Sheilaclapkin's Blog;

Granada and The Alhambra

View of Granada from The Alhambra

Granada is a lovely city. I thought it would be a stopping point to see the Alhambra. It was much more to me.  It is built on three hills; I assume the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range. It is quite hot in the town, but you can still see remnants of snow on the mountaintops. My personal experience in Granada was very comfortable, probably the most comfortable I have been thus far. There is a wholesome quality and an honest representation of life happening here. It was a Sunday when we had our free time, so most everything was closed.  Imagine walking to nowhere; imagine just being in a place because you are there, nothing snapping at your heels. It was nice. They had dinner for us a hotel.  Let me just say a word about a hotel, that gives free Wi-Fi and allows you to use your calling card purchased on the streets of Spain giving you 300 minutes for six Euros and a lovely dinner.   This hotel also had a beautiful pool area, which became an oasis in the heat and a meeting place for sharing the day’s events with other travelers.. This kind of guest relations is a 10 star for me.  Enough already, I just wanted you to know I liked Granada and the guest relations at our hotel very much.

Another view of Granada with the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the background

Granada was real, authentic, a place you wanted to be.

The Alhambra:

Garden and view of water jets forming arches

When you visit Spain, of course, you must put on your itinerary, The Alhambra. The Alhambra is a 13^th Century Palace for the Sultan and his Sultana. The viewpoint of all of Granada and the mountains makes this setting a privileged point of view. First, we were taken into the gardens in which you see many beautiful varieties of plants and arches formed by using plants, plus a special row of water jets that form graceful arches. Another pathway formed arches using the oleander plant, one that I do not admire, but have a new and elevated opinion of its uses.

After viewing the gardens one is treated to the inside of the palace.  The Arabian architecture uses the concept of plain and simple on the outside with all of the beauty on the inside. True to form with the beautiful compartments of the Alhambra. The sultans meeting room was most impressive and you had the opportunity of picturing the Sultan sitting at the back of the room in an alcove, meeting with guests and conducting his business. The most striking room for me was the room of the Sultana. It is beautiful. When I walked to the back, I saw an area of colored lighting. How does this happen?  Manuel told me that the ceiling of that room was made of stained glass. How truly unique to have stained glass on the ceiling to make mystical and magical forms of light on various spots and at various times of days they would change size, shape and locations.

See the magical colors on the left?

A photo is provided here of the lights that intrigued me. I would have enjoyed staying the day and watching how the sun played its part  in this moving painting as time passed. Alas, a guided tour waits for no one.

We were told that sometimes there were up to a thousand workers each working day on the Alhambra buildings and gardens for nearly one hundred years.  They are renovating it now as I write, and will be renovating for years to come. Those who have conceived, worked on and continued to work on the Alhambra I want to thank them for their gift, the symbolic power, the spell they cast and the charm they sought as it continues and will continue for as long as the world turns.