Alhambra
The Alhambrais a palace and fortress complex located in Granada. It was originally constructed as a fortress in 889 and later converted into a royal palace in 1333 by Yusuf I, sultan of Granada. The Alhambra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the inspiration for many songs and stories.Moorish poets described it as “a pearl set in emeralds,” in allusion to the colour of its buildings and the woods around them. The decorations within the palaces typified the remains of Moorish dominion within Spain.
Alhambra means “The Red” in Arabic , and its complete name was “al Qal’at al-hamra” (Red fort). The origins of its name are unknown. Some Historians say it was named that because of the colour of the stones, others say the name is due to the fact that it was built at night, and the red colour gave it the appearance of fire emanating from torches. It could also be due to the person who ordered its construction, the founder of the Nasrid dynasty, Mohammed ben Nasar, named Al-Hamar el rojo – because he had a red beard.
Nasar built a super exclusive complex to contain a palace inside a fortress with walls to resemble paradise .The palace has a number of gardens, trees and fountains – a right place for kings and queens.
The palace has fascinating carvings, beautiful tile work, and plaster in lays etc. The stucco is made up of marble powder and plaster of Paris and white of eggs. The ceiling is either stucco or wood. Blue is used to represent the sky, green for trees, yellow the sun and red for the king. The only place where white is used is in the center of the dome to signify Allah as the white light. It represents the peak of Islamic art in Spain and one of the most symbolic monuments of this type of art in the whole world
It is reported that, once the king saw the queen speaking to a male member of the royal household. Out of jealousy and unable to recognize who it was, he ordered the beheading of 12 males of the family. Story goes to say that the blood stains are still visible in the king’s chambers.
The gardens have been maintained for 600 years. The fountains are very pretty and the water comes from the nearby mountains through an aqua duct.The entire place is cool. The entire area is known as ‘Generlife’.
Figure <!–[if supportFields]> SEQ Figure \* ARABIC <![endif]–>1<!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> – The entrance to the palace
Figure <!–[if supportFields]> SEQ Figure \* ARABIC <![endif]–>2<!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> – A lovely avenue
Figure <!–[if supportFields]> SEQ Figure \* ARABIC <![endif]–>3<!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> – Planning the next move
Figure <!–[if supportFields]> SEQ Figure \* ARABIC <![endif]–>4<!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> – All ears and enjoying the light banter by the guide
Figure <!–[if supportFields]> SEQ Figure \* ARABIC <![endif]–>5<!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> – Photo op
Figure <!–[if supportFields]> SEQ Figure \* ARABIC <![endif]–>6<!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> – A lovely gravity fed fountain
Figure <!–[if supportFields]> SEQ Figure \* ARABIC <![endif]–>7<!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> – Walk way
Figure <!–[if supportFields]> SEQ Figure \* ARABIC <![endif]–>8<!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> – Oranges all through
Figure <!–[if supportFields]> SEQ Figure \* ARABIC <![endif]–>9<!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> – Lovely flowers
Figure <!–[if supportFields]> SEQ Figure \* ARABIC <![endif]–>10<!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> – Garden being looked after
Figure <!–[if supportFields]> SEQ Figure \* ARABIC <![endif]–>11<!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> – Old Roman period foundation
Figure <!–[if supportFields]> SEQ Figure \* ARABIC <![endif]–>12<!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> – The palace wall
Figure <!–[if supportFields]> SEQ Figure \* ARABIC <![endif]–>13<!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> – On of the buildings
Figure <!–[if supportFields]> SEQ Figure \* ARABIC <![endif]–>14<!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> – One view of the palace
Figure <!–[if supportFields]> SEQ Figure \* ARABIC <![endif]–>15<!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> – Inside view
Figure <!–[if supportFields]> SEQ Figure \* ARABIC <![endif]–>16<!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> – Inside of the palace living quarters – high ceiling and lo9ts of light. The intricate designs, arches and windows
Figure <!–[if supportFields]> SEQ Figure \* ARABIC <![endif]–>17<!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> – A very intricate dome
Figure <!–[if supportFields]> SEQ Figure \* ARABIC <![endif]–>18<!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> – Tile work
Figure <!–[if supportFields]> SEQ Figure \* ARABIC <![endif]–>19<!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> – A beautiful pond overlooking the palace
Figure <!–[if supportFields]> SEQ Figure \* ARABIC <![endif]–>20<!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> – The minars – built to withstand d earthquake
Figure <!–[if supportFields]> SEQ Figure \* ARABIC <![endif]–>21<!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> – Jai is engrossed
Figure <!–[if supportFields]> SEQ Figure \* ARABIC <![endif]–>22<!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> – A rare photo op
Figure <!–[if supportFields]> SEQ Figure \* ARABIC <![endif]–>23<!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> – Once again intricate art work
Figure <!–[if supportFields]> SEQ Figure \* ARABIC <![endif]–>24<!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> – A garden inside the courtyard
Figure <!–[if supportFields]> SEQ Figure \* ARABIC <![endif]–>25<!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> – A lovely painting on glass
Figure <!–[if supportFields]> SEQ Figure \* ARABIC <![endif]–>26<!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> – New addition of a church
Costa Del Sol – Malaga
After a pleasant drive we reached Costa Del Sol. We checked into a very nice hotel overlooking a Mediterranean beach ‘Tryp Guadalmar’. The Costa del Sol “Sunny Coast” or more literally, “Coast of the Sun” is a region in the south of Spain, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, comprising the coastal towns and communities along the coastline of the Province of malaga. The most important business sector in Málaga is tourism – exceptionally beautiful town.
