Granada

I noticed that the majority of the posts for Spain are based in cities. That’s because there’s so many neat ones in the country, as well as great things to see and do in them. After we got settled into our apartment in the old town area, we wandered around a bit to get our bearings. Whew! Granada is definitely built into the hills -

… employing narrow curving streets and staircases to get around…

… and the Alhambra definitely dominates the skyline -

We found they also like to decorate their streets with designs -

On our first morning in town, we went to the Alhambra, which started as a small fortress in 889, and was greatly enlarged over the years, especially in the 14th century by the Muslim Nasrid dynasty. This is the most visited site in Spain, which is why we were there when the doors opened.

The morning light was neat to see spreading across the valley below…

… as well as lighting up some of the oldest areas of the complex -

Because we got there early, we were able to see the Baths without anyone else there -

yes, those are really cool skylights!

The highlight of anyone’s visit is the tour of the Nasrid Palaces…

… which are loaded with intricate carvings and details -

As you head deeper into the palaces…

… you’re treated to “stalactite vaulting” -

… that gets more and more elaborate -

Just wow…

As I went from one more elaborate room to another, I had to keep shutting my mouth so it wouldn’t hang open. :)

Then you get to the gardens…

this was “just” a small inner courtyard

The Alhambra grounds continue over to that hillside you see in the background of the picture above…

… where there were great water features and reflections -

I really liked the hint of the hills in the background

I had nearly 400 pictures (that I kept!) taken around Granada and the Alhambra over 3 days, and I can’t begin to share even a fraction with you. I’m closing with that one above, as one of my favorites.