ALHAMBRA

On Saturday we went to La Alhambra. There was some confusion surrounding my parents tickets for Alhambra. First off because Alhambra gets so many tourists, you have to buy your tickets in advance. I had no idea of this regulation, so my parents were scrambleing around trying to find tickets for the same time we were going. The only tickets they could find were just for the gardens. My mom was pretty upset, and she did not try an hide her disappointment in the slightest. Andrea had a friend visiting from home, who was in the same pickle. After giving up on actually getting tickets to the inside of the palaces, my parents and Adrea’s friend Nicole reluctantly settled for the garden tickets. This put my mom in a pissy mood all Friday. Fortunately luck was on my parents side. When we returned to the hotel on Friday evening before the Flamenco show there was a fax from a tour company saying that there was a cancellation and my parents had tickets for the palaces with a guided tour in English. My mom’s mood did a 180 and all of a sudden she was super perky and cheerful again.

When Saturday morning rolled around we put all of our luggage on the bus, since we would not be returning to the hotel, and then we headed out for Alhambra. My parents did not leave with the rest of us because their tour included transportation from the hotel, so they stayed behind and waited for their bus.

We started our tour of Alhambra in the gardens. The gardens were beautiful of course, with blooming flowers, fountains, and views of the city nestled below. The gardens were built after the Muslims had been kicked out of Spain by one of the many kings named Carlos. My parents tour was just behind us in the gardens, so we got to see each other. I could tell how happy my parents were that their tour was in Enlgish.

After we finished the tour of the gardens, we walked out to the main palace area. First we toured the Arabic fortrace that overlooked the entire city. We got to the climb to the top of the lookout tour. From here we could see the entire city of Granada. The Muslims defentaitely had good planning in picking this location. You could see everything that was coming from all sides. Also there was a breathe taking view of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range in the distance. On our tour Jesus told us that the Muslims designed the fortrace very technically so it would be hard for invaders to enter. All the entrances had turns, so the person on the other side could see what was coming put you had no idea what was on the other side. We also learned about the creative ways the Muslims had for collecting water in the arid Granadan environment. Jesus told us that all the or almost all the buildings in Granada were white because of the Muslims. The Muslims painted everything white to reflect the sun. This kept the interiours cooler in the summer when temperatures typically surpass 100 degrees.

We left the fortrace area and headed for the palace. We had to wait about 45 mins before we could enter. I saw my parents again as they went in with their tour. When it was time for our tour, we entered into the palace with Jesus. The first room we stopped in was paneled with tiles and ornate windows. Jesus talked to us about the Muslim architecture. He said that all Muslim ceilings are made of inlayed wood that forms a symmetrical design. Jesus also told us that Muslims did not believe in putting humans or animals in any of their artwork. Instead, they created intracet geogemtic designs using their alfabet and inspiration from plant life.

We walked through so many rooms in Alhambra. Each room seemed to be more impressive than the next. Nothing was left undetailed or plan. Everything was perfectely carved and the archways between the room were absolutely spectacular with their designs. We passed through several rooms with reflecting pools. These pools were perfectly symmetrical with the building and created crystal clear reflections in the water. The most famous room Alhambra is known for, the Patio de Los Leones, was wonderful. There were arches inside arches, and everything was ornately carved.