Alhambra Palace, Granada. January 2018
The highlight of my week in Antequera [see: Antequera] was the visit to Alhambra in Granada. Alhambra Palace is one of the top tourist destinations in all of Europe. It requires a ticket booked in advance online just to gain entry. I was going mid-January and I still had to buy the ticket online and specify a time. I think it might be one of the most strictly controlled tourist activities I have ever experienced besides viewing the crown jewels in the Tower of London and the tour of the old FBI building in Washington, DC. It was worth every hassle!
I walked to the castle hill from the train station and even got lost along the way. I felt a little panicky because I had a timed ticket, but I finally found my way again and walked up the long entry slope into the palace grounds. Some of palace was free to enter but the top attractions were by timed-ticket only. It was a lovely sunny day and the Sierra Nevada mountains were snow-capped in the distance. It literally looked like the tourist photos. I was over the moon with my good luck. Even in January though, the place was crawling with tourists. I thought to myself, "If this is January, what on earth would August in peak season be like?" As I waited for my time to arrive, I saw much of the free stuff around the palace grounds (not disappointing). Finally, I got in my group's queue and we shuffled our way into the complex.
Alhambra is touted as one of the best-preserved examples of an Islamic palace in the world and served as a model for a style that influenced the world for years to come. After seeing what wealth could construct in Greater Germania in those days of frequent travel to Europe, it was going to take a lot to impress me. Well, it did. For me, to compare the Hofburg of Vienna, or even Versailles in France, with Alhambra was like comparing finger-painting with a daVinci. The artistry of the Nazirids was breathtaking. Room after room I just gasped in awe. The courtyards, fountains, and pools were designed perfectly. The residents of Alhambra lived in a paradise on earth. The Chinese say "In the sky is heaven and on the earth, Hangzhou" I think they would revise that had they visited Alhambra. The only downside was sharing the tour with so many others. Luckily, I let my group press on ahead and I tried to find moments in the lulls between waves of ticket holders in which to enjoy the complex in near solitude and to take photos. It was the best palace I saw in Europe and one of the best I have seen in the world.
The most impressive parts of the place were built in the 14th century and after the Reconquista a century later, Ferdinand and Isabella set up their court there for a time (I sure would have!). It is at Alhambra that Christopher Columbus was given the green light (and the cash) to travel to the New World. The Spanish added to Alhambra and their additions still exist. They look like poorly constructed out-buildings in comparison. I can't even imagine what they were thinking trying to add onto that beautiful, original structure. It must have been something akin to the Beverly Hillbillies come to Granada, I am sure.
It gets worse. The place was abandoned by the 17th century and then Napoleon's troops destroyed some parts of the palace. In the early 19th century British and American travelers rediscovered Alhambra (filled with squatters). American author, Washington Irving, even wrote about his experience in Tales of the Alhambra. Irving's work brought attention to the place and with its new fame, it began to be restored to its original splendor where possible. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and deservedly so.
In its day, Alhambra and its grounds were a self-contained city with its own water source and gardens. I imagine it could have withstood a siege for a long time (while the lower city was decimated). Granada was the last Islamic Emirate in Spain. What was it like to live there? The sheer luxuriousness of existence was off the chart. These were not just rich people - they were rich people with a sense of art and culture. The Nazirid branch of the Umayyads were those who helped to preserve the knowledge of ancient Greece and Rome as the Roman Empire started to fade. Life behind those palace walls must have been grand indeed.
I explored elsewhere in Granada, but remember very little. Mostly I was trying to climb to a viewpoint opposite the palace complex to take the iconic shot of it with the Sierra Nevada in the background. I got my photo at least. I would love to spend a few days back in Granada as the city looked intriguing, too. Alas, the day-trip was only about Alhambra - and well it should have been! I headed back to Antequera for my well-deserved aperitivo in the Hotel El Numero Uno bar to digest all that I had seen.
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