Granada in March Day 3 Alhambra Visit

We are up and about early. I still haven't decided whether to get something to eat up at the Alhambra kiosk or come back home for lunch. Just in case I prepare the Jurel fish in quick-to-cook fillets and then we set off. There's a decided tang in the air as we go up Cuesta del Realejo which at that point I find invigorating. Once again it takes us about 20 minutes from our apartment to Puerta de la Justicia. I take advantage of the toilets because there aren't toilet facilities inside the Nasrid Palaces area. The toilets are vast and perfectly clean and tidy so early in the morning. Then we decide to get in the queue at 9.12. We are the first but from where we stand there's a magnificent view over the Albaicin area of Granada which is more than enough to pass the time, especially as the ticket checker responds to my attempts to converse in Spanish and we manage a chat on the points of interest. They let in people with 9 o'clock tickets right up to 9.29, although the very last are told to hurry along in no uncertain terms. Then it's time for us to go in.

The first room is the Mexuar room. It's quite crowded with groups who came in late for their  9 o'clock guided tour still hanging around and people coming in after us.  We take our time, looking at the socle on the walls, the first of the elaborate plasterwork, the two crowns, the recurrent plus ultra symbol of Carlos V, the Renaissance balustrade and of course the magnificent oratory with views over Granada. 

A tiny doorway with a horseshoe shaped arch takes us into the courtyard where the 14th century Sultan received his vassals. To the left there is the Golden Room with a superb carved and decorated wood ceiling and intricate plasterwork walls.

 To the right is the Facade of Comares totally decorated from the beautiful wooden eaves at the top to a superb combination of floral, geometric and epigraphic designs on the walls - one can only stand and stare.

When we come out into the sudden sun of the Patio de los Arrayanes, Patio of the myrtle bushes, I realise I am frozen solid and spend some time standing in the warm sun to try to thaw out. Unfortunately the cold will persist until we get out of the Palaces. The official leaflet does blithely state that the area is fresh in summer and cold in winter and it is true that Carlos V ordered fireplaces to be installed but I am reasonably warmly dressed and, coming from mountain climes, did not take these warnings seriously. A pity, because feeling frozen is not the ideal state for enjoying art. It's not just us, I observe, both tourists and the security staff compete to stop and stare in the occasional rays of sun and there's a general huddling in jackets and blowing of noses.

The warm sun on the marble of the Myrtle patio is soothing and I am lucky enough to find a chair in the sun for a few minutes while Andrea is busy photographing the reflection of the splendid building in front of us in the water.

Just behind us there is the Ship room, so called because of the shape of the roof. Splendor to splendor the room behind it is the Chamber of Ambassadors, Hall of Comares or Throne room. Perhaps the most beautiful in what seems to be a succession of rooms of breathtaking beauty of which one could have sufficed for the whole trip.The walls are completely decorated with socle below and intricate plasterwork above and there are 9 smaller niches opening out to the sides.

The Patio of the Lions which is next is perhaps the most famous and perfect part of the entire Nasrid Palaces 

with the Room of the Abencerrajes which opens off it and its breathtaking ceiling of plasterwork stalactites.

The Hall of Kings on another side of the Patio is special due to the paintings on the ceiling vaults, which defy Koranic law and present human scenes.

The third room off the Patio is the spectacular Two Sisters room with another amazing stalactite ceiling.

We then walk through the areas redecorated by Carlos V and later used by the writer Washington Irving. After the Peinador de la Reina we get a glimpse of the Baños before crossing the Lindaraja patio 

and emerging into the warming sun in the Partal area, itself interesting with its elegant portico and pond and Nasrid dwellings. 

We are definitely frozen but find a sheltered brick bench alcove warmed by the sun just outside the entrance and start to thaw out. We spent one hour and three quarters in the Palaces and if it hadn't been for the cold could possibly have spent longer. We decide we are in need of warming food and drink and in 8 minutes (because downhill!) from the Justice gate we are back in our cosy apartment.

After the early lunch, warmed and nourished, we retrace our steps up the Cuesta and visit the Alcazaba which is the castle section of the Alhambra. We go up and down the various towers and don't miss a corner or any of the spectacular views over the city below but in about 40 minutes are back outside.

We make our leisurely way back through the Partal Gardens towards the Generalife but stop a little way along on a bench in the sun for a rest. The temperatures are higher now but the wind is still cool. The Generalife was the summer residence of the Nasrid rulers. The lower gardens are already delightful with the sculpted hedges and paths interspersed with water and fountains but the highlight is undoubtedly the Patio of the Acequia with its long pond of fountains and the Palace behind. 

We go up the Escalera del agua and out into the higher gardens. Our slow visit to the Generalife takes about an hour and we have another sun blessed rest on a bench until the breeze becomes too cool to be pleasant.

This time we return down to the main city along the Cuesta de Gomerez which takes us to Plaza Nueva. To just go home seems too much of a let down after the adrenaline high of beauty so we go to Bodegas Castenedas nearby where we order Vermut, no ice. Fortunately the waiter puts a shot of water instead of ice in the glass and fortunately it's accompanied by a tasty tapa of chicken and mushrooms because the glass is so large I am decidedly tipsy as we wander home, slightly drunk for the Vermut and totally for the mysterious and endlessly fascinating beauty of the Alhambra. A spectacular day!
Tips for visiting the Alhambra here
Advice for buying tickets here