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Showing posts with label Granada. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Granada. Show all posts

Tuesday, 14 April 2009

Granada: The Alhambra

Granada, Spain

If you go to Granada, have a meal at the El Huerto de Juan Ranas restaurant. It is located on a cliff overlooking the Alhambra. We got the recommendation from Mrs. Phred's sister (a world traveler).



You can also see the snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountains from your table.





Our son sees this picture and writes to say that he thinks I've lost a few pounds. It's an old joke. I say, "Really?" and he says "Turn around and you'll find them."



We have lunch at the Garden (Jardin) restaurant under some grape vines at the Alhambra. There are long lines to buy tickets and they announce that they are sold out. This disappoints many who have driven hours to see the Alhambra. Fortunately, I followed Mrs. Phred's sister's advice and bought my tickets online months ago. They whisk me to the head of the line and my tickets pop out of a machine in seconds.





The Alhambra has extensive gardens.









The Alhambra itself is a curious place. It seems to be built with modest materials such as stucco and timber. There are Arabic inscriptions everywhere on the stucco and intricate carvings on the wood. I check it off of places to see before I die. The wine in the gardens was good and I enjoyed photographing a sunbeam passing though a glass of Mrs. Phred's red wine.



On the bus ride back we passed some superb graffiti at high speed. Because of the camera problems, I could only snap one shot, but I like it.