Granada #2

Right now I am on the move to catch a bus to Cordoba - so only time to download a selection of photos from my five hours at the Alhambra, a visit undertaken in cold, windy RAIN I should add!! I had been so hyped up to anticipate almost unbearable heat that, although I had a waterproof and umbrella, I took neither with me when I left the hostal in the early morning dark. Of course in winter the Sierra Nevadas that form a backdrop to Granada are snow clad. Hehe - that'll teach me.

My main impressions of the Alhambra? The significance of water - as a scarce commodity - and the featuring of water in decorative fountains, pools, water courses, drinking fountains, bathing complexes and as an integral part of the magnificent gardens. The superb craftsmanship; as always no doubt, the many poor slaving away for the rich few. The wonderful tiling. The gardens - not just floral and formal but the wooded areas too. The exterior simplicity of the Moorish architecture which belies the richness within. Views through windows, partial views, latticed views. The elegance and lightness of the interiors - a pleasing contrast with the more ponderous gravitas of western buildings. 

All this at a time when western Europe was just recovering from many centuries of obscurity.