Some Pictures from our July 2008 visit to Spain, July 9th to July 23th
Day 1
New York		 Day 2
Madrid
Day 3
Madrid
Day 4
Madrid Toledo
Day 5
Toledo Cordoba
Day 6
Cordoba Granada
Day 7
Granada Seville
Day 8
Seville
Day 9
Seville Zaragoza
Day 10
Expo 2008
Day 11
Expo 2008
Day 12
Expo 2008 Zaragoza
Day 13
Zaragoza Barcelona
Day 14
Barcelona
Day 15
Barcelona
 
 

Page Seven. Granada and Seville

The Alhambra was even better than I had imagined, and I had read some of the stories and descriptions in Washington Irving's Tales of the Alhambra. We arrived just before the gates opened at 8:30, and departed just after 3:00 in the afternoon. Our ticket allowed us a 10:00 a.m. entry into the main palace, and we didn't finish that until past noon. We came down from the Alhambra and gathered our belongings for the trek to the train station. A short storm of wind, rain, and hail surprised Granada as we were collecting our things in the hotel, but this was a mild storm, and it passed soon. We saw evidence that the storm had not been so mild as we looked from the train window that evening on our way to Seville.
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Monestery in early morning light. San Juan Reyes Ceiling in Cloisters Orange Tree in Cloister Yard
The morning light in the Alhambra. Here is the famous bell atop the Torre de la Vela. A view of Jeri in the Alcazaba (the fortress) of the Alhambra.
Alcazaba with Granada Beyond It. Jeri in the Court of Myrtles The Court of Lions
An early morning view over the Alcazaba and the city of Grenada. The reflection in the pool in the Court of Myrtles has charmed visitors to the Alhambra for many centuries. The Court of Lions has some of the most impressive decorative work in the Alhambra.
Alcazaba with Granada Beyond It. Jeri in the Court of Myrtles The Court of Lions
The Palace of the Nasrids as seen from the Alcazaba. In other words, this is a view of the royal household palace seen from the military fortress of the Alhambra. A view from the Alcazaba of the Church of Saint Nicholas, from where many people view the Alhambra at sunset or night. The defenders in the Alcazaba would have had a very good view of the attacking armies from up here. The fortress was surrendered in January of 1492.
Narrow Street in Toledo Jeri in Toledo Eric in Toledo
A view of Granada Cathedral from the Torre de la Vela in the Alcazaba of the Alhambra. A ceiling in the Alhambra. The Court of the Myrtles.
City Walls in Toledo Cathedral Tower looms in the darkness Cathedral at night
Eric and Jeri at the top of the Torre del la Vela. In the Alhambra Palaces. Typical interior of the Nasrid Palace in the Alhambra.
Toledo at night The palace at night The Cathedral Tower lit up at night
Detail of tiles on the wall in the Alhambra. Eric in the Patio de Arrayanes (also known as the Court of the Myrtles) Detail of decorative wall in the Alhambra.
Tortillas at Bar Santos in Cordoba Cordoba Cathedral at Twilight Sunset and Cordoba Church
Windows in the Nasrid Palace. The Court of the Lions in the Palace of the Nasrid Dynasty in the Alhambra. Here is Chun-Chih standing in the Court of the Lions. The Lions were being restored when we visited, so we didn't see them.
Tortillas at Bar Santos in Cordoba Cordoba Cathedral at Twilight Sunset and Cordoba Church
Typical gateway in the Nasrid Palace. Attractive window in the Alhambra. Here is the small palace in the Generalife Gardens.
Tortillas at Bar Santos in Cordoba Cordoba Cathedral at Twilight Sunset and Cordoba Church
The reflecting pond of the Partal Palace in the Alhambra. This is the Patio de la Acequia in the Generalife Gardens. We are standing together in the garden palace in the Generalife.
Tortillas at Bar Santos in Cordoba Cordoba Cathedral at Twilight Sunset and Cordoba Church
Generalife gardens, specifically the Jardin de los Cipreses o de la Sultana. From our train window we could see the storm clouds, including some fairly impressive mammatocumulus, and some spots of rain as we went on our way to Seville. We arrived in Seville in time to buy some groceries and go for a short walk to enjoy the sunset. There were some dark clouds as the sun was setting, allowing this contrast of light and darkness.
Tortillas at Bar Santos in Cordoba Cordoba Cathedral at Twilight Sunset and Cordoba Church
The gateway into the orange garden courtyard in front of the Seville Cathedral. The Seville Cathedral in the late afternoon light. This courtyard near the Alcazar and Cathedral was a good base from which I took photographs of the cathedral silhouetted against the sunset clouds.
Tortillas at Bar Santos in Cordoba Cordoba Cathedral at Twilight A night view (after sunset) of our hotel (Doña Manuela)
The dramatic mammatocumulus clouds we had seen from the train gave way to more ragged cumulonimbus in time for the sunset. A view of the Bell Tower (Giralda) seen at sunset. The statue on top is a personification of Faith. Our hotel, the Doña Manuela, was well-located and moderately priced. We enjoyed our stay here very well, and would stay here again.

The Next Day we rested and walked around Seville.

I would like to have a garden that could remind me of the Generalife gardens in the Alhambra. These were inspiring and unforgettable. Our sixth day in Spain was the highlight so far.
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By Eric and Chun-Chih Hadley-Ives
July 2008
By Eric and Chun-Chih Hadley-Ives
By Eric and Chun-Chih Hadley-Ives
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