Granada with Jeff: La Alhambra and Hiking in Sacramonte

Sunday morning, our last day in Granada, we woke up early from our hostel to head to La Alhambra. The Alhambra is fortress complex from the 9th century and during the 13th and 14th century it was converted also into a palace by Moorish rulers. After the Christian conquest in 1492 the Alhambra's mosque was replaced with a church. Granada was the last islamic hold out in Spain during the Christian Conquest. In short, the Christian conquest was lead by the King and Queen of Spain to expel all muslim and jewish residence in the country and unite the 4 kingdoms of Spain under one religion, Catholicism. The history of Spain, especially Granada is very interesting and definitely a good read. 

The massive fortress is atop a large hill protected by high incline hills and a river. The three main parts we visited were the Alcazaba, Nasrid Palaces and the Generalife. We had a morning ticket which lets you view from 8:30 am to 2:00 pm. The Nasrid Palaces were the only area you have to see with an appointment. We booked our tickets late and al that was left was the 8:30 am time slot. Even though waking up at 7:00 am wasn't the greatest we were able to see the most popular part early with less people. 

Alhambra at sunrise

The Nasrid Palaces consists of three palaces built in different periods for the Islamic Rulers. They were all built between the years 1314 - 1391. Inside, the rooms are filled with old arabic scripture and intricate wall designs. Even after the rulers of Spain kicked out all the muslim inhabitants it still kept much of there art and design in the buildings. These palaces are also where the famous American writer Washington Irving stayed during his stay in Granada. The courtyards were so spacious and well groomed. It is amazing how much time and effort they spend on maintaining the gardens and fountains inside the Alhambra. I guess when they receive over 2 million visitors a year it pays to have everything in top shape.

Patio de Comares inside the Nasird Palaces

immense detail

Jeff with Albaycin in the Background

Garden area of the Palaces

We continued the tour of the Alhambra in the Genarlife. This area includes an immense Garden area and a large palace. It was constructed to be the recreation area of the Kings of Granada where they escaped from the official routine. The garden area was so pretty. The amount of time it must take to keep the gardens looking they way the do must be tremendous. 

Pathway from Palaceas to Generalife

Generalife

Courtyard of Palace in Generalife

The last area we visited was the Alcazaba section of the Alhambra. This is one of the oldest parts in the Alhambra and the military area of the complex. The towers of the Alcazaba overlook the city of Granada. You get 360 degree views of the city. This was the point where the old rulers of times past watched over the city and could see enemies approach from far off in the distance. A section of the complex was also used as a prison at one point. 

Jeff on top the Watch tower overlooking the Albaycin

European Union, Andalucian, Spanish, and Granada Province Flags

On watchtower overlooking Granada

We spent about 5 hours viewing the Alhambra. We headed back down into Sevilla and started a hike in the District above the Albaycin called Sacramonte. There are a series of trails that cut up along the mountains into the valley towards the Sierra Nevada's. We pass through a few cave neighborhoods and made our way up to a nice view point that overlooked the valley down onto the Alhambra and the city. It was a clear hot day which made the hike pretty intense. We finally made it to a Church/Museum way up in the valley and headed back towards town. 

Sierra Nevada's

We made it back to the city around 5 pm and found a nice shady place to rest for a bit. We walked around the city for a while and ate, then headed back to the hostel to pick up our bags and catch the bus back to Seville. 

I will be putting up a post from the bullfight we saw on Saturday in a few days. I have a lot of photos and videos to sort and load up so it might be a few days before the post is up.