Figure <!–[if supportFields]> SEQ Figure \* ARABIC <![endif]–>27<!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> – View from the hotel room
Figure <!–[if supportFields]> SEQ Figure \* ARABIC <![endif]–>28<!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> – Road opposite the hotel
Figure <!–[if supportFields]> SEQ Figure \* ARABIC <![endif]–>29<!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> – View of the sea
Figure <!–[if supportFields]> SEQ Figure \* ARABIC <![endif]–>30<!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> – One of the roads in the town
Figure <!–[if supportFields]> SEQ Figure \* ARABIC <![endif]–>31<!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> – A hilly town with winding roads
Mijas
Later on in the evening we drove down to Mijas. Nestled in the luscious Costa del Sol, Mijas Pueblo is one of the most famous traditional white-washed villages in Spain. Sometimes called ‘The White City’, Mijas is one of the jewels of the south coast, renowned for its boisterous festivals, Easter processions and donkey taxis. The ‘Jet Set’ of Spain have exclusive villas in this place – ‘Marabella’. They are rumored to take flights from here to attend parties in Monaco, Tangiers etc. Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Sophia Loren, Alphonso Maximillian are some of the stars who visit this place often. It was once a very quiet fishing village.Ricardo Soliano bought lot of real estate and built houses in Marbella for the super rich.
It is compulsory to whitewash the hoses and have red tiled roofs. The total picture is very captivating. Normally the houses have black metallic fences.
It is common to rent villas to spend your vacation instead of staying in hotels.David told us that one can rent a two bed room villa for 3000 Euros for a month. Very attractive indeed.
Figure <!–[if supportFields]> SEQ Figure \* ARABIC <![endif]–>32<!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> – A village from a fairy tale
Figure <!–[if supportFields]> SEQ Figure \* ARABIC <![endif]–>33<!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> – A shopper’s paradise
Figure <!–[if supportFields]> SEQ Figure \* ARABIC <![endif]–>34<!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> – Beautifully laid out roads
Figure <!–[if supportFields]> SEQ Figure \* ARABIC <![endif]–>35<!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> – The gang
Figure <!–[if supportFields]> SEQ Figure \* ARABIC <![endif]–>36<!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> – The sky line
Figure <!–[if supportFields]> SEQ Figure \* ARABIC <![endif]–>37<!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> – Satisfied tourists
Figure <!–[if supportFields]> SEQ Figure \* ARABIC <![endif]–>38<!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> – The village is lined with eateries
Figure <!–[if supportFields]> SEQ Figure \* ARABIC <![endif]–>39<!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> – A wonderful sight
Figure <!–[if supportFields]> SEQ Figure \* ARABIC <![endif]–>40<!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> – Entrance into a house
Figure <!–[if supportFields]> SEQ Figure \* ARABIC <![endif]–>41<!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> – Jai wondering – which one is the donkey?
Figure <!–[if supportFields]> SEQ Figure \* ARABIC <![endif]–>42<!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> – It cannot get any better
Figure <!–[if supportFields]> SEQ Figure \* ARABIC <![endif]–>43<!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> – White and brown all around
Captain's Corner 