Sunday: Alhambra & More!
Today we rose early, breakfasted, and set off for our visit to the Alhambra, the great palace and fortress so emblematic of Moorish Spain.
There is a saying in Spain, Dale limosna, mujer, que no hay en la vida nada como la pena de ser ciego en Granada. (Give him alms, woman, for there is nothing like the sorrow of being blind in Granada.)
One glimpse of the Alhambra makes it immediately clear that to miss this sight would be indeed sorrowful. We began our visit by walking through the beautiful gardens of the Generalife, where around each turn is a botanical delight more lovely than the last. The sound of its numerous fountains, the fragrance of jasmine and roses, and sight of more than 300 varieties of flowers and plants surrounding the summer palace and its covered walkways and towers were appreciated by every member of our group and will stay with us for years to come as the vision of paradise and tranquility for which it was created.
As we moved from the imposing fortifications, administrative and palace buildings to the Patio de los Leones to the Patio de los Arayanes to the Graden of Lindaraja we learned the history of the Moors in Spain through their special architectural gem. We probed some of the secrets of the Alhambra, including the magical ‘whispering room’ and climbed to the very top of the Torre de Vela to take in the expansive view of all of Granada in the valley below.
During our three hour walk through this paragon of Moorish ingenuity and aesthetic sensibility we barely scraped the surface of all there was to see and learn.
