Stop 15:
Fodor’s says that Alhambra is Spain’s most popular attraction. It has three main parts: the Alcazaba, the Palacios Nazaríes (Nasrid Palaces), and the Generalife, or ancient summer palace. We didn’t spend any time in Generalife, but we did spend a good bit of time in the Palaces and Alcazaba.
Alhambra’s history dates to 1238. The palace has all of the beautiful arches and patterns in the photos below. The geometric patterns are mostly made of ceramic and stucco. Because the Alhambra was not kept up over the ceturies, it began to decay until the Duke of Wellington came to escape the Peninsular War. In 1829, Washington Irving arrived and wrote Tales of the Alhambra in 1832. Restoration has continued since then.
Alcazaba’s tower (from which you see city views in the photos) is called Torre de la Vela (Watchtower). I made a couple of panoramas from multiple pictures to try to capture the full view from the tower
Thanks to Fodor’s Travel Guides, Trip Advisor, and Wikipedia for the great lessons that helped me to plan and summarize this trip.
