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Alhambra – part fortress, part palace, part garden and

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Alhambra – Granada, Spain

Part fortress, part palace, part garden and part government city the medieval complex of Alhambra overlooking the city of Grenada is one of the top tourist attractions in Spain.  The eightAlhambra-and-Generalife-Granada-Spain_82h century old site was named for the reddish walls and towers that surrounded the citadel: al-qal’a al-hamra in Arabic means red fort or castle. It’s the only surviving city  of the Islamic Golden Age and a remnant of the Nasrid Dynasty, the last Islamic kingdom in Western Europe.

Alhambra offers up stunning ornamental architecture, lush gardens, cascading water features and breathtaking views of the city.  The impressive complex is deservedly listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.  

Here are the 4 primary attractions (there are many more and all you have to is explore)

Alcazaba – This is the oldest part of Alhambra.  The ruins of this massive fortress sit atop the crest of a hill and provides the finest views of the entire city and the Sierra Nevada mountains.

View of Grenada from Alcazaba

Palace of Charles V – The most recent addition, this 16th century building was commissioned following the Reconquista by Charles as a royal residence close to the Alhambra Palace.  It has an impressive circular courtyard and 2 museums inside.

Palace of Charles V

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Southern Spain off-season with our Grandson

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What better high school graduation gift could there be then a trip to Europe with your grandparents.  In January 2019 we took an amazing trip to Spain with our grandson Aiden.  As he was still in school we did not have unlimited time to spend and had to keep things tight.  We flew in and out of Madrid and spent all our time touring in the Andalusia region.  Even though it was January the weather was fairly mild and as a bonus we did not encounter crowds at any of the sites.  Unless your going for some beach time or just crave the heat, we highly recommend this off-season timing to others.

First stop Seville.  Highlights for us were tours of the Plaza de Toros (Game of Thrones), Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos once the home of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand and horse carriage ride through the Plaza de España (Star Wars)

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