The Alhambra by Robert Bovington

www.robertbovington.com

If there is one place you should visit in Spain, it is the Alhambra Palace in Granada.

Even those of you who are not in the least interested in culture and would prefer

beach and booze to visiting one of the most beautiful artistic creations ever to be

built by man, should visit this magnificent site. On second thoughts - don't! People

clad in football shirts that fail to hide their potbellies would lower the tone

somewhat!

The Alhambra reigns supreme in the city of

Granada and rightly so. If it stood on a flat plain, it

would still be one of the most spectacular fortresses

ever built. However, it sits at the top of the highest

wooded hill in the city. Not only that - this red-walled

palace has the fairytale backdrop of the snow-capped

peaks of the Sierra Nevada. Well, for most of the year

the mountains are snow-capped - in August, they are

somewhat er... rock-capped! Anyway, at that time of year it is too hot in this region

to do anything but laze on the beach or booze! But I digress.

If the view from afar is spectacular, the interior of the Alhambra is simply

stupendous! There is so much of artistic merit to see. However, there are four main

areas to explore: the Alcazaba, the Palace of Charles V, the Casa Real or Royal

Palace and the Generalife Gardens.

BOVINGTON / ALHAMBRA 2

Alcazaba

The Alcazaba, the oldest part of the Alhambra, provides tremendous views of the

city, the palace and the gardens.

Palace of Charles V

The Palace of Charles V tends to stand out a bit because it was built in Renaissance

style, which is not exactly in keeping with its surroundings. However, it does contain

two museums - the Museo de Alhambra and the Museo de Bellas Artes.

Royal Palace

The Royal Palace really comprises a number of buildings called the Nasrid Palaces.

They are the central nucleus of the Alhambra. Visitors, who have already admired

other parts of this magnificent fortress, are spellbound when they encounter the

magnificence of these palaces. If you do not have time to explore the Alhambra in

totality, you simply must allow time to visit the Nasrid Palaces! They are built

around three courtyards - the Golden Room, the Myrtle Courtyard and the Lion

Courtyard.

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Such is their splendour and unsurpassed beauty, that I cannot really find the

words to describe the exquisite detail of the palace interiors, so I won't! All I will do

is list some of the architectural masterpieces. There is

the Hall of the two Sisters, the Hall of the

Abencerrages, the Hall of Justice, the Court of the

Council Chamber, the Court of the Vestibule and the

Peinador de la Reina, or Queen's Robing Room. The

Hall of the Ambassadors needs special mention as it

is the largest and was the grand reception room. The

throne of the sultan was placed opposite the entrance.

It was here that Christopher Columbus received

Isabel and Ferdinand's support to sail to the New

World.

Generalife

There is much more to see than listed here but do leave time

to visit the delightful Generalife. This garden not only has

an avenue of cypress trees, terraced gardens, clipped hedges

and grottos, but also fountains and a long water channel

(acequia) with water jets surrounded by all manner of plants

and flowers. It is a delightful place.

Books have been written and music composed about

the Alhambra palace. In particular, Washington Irving wrote

BOVINGTON / ALHAMBRA 4

‘Tales of the Alhambra’, Francisco Tárrega composed ´Memories of the Alhambra

and the composer Manuel de Falla wrote 'Nights in the Gardens of Spain' which

included the piece - 'In the Generalife'.

The Alhambra and the Generalife are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.