Snow covered mountains of the Sierra Nevada above Granada
Some of the intricate columns in the Moorish Palace
Reflection of the Palace in one of the beautiful pools
A fountain in the Generalife Gardens near the Alhambra
Early this morning we docked in Malaga on the Costa del Sol. Malaga is even older than Cartagena, having probably been settled by the Phoenicians sometime after the fall of Troy around 3100 BC We decided to take a tour to Granada which lies about 2 hours inland. It was the last stronghold of the Moorish Empire in Spain.
Along the way to Granada we passed so many olive groves that it defied imagination. According to our guide Miguel, Spain has more than 350 million olive trees ( more than 8 for every man, woman and child in the country) and is the largest producer of olive oil in the world.
We arrived in Granada on a beautiful cloudless day. This was the last bastion of the Moors in Spain. In January, 1492, Isabella and Ferdinand, known as the Catholic Kings here in Spain, completed the conquest of Spain and ended the Moorish domination of the Iberian Peninsula. They conquered Granada by siege, not direct attack. Ferdinand and Isabella are actually buried in the Royal Chapel next to the Cathedral of Granada.
The Moors had built a splendid palace and city on the hills overlooking what is now the city of Granada. The Moorish Palace is called Alhambra, meaning the red city, and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is reportedly the second most visited building in Europe after the Vatican. The Palace which was surrounded by a small city lies at the top of hills and is amazing because the Moors built a canal to bring water down from the mountains some 9 km away. The city and buildings actually had running water. When you consider this was constructed in the 12th century, its remarkable.
There are beautiful gardens and palaces on the hilltop with many fountains. The mosaics and architectural sculpture are incredible. In the distance we could see the highest mountain in the area which was snow-covered and had snow recently. This is the south of Spain; nonetheless a couple of years ago the area hosted the World Cup of Skiing.
We had an excellent lunch at a hotel that my family stayed at many years ago. The place is as beautiful as I remembered it.
After a ride back to Malaga, we’re on our way again. Tonight we can see the lights on both sides of the Strait of Gibraltar, or as the ancients called them, the Pillars of Hercules. Our next stop is the island of Madeira, part of Portugal.
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