Spain is a terrific country for a vacation, and we have had the pleasure of visiting the country a number of times. Each time we try to see new areas and cities and this time I’ll focus on the fantastic palace and fortress Alhambra. We vacationed about 60 km south of Alicante and drove about 330 km to Alhambra. If you stay in Malaga for instance, you will only have a drive of about one and a half hours to the palace. But no matter where you stay the trip is well worthwhile and you’ll be grateful that you went.
Alhambra means the red castle in Arabic and is located just outside of Granada in Andalusia. Alhambra is Spain’s biggest tourist attraction and has since 1984 been on Unesco’s World Heritage list. The castle or rather palace is enormously big and has a size that says 740 m long and about 220 m wide.
Alhambra is a combined citadel and town and was erected during the 1200 and 1300 centuries for Islamic princes as Spain at that time was occupied by the Moors. The castle consists of a large number of very impressive buildings, which had different functions such as fortress, residences for the prince, mosques, baths and buildings for the employees. All of them surrounded by beautiful gardens.
When you wander around the enormous buildings it strikes you how beautiful the different buildings are ornamented with mosaics and stuccos and also the peace and harmony that meet you. To achieve that atmosphere the many delightful and tranquil courts with fountains and running water are key factors.
The architecture also reflects the Arabs’ great knowledge of mathematics and geometry. The whole design of Alhambra is well thought of and well planned. When you go outside it is bright and warm and when you are inside it is shady and cool.
As always it is a clever idea to buy a travel guide and study it in detail to obtain knowledge about Alhambra. It is always a pleasure to be prepared. We had bought tickets online for a tour with a guide and that proved to be a really good idea which I can strongly recommend. And please remember it can be hot – extremely hot. When we took the tour, the temperature went up to 49 C = 120 F.
I enclose a few photos which hopefully will give you an impression of this fantastic and impressive palace/castle/fortress/town. You got to see it if you are in Spain.
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