Granada

The mighty Alhambra - this has been on my 'bucket list' for many years.

Granada spent eight centuries as a Muslim capital and was one of the last strongholds of Islam in Spain. One of its most remarkable architectural achievements - the mighty Alhambra - is the result.

 

 

The Nasrid dynasty began building three amazing palaces in the 13th century with stunning relaxing patios, beautiful stucco and intricate woodwork.

 

At the end of the 15th century the Nasrid Sultan surrendered the Alhambra to the Catholic Monarchs, Isabella of Castille and Ferdinand II of Aragon who undertook further additions including magnificent gardens with a great engineering feat, the water stairway.

 

We visited the Alhambra on a Monday -a supposedly quiet day - but the crowds were quite incredible. However, the organisation runs so smoothly the numbers are not a problem provided you are prepared to queue at times. It is recommended to book tickets in advance online and choose a specific time slot to visit the Palaces. When you arrive at the entrance it is only a matter of inserting your credit card in the machine and your tickets are printed.

It is hard to do the Alhambra justice with a few photos and a brief outline of what we saw. You will just have to go there and see it for yourself!

 

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Sevilla - and dancing the Macarena!

Beautiful Sevilla!

Being in Seville we thought a spot of dancing would be in order - but to our surprise, the Macarena turned out to be a basilica worshipping Seville's very own Madonna, La Macarena! Instead of dancing we were down on our knees.

 

Our first stop in this very busy city was the magnificent Plaza de España with its twin slender towers stretching up towards the sky and enveloping it's fountains, canal and a dazzling semi-circle of ceramic tile clad buildings. It's scale was reminiscent of St Peter's Square in Rome. The whole scene was truly awesome in every sense of the word!

 

The Santa Iglesias Cathedral, erected on the site of a mosque is the third largest church in world surpassed only by St Peter's in Rome and St Paul's in London. The intention of the church leaders was "to build a cathedral so big that, once it were finished, those who saw it would think we were mad". They certainly succeeded. The interior takes your breath away with it's soaring Gothic arches, lavishly ornate altars, countless paintings, treasures of gold and silver and, in residence, the tomb of Christopher Columbus.

 

Outside is the Giralda bell tower (all that remains of the Moslem mosque).

 

Seville's Metropolitan-Parasol is an architectural extravaganza with its wooden, honeycomb-like frame housing the central markets, a podium for concerts, a viewing platform and an undulating rooftop walkway.

 

We did find some dancing in Seville:-

 

..... and a laid back inhabitant!

 

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Cordoba

The Mezquita!

Cordoba pays graceful testament to it's Moorish past with its Mezquita (Mosque) being one of Spain's highlights whose history can be traced back to its Visigoth origins.

 

The Mosque was begun in the 8th century after the Islamic invasion of Cordoba. It's enlargement by subsequent generations ensured its role as the most important sanctuary of Western Islam. Cordoba was re conquered by the Christians in the 13th century and in the 16th century a Catholic cathedral was built right in the centre of the mosque!

The inside is a mesmerising sequence of two-tier arches amid a thicket of columns. Words can't really begin to describe its immense grandness.

 

 

 

Equally impressive is the adjacent Alcázar de Los Reyes Cristianos (Fortress of the Christian Monarchs) with its huge, beautifully laid out gardens which rival those at the Alhambra in Granada.

 

David had a quick visit to the Inquisition museum - photos are very gruesome. The cruelty inflicted on people in the name of the Church and with the aim of filling the coffers with ill-gotten gains is quite unbelievable!

 

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Tribute to the Beach Boys ??

"Help me Ronda, help, help me Ronda ......."

This song was ringing in my ears as we negotiated the long and winding route through Andalucia's white villages (pueblos blanca's) on our way to Ronda. This dramatically sited village is perched on an inland plateau on the edge of the 100m deep El Tajo gorge

Ronda is noted as the national home of bullfighting and as such has an impressive white bull ring in the centre of the town.

The amazing 18th century Puente Nuevo (New Bridge) is an incredible engineering feat crossing the gorge to the originally Muslim Old Town.

It's 13th century mosque was converted in the 15th century into a Catholic Church by the Catholic Monarchs after the Moors were forced out of Andalucia during the Inquisition.

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