with geometric patterns.   In the centre of the room is the original mosaic floor where the throne once sat.

The courtyard of the Palace of the Lions ( built 1333 - 1354 & 1362 - 1391 ) features a marble basin on the backs of 12 lions. 

An arch covered patio encircles the courtyard and it has delicate carvings held up by slender columns.  The ceiling inside is vaulted and had intricate carving.

In 1492 new Spanish monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, took over Granada.  The Jews were expelled and Muslims had a choice of conversion to Catholicism or death.  Almost all of Granada’s citizens chose to convert on the outside, but secretly kept Islam as their true religion.

The new christian rulers used the Muslim palaces and made alterations and additions but fortunately many of the beautiful Muslim decorations weren't completely destroyed.  The Christians built a new section and this is very plain with dark timber and plain walls, no doubt the addition of wall hangings and furniture would enhance it.

There is yet another palace, that of Charles V who wanted to build his own palace, one befitting an emperor.  The exterior of the building is square and the lower story built in 1533 is Italian designed and the second story built later is a more elaborate style.

In the centre of the building is a circular courtyard.  This palace was never completed and remained roofless until the late 20th century.  When the court moved to Madrid the palace was abandoned.

If all this isn't enough there is more!  The Alcazaba was the military area of the complex and the Muslims added their fortification onto a 9th century fort, adding ramparts and towers to existing walls.  It was used as a royal residence until the palaces were built.  We visited a tower and some walls and saw the area where the soldiers lived.

Walls of houses where the soldiers lived 

A short walk to the other side of a narrow ravine took us to ‘ Generalife ‘ a palace and gardens where the Kings of Granada went to escape their official duties. Built on a hill it has lovely views over the city.

The Generalife Palace 

We  crossed over the top of this to get to the Generalife 

The morning before we left Granada we visited some old Arab baths.  The baths were built by the Muslims in the 11th century because they believed water was a symbol of purity and they used it to cleanse their bodies. The Christians considered bathing so often and in such a public manner to be excessive and decadent so had the majority of the Arab bath houses destroyed.  The bath house had 3 rooms - cold, tepid and warm.

To complete our exploration of Granada we visited a house built in the 14th century.  This gave us a glimpse of what is behind the plain high walls you see from the street.  The central courtyard contained a lovely pool creating a cool an tranquil space within the walls.