The Alhambra

A week or so before flying to Spain, we happened upon a travel show on TV with a movie star and a celebrity chef touring Spain. As we watched this show, we realized that not only were they in Spain, but they were touring the area we were going to. The show really was not that good; spending more time showing off the movie star than telling us about Spain, but one thing that we saw was the Alhambra in Grenada. They actually did spend some time touring and talking about this historical site. Since the one side trip we wanted to take was to the city of Grenada, so this show encouraged us to visit the Alhambra while there.

The Alhambra was started in 1238 and originally built as a palace for Mohammad I al-Ahmar, and was added to and modified by both Muslim and Christian from that time until the 1500's. It is now a Spanish National Monument and a World Heritage site.

The entire complex is huge, and occupies the highest hillside in Grenada. The complex consists of both the Alhambra Palaces and the Generalife gardens. In addition there is the oldest part of the complex, the Alcazaba, or the military part of the complex. The views from the Alhambra complex of Grenada is spectacular. Make sure you have plenty of room on your camera card.

As with many historical sites in Europe, the Alhambra has not really been “Restored”, it has been partly rebuilt and stabilized. As you walk through, you realize that this would have been a truly amazing palace. The tile work and amazing carved stonework that is visible now give some indication of what this place must have been like. There are rough stone walls in most places where these would have been covered in smooth white stucco and painted. The intricate carved marble walls in the palace areas show just a hint of the amazing paint that would have covered them when this place was the home to Sultans or Monarchs. The gardens are intricate and well maintained, but I can only imagine them as actual royalty strolled the same paths now used by tourists.

One of the most amazing aspects of the complex is the water system. Everywhere you walk you hear water trickling underfoot feeding a series of ponds and baths as well as keeping the gardens blooming and beautiful in this generally arid part of Spain. As I walked around I could see pipes and sprinklers that have been added, but the original complex was constantly irrigated by a complex system of gravity fed waterworks. The water flowed from the top of the complex through stairways, in and out of ponds, pools and fountains. What makes it so interesting is that the actual waterworks was part of the beauty of the palaces. The water flowed along open passages and trickled down the centre of stairways or flowed beside the handrails down stairs. Everywhere you went water could be heard moving to another part of the waterworks.

The Alhambra is one of the major Tourist attractions in all of Spain. Apparently it is almost as difficult to get tickets during the high tourist season as it is to get into the Vatican, but visiting in March meant we had no wait for tickets, and I was usually able to get pictures without crowds of tourists. The entire complex is extremely efficiently run. There are special “Alhambra Express” busses that run from downtown up to the entrance constantly and we only had to wait for a few minutes for a bus. Your ticket is issued for a specific time and you must be at the actual Palace at that time to get in. Tickets are checked constantly and the number of people allowed in is closely controlled, so I expect that even in busy times the crowds would not be overwhelming. Flow through most of the complex is controlled with signs directing you to follow a set route, but you can move at your own pace and can deviate from the flow. There are many areas that are off limits, but you can normally get close enough to see them. When we toured the site, the Generalife area was mostly closed, but this is primarily gardens, so March is the time when workers doing routine maintenance and getting the gardens ready for the upcoming high season.

If you are visiting Spain, Grenada and the Alhambra should definitely be put onto your itinerary. You will need at least a couple of hours (3 hours is the official recommendation). You can use an audio guide to help you, or you can download a free Bluetooth App for your smartphone, or you can just use the excellent printed Visitor Guide. The complex is BIG, so wear comfortable shoes, and be prepared for a lot of walking and climbing. The visit is worth the time and effort, and then take the bus back down the old part of Grenada and wander the narrow cobblestone streets until you find a Tapas bar you like for a relaxing beer and snack.