With 8500 visitors each day, the Alhambra is Spain’s most visited monument. If you go, I strongly advise you to purchase tickets in advance. You can buy tickets onsite the day of your visit but the lines are long and the number sold is limited, so if you’re not there before 8 am, forget it. Each ticket has a specified time for entry into the Nasrid Palace to control the number of visitors to 300 each half-hour, and you must arrive within the designated time or admission is denied. In my last post, I explained why we generally don’t book excursions through the cruise line but there are exceptions and our day trip to the Alhambra was one of them. Spain Day Tours told us they could not get tickets for April 30 so we paid $200 for our cruise excursion rather than miss out.
Our ship docked in the port of Malaga at 8 am and we departed soon thereafter on the 2.5-hour bus ride to Granada. After a rest stop midway, we arrived in Granada late in the morning.
Our guide shows us a map at the entrance to the Alhambra
Originally a military fortress to house troops in the Alcazaba, the Alhambra (Red Castle in Arabic) was rebuilt in the 1300’s to add palaces and the medina or court city. Home to the sultans of the Islamic Nasrid dynasty, their rule in Spain ended in 1492 when Ferdinand and Isabel defeated the Moors to reestablish Christian rule. Following the rule of Ferdinand and Isabel and the Reconquista, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V began construction of the Charles V Palace in 1527 and added other Christian elements to the Alhambra. By the time Washington Irving took up residence in 1829 to write Tales of the Alhambra, the place had fallen into ruin. Fortunately, in 1870 Spain declared the Alhambra a national monument beginning the protection and restoration of this important historical complex and culminating in its designation in 1984 as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
View of the walls around the Alhambra
Outsides the walls of the Alhambra as we approach the Gate of Justice
Looking down the path we walked up to the Gate of Justice to enter the Alhambra
The Gate of Justice entrance to the Alhambra
Plaque commemorating Washington Irving outside the Gate of Justice
A hand, Islamic decoration above the Gate of Justice
A key, another Islamic symbol with Arabic script above on the Gate of Justice
View from inside the Alhambra overlooking the outer walls
Ornamentation within the Alhambra
Just as we entered the area of the Nasrid Palace where the time of entry is strictly controlled, our friend Rick had a malfunction on his headphone that was furnished to better hear our tour guide. The rubber earpiece detached and descended into his ear canal where it lodged beyond the reach of desperate fingers. He announced he was leaving to seek medical attention. Our guide had a hard time understanding what he was telling her and once she understood, she had an even harder time explaining it to the staff guarding the entrance who were determined to keep out anyone without the proper ticket. None of us were sure whether they would allow him back in upon his return. Our bridge instructor from the cruise ship, Jeff, shepherded Rick back to our group upon his return after medical personnel used tweezers to pluck the renegade rubber piece from his ear.
I asked Jeff, a retired Navy captain, if he was somehow responsible for our group. He told me the previous day Susie had gotten separated from the tour group when she stopped to purchase a souvenir causing her husband, Charles, considerable worry and consternation. Jeff found the lost sheep and returned her to the fold and now just liked to keep an eye on the herd. (My words, not his.)
Charles V Palace in the Alhambra with Jeff in the pink shirt at the rear of our group
Court of the Myrtles, Alhambra
Ornamentation
Decorative art in a niche in the Court of Myrtles, Alhambra
Throne Room, Alhambra
Throne Room, Alhambra
Tile floor in Throne Room, Alhambra
The Court of the Lions, Alhambra
The Court of the Lions, Alhambra
Our tour group with Susie and Charles listening to the guide and Rick on the right after the ear piece incident
Hall of Abencerrages, Alhambra
Ceiling in Hall of Abencerrages, Alhambra
Partal Palace, the oldest palace in the Alhambra
St Mary Church, Alhambra
We didn’t have nearly enough time to fully appreciate the Alhambra and we saw just a fraction of the splendid and majestic complex on our tour. At the end of the tour, the guide offered to lead anyone interested to the Generalife, the nearby extensive gardens where royalty escaped the drudgery of the Alhambra. (It is also a UNESCO World Heritage site.) We, of course, joined the group.
Walk to the Generalife
Generalife Gardens
Patio of the Irrigation Ditch, Generalife
Generalife
Jim and I enjoy the view
Generalife
Generalife
Lori, Rick, Laura, and Jim at Generalife
A buffet lunch followed our tour before we began the long ride back to Malaga and our home at sea, the ms Rotterdam. In spite of the confusing and complicated history, the crowds jostling to get a view, and the tightly controlled access, the Alhambra is definitely a five star historical and cultural monument not to be missed.
As Washington Irving penned in his Tales of the Alhambra, “Such is the Alhambra—a Moslem pile in the midst of a Christian land, an Oriental palace amidst the Gothic edifices of the West, an elegant memento of a brave, intelligent, and graceful people who conquered, ruled and passed away.”
Based on events from April 2016.
Gorgeous photos – we visited the Alhambra years ago, so nice to revisit in your post.
Thanks, Joy. It was definitely a memorable experience.