The Alhambra – Granada, Spain
There are some places that you visit once, for all of a few hours, that are absolutely magic. Your time there lingers in memory for years and you can’t feeling anything short of blessed to have chalked it off the bucket list. For me, this is The Alhambra, Granada’s infamous palace and the gem of Andalusia.
Yes, it’s true, making a visit isn’t a walk in the park – TripAdvisor, Rick Steves, zillions of Spanish websites later you find yourself with a ticket for entrance at a precise non-negotiable time, months in advance. A well deserved reputation though, the extensive architecture is unlike anything I’ve ever witnessed before. I don’t want to simplify or simply cut and paste the history of The Alhambra, but there are a few take away points that I think are important to recognize from this post:
1. For centuries, The Alhambra was home to numerous kings from various civilizations. Each occupant wanting to leave his mark and improve the already beautiful palace – to our benefit.
2. Sitting atop a ridge overlooking Granada, it’s hard not to associate the palace and grounds as a castle from a fairy tale, lying as a symbol of greatness above the commoners.
3. Granada itself isn’t to be overlooked. Check out my post here for scenes from the Albaicin neighborhood below. Fresh jasmine in the breeze, Granada turns this place into a dream.
I doubt I’ll ever write another blurb about any other location that includes “magic”, “infamous”, “gem”, and “fairy tale”. If that doesn’t speak to you, then just take note that this place is…legit.
