I took the train down to Granada on Monday, March 25, 2024. The train
trip took around 4 hours. It was quite pleasant. I did a little
exploring nearby that day. On Tuesday, I had booked a tour of Alhambra.
Even though it was a rain day (or week), it was quite impressive to see
and had a lot of historical significance. My train to Madrid was around
4 in the afternoon, so in the morning I walked into the older areas,
then uphill until I got to St. Michael's Lookout, the highest point in
Granada, which had a great view of Alhambra, and the approaching rain storm.
I walked around downtown Granada and back to the hotel to pick up my
bags and took the train north.
001-DSC_8426-header: Trains and Hotels
001-DSC_8426-headertext:
Some pictures of the train from Zaragoza to Granada and my hotel in Granada. I really wanted to get a picture of me in one of the glass elevators in the atrium, but didn't feel like asking a stranger for a favor (with my camera) and trying to direct them of how they should take the picture. There were other, better ways I wanted to spend my time. The hotel had a nice balcony with a nice table. I didn't get to use it because the weather was generally not nice. Still, the views from my hotel room, even if they weren't of Alhambra, were nice. 001-DSC_8426: The train from Zaragoza to Granada. 002-DSC_8428: 003-DSC_8429: Hey, there's my train to Granada, third from the bottom! 004-DSC_8430: The balcony for my hotel room in Granada. 005-DSC_8431: The reason I wasn't out on the balcony: rain! 006-DSC_8433: I thoght this might be the glow of Alhambra from my balcony; it wasn't. 006a-DSC_8497: The view from the balcony. 006b-hills_Panorama1: Two image panorama of the hills to the north of Granada. 006f-DSC_8502: The street below the hotel in Granada; the Plaza Albert Einstein is on the left obscured by the trees. 006g-DSC_8503: I tried to act natural, but I'm not used to it. Also, the shade, while nice for my eyes,didn't help the photo. 006h-DSC_8511: Yes, there were a few brief periods of less or even non-rain. This was one of them. 007-Alhambra_Panorama1-header: The Alhambra 007-Alhambra_Panorama1-headertext:
The Alhambra is a palacem, fortress, and city in Granada that
created in 1238 by the first emir of the Nasrid Dynasty. Further
constructino was donein the 14th century. By 1492, Christian Kings of
Spain had reconquered the territories that had under Muslim control.
The palaces were altered and in 1526, the a new Renaissance-style place
was begun, though was left uncompleted for around a century.
In 1984, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) designated the Alhambra a World Heritage Site
for its cultural significance. It is one of the most visited locations
in all of Spain.
The day I went there, the weather was a bit rainy. I had booked a guided
tour and it was well worth it.
007-Alhambra_Panorama1: Panoramic photo of Alhambra from St. Micheal's Lookout, with rain to the right.
008-DSC_8436: The rain clouds obscuring the hillside.
009-DSC_8437: More creepy creeping clouds with Palace of Charles V in
the foreground.
010-DSC_8438: The Palace of Charles V, started in 1527, stopped in 1637, completed in 1923.
010a-DSC_8483: A close-up of one of the columns on the Palace of Charles V at
Alhambra.
011-DSC_8439: A gutter with no downspout, dripping down on us (or me).
012-DSC_8440: The top of the castle-like tower of the Alcazaba at the Alhambra.
013-DSC_8441: A view of Granada from the Alcazaba fortress at the Alhambra.
015-DSC_8443: The Torre de la Vela, the westernmost tower and a watchtower
at the Alhambra.
016-DSC_8444: The Catedral de Granada stands out in the center of Granada.
017-DSC_8445: A view of Granada from the Alhmabra.
018-DSC_8446: A view of Granada from the Alhmabra.
019-DSC_8447: A view of the Sierra Nevada mountains from the Alhambra.
020-DSC_8448: A view of the Sierra Nevada mountains from the Alhambra.
021-DSC_8450: A column with Islamic calligraphy in the Mexuar Hall at
the Alhambra.
022-DSC_8451: I column at the Mexuar Hall at the Alhambra.
023-DSC_8453:
024-DSC_8454: A window in the Mexuar at the Alhambra.
025-DSC_8455:
026-DSC_8456:
027-Alhambra_Panorama2: Panoramic view of the Alhambra from the
Generalife Gardens (I think).
028-DSC_8460: By the Patio de la Acequia (Court of the Water Channel)
at the Alhambra.
029-DSC_8461: By the Patio de la Acequia (Court of the Water Channel)
at the Alhambra.
030-DSC_8462: A fountain in the Generalife Gardens at the Alhambra.
031-DSC_8463:
032-DSC_8464: The Tower of the Nobles (Torre de la Vela) watchtower at
the Alhambra.
033-DSC_8466: Probably the Torre de la Pólvora (Gunpowder Tower), used
in Christian times as an artillery bastion and storage for gunpowder
and ammunition.
034-DSC_8467: The Patio de la Acequia (Court of the Water Channel) at
the Alhambra.
035-DSC_8468: Orange trees (maybe edible unlike the rest in Granada)
in the Generalife Gardens.
036-DSC_8469: C`ool very purple flowers in the Generalife Gardens at
the Alhambra.
037-DSC_8470:
038-DSC_8471: An archway of plants leading out of the Generalife Gardens.
039-DSC_8475: Mirador de San Miguel Alto (St. Michael's Lookout) at the
top of the wall.
040-DSC_8476: The plant-covered edge of the Patio de Machuca in
the Mexuar of the Alhambra.
041-DSC_8477: Another view of the wall of the Patio de Machuca in the
Mexuar of the Alhambra.
042-DSC_8478: A view from farther away of the tower with the drippy
gutters.
043-DSC_8479: Mist on the hills after the rain stopped (for now).
044-DSC_8480: More misty hills with communication towers on them.
045-DSC_8481: The wall around the Alhmambra with St. Michael's on the left.
047-DSC_8484:
048-cistern_Panorama1: An ornate cistern just outside of Alhambra.
050-DSC_8488: A close-up of one of the sources of the water flowing
into the cistern.
051-DSC_8489: I don't know what that is, but it's in the wall just outside
of Alhambra.
052-DSC_8490: A keyhole in the wall, perhaps for observation or defense.
053-DSC_8491-header: Downtown Granada
053-DSC_8491-headertext:
I took a taxi from the hotel to the Alhambra, but since I had
time and it was less rainy, I decided to walk back to the hotel,
via downtown since it was all downhill.
053-DSC_8491: People heading back from Alhambra, going downhill.
054-DSC_8492: A map of Alhambra (though I was heading back to town then).
055-Granada_street_Panorama1: Lots of twisty, hilly, narrow streets
in Granada.
Bottom: