By Shobha Rao Smilemaker
Six years ago, my husband had promised himself to visit Spain again because he had missed seeing the Alhamra in Granada with his friends, inspite of purchasing tickets. So this trip was a must do on our visit to Spain.
On a super hot day in the morning we first walked through the old quaint Albaicin district of Granada, which had not changed since centuries. The water supply and drainage system is still functional, so I just had to drink water from an old water tap on the side of the street.
We then went to the highest point next to St. Nicholas church at Granada to get a birds eye view of this unique, hilltop city, surrounded by mountains and watered by the Darro and Genil rivers. We got a view of the Sierra Nevada mountains from here.
In the distance, at the edge of sharp cliffs of the Sabika hill we also got a first glimpse of the walled and fortified enclosure with the towers of the famous Alahamra palace, also known as the Red Fortress or Red Castle.
After lunch we went to this palace which was a standing demonstration of the Moorish rule by the Nazrid dynasty. It was built on Roman Ruins.
We first entered the palace portico, amidst the beautiful gardens. I was told that there
were seperate walkways for the different social classes of the kingdom .
We crossed the gardens and entered the Generalife palace. The beautiful Acequia courtyard, used to have a water staircase and there was another Sultana courtyard for the womenfolk only.
The beauty of the walls of Alhambra plalace was the ancient inscriptions on it made of plaster that are still visible, as if they were talking to us. The rulers literally wanted it to feel like a paradise on earth.
Every tile used in palace of the Lions gave a unique character to the place. At the central courtyard the still intact fountain of the 12 Lions was a relic of the royal life.
I tried to capture the delicate architecture especially on the ceilings of some rooms by taking stunning selfies. The Arab inspired decor still visible in a Christian country is probably what makes Alhamra a different experience for tourists.
In my head I subconsciously was comparing it to the even more intricate decor found in the Rajasthan palaces in India, so I was not as impressed as the others.
The local guide appreciated my Indian jewellery and I decided to remove it and give it to her at the end of the tour. Hope she has a good memory of generous Indian tourists after that!
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Shobha Rao Smilemaker has a vision of living in a world where people use their ability to find and make smiles in any situation. She is a lawyer by qualification, a soft skills trainer by passion, a motivational speaker, a freelance journalist, a bestselling author, an avid traveler and founder of 'Smilemakers Trainings'. She can be contacted at www.shobhasmilemaker.com.