Federico García Lorca and the Nasrid Palaces

 Yesterday in the company of friends Wayne and Jan, I was pleased to return to the city of Granada to visit the family home of poet and dramatist Federico García Lorca who was tragically murdered in August 1936 at the outset of the Spanish Civil War. Unfortunately, taking photographs within the house was forbidden but the link here provides much more information. 

 The house is set in a park on the outskirts of the city and parking nearby was quite easy. The three of us plus one other provided enough people to be given a guided tour by a very knowledgeable and pleasant young lady.

 The rooms within the house are exactly as they were in García Lorca's day and well worth the 3€ entrance fee.

 Leaving the park, we walked towards the centre of the city, about 15 minutes away. After stopping for refreshments we continued our stroll in pleasant sunshine alongside the Rio Darro that skirts the historic Albaicin district.

 Looking up to the Alhambra, an ancient and historic complex of palaces, fortifications and gardens that was to be our next port of call.

Cuestra de Gomerez, the street that leads off the Plaza Nueva at the start of a steady thirty minute uphill walk to the Alhambra, passing many enticing shops along the way, as demonstrated by Wayne and Jan below.

 We had pre-booked our entrance tickets to the site and immediately headed towards the queue at the entrance to the Nazrid Palaces, an area of the Alhambra that I didn't see on my last visit in June of this year.

 Words cannot do justice to the magnificent architecture, ceramics and artistry of the hand carved stone within the palaces so quite a few pictures instead. The history and romanticism of the Alhambra is perfectly described in a post on the fabulous "Sangria, Sol y Siesta" blog, a permanent link to which can be found in the "blogs we like" section in the right hand column of our blog.   

 Jan taking a well deserved rest. 

 High up in the ceiling.

Some of the beautifully intricate carvings.

 The "Patio de Arrayanes" (Court of the Myrtles).

 In the "Patio of the Lions", one of the more famous areas of the palace.

  

 The recently restored fountain surrounded by twelve lions.

Views from the Alhambra over Granada.

 Another patio area and below the Palacio de Partal.

 A great day out in a magnificent location with very good friends.What more could you wish for!. 

The Alhambra.......

.......or at least a part of it. Yesterday, in the company of good friends Bruce and Russ, we headed to Granada, a journey of two hours drive to the east of Olvera. We had pre-booked tickets to visit The Alhambra at 4pm so we arrived at about midday to allow us time to also see a little of the city.

After parking the car, we headed towards the Cathedral, pictured above, and the pleasant aroma of the nearby tea and spice stalls.

It was very hot so a refreshment break in the Plaza Nueva was more than welcome.  

A dish of tapas was provided to accompany our drinks. Here, delicious chorizo with chips. 

Certainly hot enough to warrant a cold shower and a cool drink.

After a short while we headed upwards towards the Alhambra, according to the tourist office a walk of about 10-15 minutes (turned out to be 25-30 minutes). This Segway passed us along the way.

The old and narrow streets of "El Albaicín", the ancient Moorish district of Granada.

Bruce and Russ were enticed into one or two of the many shops along the route for a little retail therapy.

The entrance to the Alhambra complex at the top of Cuesta de Gomérez.

Note Russ's change of shirt since our refreshment stop!. Is that a new one?.

We continued onwards and upwards (where's that Segway when you need it), taking advantage of the shade and seating areas along the way. 

The Alhambra as seen from the old part of the city.

Arriving at just before 4pm, we entered the complex and headed towards the Alcazaba.

The Church of Santa María.

The Palace of Charles V and below the internal auditorium and concert area.

 The "Puerto del Vino" (Gate of Wine), the entrance into the Alcazaba.

The Alcazaba offers stunning views over Granada and beyond.

 Cooling water fountains in the gardens.

 Unfortunately age, heat and lack of energy determined that after a couple of hours it was time to head home. The Alhambra is a huge complex of palaces and gardens and on this trip we sadly didn't manage to view the Nasrid Palaces area. So a return trip is definitely planned for the future..... perhaps on a cooler day.