Andalusia, Spain - Granada 2
We had breakfast in the hotel we stayed at. It was a buffet style, included various savory and sweet items and some hot foods, which made J happy. After the lovely breakfast, we headed to the Alhambra, a large monumental palace and fortress complex located on the hill. A slope after a slope. It was only about 15 minute walk from our hotel in the downtown to Puerta de la Justicia, one of the four gates in the Alhambra walls, but it was a very good morning climb. I should have eaten one more croissant...
Around 8:30am. The sky was clear. The air was chilly but refreshing!
First we visited the Nasrid Palaces, the residence of the Nasrid Sultans (kings). The palaces are often described as the highlight of Alhambra or an architectural masterpiece in every term.
After a short walk through the entrance building (the Hall of Mexuar, the semipublic part of the palace for justice administration and state affairs), there was a serene patio and... a cat??
The kitty was so relaxed as if it was his/her daily routine.
Built over the time of three Sultans, the Nasrid Palaces were their idea of paradise on Earth. While modest building materials such as plaster, wood, and ceramics were mainly used, a magical combination of light, water, colors and exquisite decoration created a pleasure for the senses.
Salon de Embajadores, a sumptuous throne room is the largest room in the palaces, surrounded by nine bedrooms, one of which is reserved for the Sultan.
Patio de los Leones. Perhaps it's the most popular spot in the palaces. The white marble fountain with twelve lions and the large cup in the middle of the patio was ordered to be built by Mohamed V. It was a proof of accumulated traditions and constructive experiences throughout many centuries of creativity.
Oops, apparently one of the twelve lions had a bad day. He didn't shoot water properly. The three men showed up, fixed the problem and mopped the wet floor quickly.
Palacio del Partal, built by Mohammed III, was one of the Nasrid palaces that was located at the end of the Nasrid palace self-tour.
Next we visited the Alcazaba, a fortress at the west end of the Alhambra complex. The Alcazaba was built during the reign of Muhammad I, the first Nasrid Sultan who ruled between 1232 and 1273, and the oldest structure of the Alhambra complex. The top of Torre de la Vela, the main tower of the Alcazar, was a great viewpoint to overlook the city of Granada.
The AlbaicÃn to the North. The tall white tower of St. Nicolas Church was over there. We could see how high we walked up the day before.
Our hotel adjacent to the Cathedral of Granada to the West.
Sierra Nevada Mountains to the East. So bright!
From the viewpoint, we also overlooked the inside of the Alcazaba, where we walked through before we climbed up to the tower. There used to be the houses of the elite garrison and servants as well as the buildings for services like cooking and baking. It was like a little town in the walled Alcazaba.
Then we walked toward the northern side of the Alhambra. We passed by some ruins, some buildings including an old convent that today houses a hotel, some gardens, etc. The Alhambra spans nearly 26 acres, with more than a mile of walls!
Our destination was the Generalife. The villa with gardens was the resting place of the Sultans when they wanted to escape from the official affairs of the Nasrid palaces. Located on the slopes of the Hill of the Sun and surrounded by orchards and fruit fields, the Generalife is nicely isolated. Good for the Sultans!
The Generalife is also known as the summer residence of the Sultans. Those gardens would be covered with roses and other flowers in spring and summer. I imagined how beautiful there would be.
The Patio de la Acequia, an enclosed Persian garden with a long central pool is one of the oldest gardens in the West that have preserved that use since its origins.
The view of the orchards and the Nasrid palaces from the Patio. The Sultans could have been pleased to see the beautiful landscape and finding themselves so far from the palaces.
According to a legend, the Patio de los Cipreses was a secret meeting place for the Sultan's wife and her lover, a knight of the Abencerraje clan. There are some theories of which king's wife she was, which might be also a secret.
After we left the Alhambra, we visited Carmen de los Mártires, a public park that is located to the south of the Alhambra and outside of the downtown. The site has been dungeons, torture chambers, a chapel, a convent, an orchard and a palace, but now an urban oasis with gardens and a 19th century mansion that is a municipal building today and can be used for events like weddings.
When we peeked into the mansion, there was nobody but a peacock.
Mr. P moved gracefully and led us to the upstairs.
I haven't seen a peacock that is so sociable (or simply doesn't care about humans) like him. While I explored the gardens, J was talking with him for a while. What did they talk about?
The gardens were designed in different styles (French, English and Spanish) and on different levels and decorated with fountains, statues and grottos. It was a nice relaxing place to wander around, escaping from the large tourist groups in the Alhambra.
We came back to the downtown for lunch. We passed by Plaza de Isabel la Católica, a square that is situated where the two major roads meet in the downtown. There was a statue of Queen Isabel and, again, Columbus. It represents he in conversation with the queen. Based on the facts, his pitch went well. Actually it was Salon de Embajadores in the Nasrid Palaces, where Isabel and Ferdinand gave Columbus the consent to set off to the New World. Not in the Real Alcázar of Seville.
Our lunch was at El PescaÃto de Carmela, a seafood restaurant that J found. We had seated at the mezzanine floor, which was bright and spacious.
The amuse-bouche (I don't know the term in Spanish) was steamed mussels.
We ordered two Tapas as starters. One was Galician-style octopus, cooked octopus served with boiled potatoes, olive oil, and sweet Spanish paprika. Although Galicia, a northwestern region of Spain is much far from Granada, the dish is served all over Spain.
The other Tapa was fried sardines. They were as simple as what they looked like but tasted great!
The main was paella! While Valencia is undisputedly where paella originated, it has become one of the most traditional dishes in Andalusia. The paella was pretty good. It was closer to my idea of paella than one we had in Barcelona, which had a deep rich smoky flavor.
I enjoyed the seafood lunch very much! Thank you J! Within a 30 second walk from the restaurant was a cheesecake shop. La Tarta de Madre de Cris is a family business dedicated to the sale of handmade cheesecakes. Actually we passed by at the shop the day before and saw a long queue at the door. This time the queue was short. We knew what we needed to do.
Although there were some different kinds of cheesecakes/cakes, almost all of the cakes in the shop were their original cheesecake. We got a slice of the original. J had a cup of coffee, too. The cheesecake was so light and creamy, melt-in-mouth. The flavor of cheese was delicate. Not eggy. The size of a slice was generous. Superb!
In the afternoon we visited Basilica de San Juan de Dios. The mid-18th century baroque church is dedicated to San Juan de Dios (Saint John of God), the patron saint of the city of Granada.
Wow, the inside was heavily decorated in gold and ornaments. This must be one of the most imposing churches that I have ever seen!
You can go up to 'the Dressing Room,' where you can see above the main alter via staircases, a balcony and an antechamber. In the middle of the room, the silver urn that guards the remains of John of God stands on the golden throne.
We also visited Monasterio de San Jerónimo near the basilica. The 15th century monastery was built soon after the fall of the Nasrid kingdom of Granada, by using stones of the Puerta de Elvira that was the principal gate of Granada during Moorish times. I knew it was one of the monasteries whose nuns make and sell cookies. That was why I led J there. However, there were only a few boxes at the admission ticket booth and they didn't look attractive. My cookie mission failed but we bought tickets to enter the monastery anyway.
The Gothic style cloister with orange and lemon trees was lovely!
The cloister was connected with the church. The main alter was designed in Mannerist (also called Late Renaissance) style, which features exaggerated figures, elaborated decoration and artificial color. Mannerist was a bridge between renaissance and baroque. It was interesting to see the altarpiece after we visited Basilica de San Juan de Dios, a prime example of a baroque church.
