Spanish Eyes

Sunday is our day to visit the Alhambra and we bought our tickets months ago to make sure we see it all. It took about two hours to get there and we got the car parked and found the main entrance. Once a walled city with 2000 inhabitants it is today a most beautiful place to visit.

First we walked through the Generalife Gardens and saw parts of the ancient walls and lush greenery. Some of the plantings are original and they say the gardens look the same as paintings from the days of the Moors.

Next stop was through the Alcazar fort where I trudged up to the top of the highest tower to see the view. Then came the prize - our appointed time to visit Palacios Naziones. Well worth the trip to see this amazing site. All of the rooms and common areas are lavishly decorated with sculpted walls adorned with calligraphy and filigree ivory. We loved looking at the elaborate ceilings and arched doorways. The fountain with the 12 lions was a special treat. So exciting to stand in the room where Christopher Columbus made his arrangements with Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand. I can't describe it all here, but so much history and we feel so lucky to have seen it in person.

Afterwards I went inside the Charles V Palace which is a square building outside, but inside is a circle. Now we were really hungry and decided to have lunch at the Parador which is a hotel on the Alhambra grounds. They have a lovely cafeteria where we sat outside overlooking the gardens and enjoyed our meal. After lunch we walked though their small garden and saw where Isabel and Ferdinand had been buried until they were later moved to the cathedral in town. With happy smiles we walked back to the car and figured out how to pay and exit the lot.