38) ALHAMBRA & GENERALIFE

      ALHAMBRA (1354 - 1391) Summer palace and villa of the Nasrid rulers.

 View from the loo, only at the ALHAMBRA!

            

      ALHAMBRA & GENERALIFE

"Unique artistic creations, the Alhambra and the Generalife of Granada bear exceptional testimony to Muslim Spain of the 16th century. They form an exceptional example of royal Arab residences of the medieval period: neither destroyed nor changed by the alterations of radical restorations, the Alhambra and the Generalife appear to have escaped the vicissitudes of time. Despite the development that followed the Christian conquest, the Albayzín still bears witness to the medieval Moorish settlement, as its urban fabric, architecture and main characteristics (form, materials, colours), were not changed when it was adapted to the Christian way of life, to survive as a remarkable example of a Spanish-Moorish town."

whc.unesco.org

     I'm so glad I don't live here, think of all the cleaning! :-)

              

                GENERALIFE - "this area includes the lower gardens, the Palace of the Generalife and the upper gardens. It was constructed to be the recreation area of the Kings of Granada, where they escaped from the official routine."

(Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife)

             A very stony garden

    There's a fresh aroma of cypresses.

     Seeing the large garden beds, I experience great longing for my garden. I can't wait to work in it again. Tony is taking good care of it, keeping it watered, supplementing the automated sprinkler system. Alex's friend, Tari, is harvesting the produce, including spinach and tomatoes which she is using in her cooking.

        

        The Palace of the Generalife

"The Gardens of the Alhambra reflect the Muslim wish for Paradise, pictured as a garden, a place of delights and pleasures where personal fulfilment can be achieved. Therefore the Hispano-Arabic garden combines all the elements that can become a source of pleasure for the five senses: for the sight -the colour, the light and the shadows -, for the smell - the aromatic plants or the sweet scent of the flowers -, for the hearing - the murmur of the water -, for the touch -the different textures of the materials -, and for the taste -the flavour of the fruits."

(Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife)

Los jardines de la Alhambra reflejan el anhelo musulmán por alcanzar el Paraíso, imaginado como un jardín, un lugar de delicias y placeres donde lograr la completa satisfacción de los anhelos personales. Por ello, el jardín hispanoárabe conjuga todos los elementos que pueden proporcionar placer a los cinco sentidos: para la vista, el color, la luz y la sombra; para el olfato,las plantas aromáticas o el dulce perfume de las flores; para el oído, el murmullo del agua; para el tacto, las distintas texturas de los materiales, y para el gusto, el sabor de los frutos.

(Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife)

A delightful, funny fact about visiting the Alhambra 75 years ago found at: granadainfo.com

"Years ago, you could visit all the important things to see in Granada in just one day. 75 years ago, Margot Asquith, The Countess of Oxford noted the following in her travel book "Places and Persons": "What surprised me most, both in the Alhambra and Generalife was the absence of guides and tourists. We only saw a few people dotted about and we didn't hear anyone speak. This convinced me that Spain is the least visited of any other European country of equal beauty."

Alhambra Print by Heylan, XVII

Times change, nowadays, the Alhambra is reaching saturation point. Anyone who visits the Alhambra under their own steam will have to get up early, find the entrances, look for and pay for parking, wait patiently in the queues in full sun and only if they are lucky, get an entrance ticket on the same day. If not, they will have to stay overnight. In any case without a guide they will visit the Alhambra without seeing without understanding the most important things."