Enchanting Alhambra

In 2016, for my birthday, I decided to visit the Alhambra. At the time, I was living in Alicante, so it was not too far. Four days to discover Granada and its surroundings. It was magical!

Early Morning

Because it’s a very popular tourist attraction, I woke up very early in the morning and walked from my hostel to the entrance of the Alhambra. There was a queue, but only a few people. There was a quiet and calm atmosphere, and the air was fresh in the gardens. I strolled for a little while among the plants before heading to the first building. The flowers were not at their best, but it was not their fault. It was the end of September, after all.

Roman Style

The first building reminded of Roman constructions and was beautiful, but not quite what I expected. (For good reasons, it was the Palace of Charles V, which has a Roman architecture.) The sun was already starting to get strong and the light was beautiful, so I took the time to walk around and take some pictures.

Arabic Influences

In the next building, I started to see the detailed decorations I had seen in the books and on the Internet. I marveled at each and every one of them, wondering how much time it had taken to build and decorate all of this. I had never seen something like that, and this was a very special experience for me. Tourists started to get more and more present everywhere, and yet, I still managed to feel this sense of discovery and enchantment. Most of the people were looking around, taking pictures and then moving to the next room. Me, I was sometimes stuck for a few minutes on one decoration because I was observing all the details and colours and how high on the wall it was going.

Beautiful Gardens

And then, there were the pools, with the reflection of the stunning buildings. I was in heaven. Except for the tourists. But I tried really hard to ignore them. And after that, some more gardens, with some more pools and fountains… Oh my God! Too much beauty!