Being part four of the tale of the summer of 2006

On my one previous trip to Granada we had been taken on a tour of the Alhambra by night, and indeed some of the vistas and reflections we had seen then were entirely magical.
I was convinced that it was the most beautiful building I had ever seen and I determined that I was going to visit again, with Sile and during daylight.
The visit this year to the Alhambra and the Generalife was the fulfilling of this dream.
The Alhambra was not built to display its beauty to the world, from the outside it looks large and red but not very impressive.
All of its beauty in in the inside, in the way the walls are decorated, the way the pillars and windows frame vistas both within and without the walls, and with the marvellous grace and proportions of the buildings and their relationship to the gardens.

This is a view of the Albicin, the white Arab quarter,
famous for its enclosed Carmens, courtyards with
vines and lemon trees.

Marco was our guide, all cool and immaculate in white linen.
He was Italian spoke perfect English and from his badge
also did tours in Italian, German and Spanish.

This is the most famous vista in the Palace,
The Courtyard of the Myrtles with its beautiful still pool
reflecting the Comares Tower.
This was equally beautuful when seen by moonlight.

This is the fountain in the Courtyard of the Lions.
It is most unusual for the Moors to depict any live animal
or person in their art.

Another superbly decorated window with a glimpse
of the gardens outside.

Many of the openings are decorated with fretwork like this.

It is now believed that these windows were originally filled
with tiny panes of coloured glass as in this artists impression.

The only remaining vestiges of glass are at an angle on top
of a window where only my camera could see.

On the moonlight tour we hadn’t visited the gardens,
The Generalife.
They rival the palace for their formal beauty.
(Sorry about the Posers)

I finish the tour with yet another shot out a window.
Hollywood should learn from the way these people
were able to frame their shots.