well, I'd have to invent the correct adjectives to describe the beauty of this city.
I'll tell you what we did, give some history and leave so photos so you can pick your own adjectives.
We left Friday morning for the 4ish hour trip to Granada. We arrived around 1:30pm and were given time to explore the city and find some lunch.
Granada is in the heart of Andalucia, in the foothills of the Sierras and has a huge tradition of tapas. In most tapas bars, if you order a drink you get a free tapa with it. There were too many to choose from so Grace and I ended up eating Kebap (gyros) and then the best gelato I've ever tasted.
After lunch we split into groups and went to visit the Capilla Real, the Cathedral, and the Corral del Carbón.
Granada was the last stronghold of the Moorish empire on the Iberian peninsula. In 1469 Isabel of Castile married Ferdinand of Aragorn, uniting the two provinces. They were known as the Catholic Monarchs (Reyes Católicos) and they set off reconquering the peninsula from the Moors. The last city to fall to the Catholic Monarchs was Granada. The sultan Boabdil held Granada and the Alhambra, but in 1492 he surrendered the keys to the city and the palace to Ferdinand and Isabel; they had successfully united the peninsula under their Catholic reign. After moving in the Alhambra they order the building of a cathedral, but building was halted in 1504 so that a Royal Chapel could be built in preparation for their burial within the chapel. Neither monarch saw it finished; they were interred in the Alhambra until building was finished in 1517 and they were moved to their current tomb within the chapel.
Their daughter Juana the Crazy is also buried there with her husband Phillip the Handsome and one of their sons, who did not live past infancy.
The chapel is extremely ornately decorated with symbols of the Reyes Católicos. They had their initials carved into EVERYTHING (F for Ferdinand and Y for Isabel)!
Above their tomb is a marble representation of them. The pillow where Isabel's head is resting sinks down lower because it is said that she was much much smarter than Ferdinand and so her brian weighed more! (Pictures weren't allowed inside)
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| The Capilla Real |
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| Their emblem flanked by a yoke and a bundle of arrows signifying the sharing of power and the uniting of the kingdom. |
Connected to the chapel is a small museum holding the coronation dress of both Ferdinand and Isabel, as well as their crowns and scepters and some of Isabel's personal items. I stood in front of Isabel's crown with goosebumps on my arms and tears in my eyes. I tried to explain to my friend Derek how incredible it was to be standing in front of the crown that SHE WORE, a hunk of gold that was present at the CREATION OF SPAIN and he just said "it's creepy." I was in awe and everyone thought I was super weird...but I sorta am so...
Next we went to the Cathedral. Pictures weren't allowed in their either, but it's HUGE and the entire thing is painted white! But the chapel is cooler...
Next we went to the old Moorish quarter of town to see the Corral del Carbón and the Alcaicería.
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| Corral de Carbón |
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| The group |
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| The Alcaicería is the old Moorish quarter... |
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| made up of extremely narrow alleys and shops. |
That night we all got dressed up (well everyone else since I missed the formal clothing memo) and went to these caves in the Albaicín (the old barrio set into the hill across from the Alhambra) to see a Flamenco show. We saw two groups of gitano dancers. They were absolutely incredible, so much so that I cried watching them being taken of by the "duende" or the spirit of the dance. It was an incredibly moving experience.
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| The view of the Alhambra from the Flamenco Caves. |
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| Our first dancer. |
On Saturday it was up early to take our buses over to the Alhambra. Entrance tickets into the Alhambra are timed because 8,000 people visit the palace daily! WHOA!
The Alhambra was built in the 13th century and has been a fortress for Muslim kings as well as Christian monarchs. It is the only existing Muslim palace in the world!
The palace is huge and absolutely beautiful with extremely ornate carvings covering every wall! The rooms are designed to be cool in the summer, warm in the winter, and to inspire awe in all who visit. I bought Washington Iriving's book Tales of the Alhambra and as I read them I'll leave you tidbits, but until then here are some pictures that barely begin to capture the beauty that is the Alhambra.
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