#009: The Alhambra and Generalife
Visiting the majestic Alhambra and Generalife on a day trip from Malaga. The Alhambra is a palace and fortress complex located in Granada, Andalusia, Spain. The Palacio de Generalife was the summer palace and country estate of the Nasrid rulers of the Emirate of Granada in Al-Andalus.
Visiting this place again after my first trip nine years ago. Back then it was totally unplanned and i was following a dear friend whilst backpacking through Spain. I was definitely amazed by what I saw at the Alhambra during that first visit. The whole area, if you haven't been before, is gorgeous. It has grandeur and a majestic presence that I haven't found anywhere else yet on my travels. I was beyond happy to be able to visit this great place again. The structures inside showcase the incredible art, design and beauty of the Islamic and the Moorish culture. Considering the number of tourists this area gets, I was impressed by the level of conservation and restoration that is on going. The gardens look immaculate and the intricate detailed walls inside the palace look like they will last a few hundred more years (I hope). The incredible history of the Alhambra will also impress you. Do read up on it before you visit, you'll be happy that you did.
Websites and other informative write ups on the web tell you to make sure you book your ticket in advance, at least a month and a half. But even that was not enough time for me to get a ticket, as all visitor tickets seemed to be sold out on the official website. (Is there ever a low-season to visit the Alhambra? I don't know). I ended up taking a guided tour with a small tour group that included, pick up and drop of from Malaga. This saved us with finding our own way to Granada and back for the day trip. It included a tour guide that walked the group through the whole of Alhambra giving us the history of the entire locations. The whole tour inside the Alhambra took us just over 3 hours in total.
The town of Granada where the Alhambra is located is also nice to visit and even stay in for a day or two if you have the time. It took the bus two hours to get to Granada from Malaga. We only stopped there for a quick lunch before the afternoon tour of Alhambra started. I didn’t take many photos in Granada, all of the photos below are from inside the Alhambra and Generalife.
All photos were taken with the Fujifilm X100S. Tricky at first to capture the grand scale of Alhambra with just the 35mm focal length. I kept thinking that I needed a wider lens to get everything in frame. But after a few shots in, I found my perspective with it and took in a lot more photos that I thought I would. However, below are just the ones I liked the most. Editing down to just these few, in order to showcase the Alhambra was tough, there is so much to see in there and to show, but I hope these photos do it some justice and would make you want to visit it yourself.
Do visit this place once in your lifetime, it’ll be worth it.
Cheers.
