The morning after Morocco we had a short drive to Granada, which was a really short trip but worth it to see the Alhambra, one of the most treasured sites in Spain. It was supposed to be one of the 7 wonder of the world but it turned out to be a good thing that it got ranked 11th, because if more tourists came than now, it would put to much pressure on the old buildings! The huge palace and military fortress dates back to the 9th century when the Muslims still occupied this part of Spain. When the Catholics took over, Charles V added more. The architecture and gardens were unreal! Our cameras don't really do this place justice at all. Every single space of the entire castle was covered in decoration, a lot of it Muslim scripture and poems about God...carved over and over and over into the walls. We went into lots of different rooms, one where the Sultan met with all the other leaders at the time, the quarter for all the king's wives, and more.
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| a courtyard at the Alhambra |
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| Most of the domed ceilings looked like this. They were meant to look like the sky and stars at night! |
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Like I said, our pictures don't really show how amazing this place is. This was the main reason we came to Granada. Afterward we checked into our hotel and then went to a tapas bar for dinner. We walked around the city a little bit and then headed to sleep. Valencia in the (early) morning!
What amazing is how faith is embedded in most of what you are seeing. Keep a journal and when you're 80...you can look our from your vacation window in Granada and watch the students, like you, discover the world by actually doing, touching, and seeing.
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