- Carmen de los Martires Gardens
Entrance to the Gardens of Carmen de los Martires. Fuente de la Ninfa de la Gruta. - Magnolia Grandiflora
The majestic magnolias blossoming all over town. - Ferdinand VI
The inscription on the statue ends with "Rex Cat". While I'm sure this doesn't mean "King Cat", it surely looks like it :-) - Fuente de la ola
What a lovely wave fountain. - Carmen de los Mártires
Nazari patio in Carmen de los Mártires. Very small, very cosy, very quiet. Lovely. - Carmen de los Mártires
These are some headless statues... - Strawberry Tree
A lovely garden very close to Alhambra. And free. And almost empty. - Carmen de los Mártires
No true palace without a couple of peacocks. - Carmen de los Martires Gardens
Another lovely geometrical fountain. For some reason not perfectly symmetrical. - A chameleon!
I love the Supercable logo! It just puts a smile on your face, doesn't it? :-) - Monasterio de San Jerónimo
A lot of different fonts on these graves. - Monasterio de San Jerónimo
The main chapel of the monastery was built in 1504-1522. A very notable church, the elevated choir and the super busy decorations on the walls and ceiling. - Monasterio de San Jerónimo
A very very busy renaissance church. - Monasterio de San Jerónimo
And the very busy ceiling. - Monasterio de San Jerónimo
- Granada Cathedral
- Granada Cathedral
The ceiling of the Cathedral. Very pure. - Granada Cathedral
The interior of the Renaissance cathedral. Built between 1523 and (officially) 1704. This place is big. - Granada Cathedral
The interior of Granada Cathedral. Another very heavy church. - A wolf!
What a wonderful art in Plaza de los Lobos. - Church of Santa María de la Alhambra
The church (1581-1618) was built on an older mosque. - Mexuar
Tiles on the wall of the Mexuar Council Hall, which served as the entrance to the Nasrid palace. Plus Ultra was the motto of king Charles V. - Zellij in Mexuar
This style of mosaic tilework is called zellij. Charles V was not only King of Spain, but also Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke of Austria, and Lord of the Netherlands. Maybe I missed some titles. Anyway, the double-headed eagle represents the Holy Roman Empire. - Mosaic in Nasrid palace
- Hall of the Ambassadors
The Nasrid palaces are very crowded. Very crowded indeed. - Hall of the Ambassadors
Wall decorations in the Salón de los Embajadores, which is the largest room in Alhambra. The inscriptions are Qur'anic verses and poems. - Hall of the Ambassadors
Detail on the Hall walls, part of a larger inscription in Kufic script. One can still see traces of blue colour, as these arabesque and geometric motifs were originally painted with bright colours. - Court of the Myrtles
Patio de los Arrayanes is the center of the Comares Palace. The reflective pool is 34 m long! - More mosaic
Mosaic in Comares Palace, part of the Nasrid Palaces. Begun by Isma'il in the early 13th century and modified by Yusuf I and Muhammad V. - Court of the Myrtles
Court of the Myrtles with the Comares Tower in the background. The name of the Court comes from the myrtle hedges. Built in the 14th century. - Court of the Lions
The wonderful Court was built by Muhammed V between 1362 and 1391. - Court of the Lions
The Lion Fountain that gives the name to the Court. On the rim of the fountain, there's a poem by Ibn Zamrak, describing the beauty of the fountain. - Court of the Lions
The Court was built by Muhammad V around 1380. - Hall of the Abencerrajes
The ceiling in the Hall of Abencerrajes. The decorations are called muqarnas, and in the museum is a very instructive exhibition on how such a ceiling was made. Basically a lot A LOT of tiny pieces (alveoles) put together. - Court of the Lions
One of the pavillions in the Court. - Ornaments
- Another ceiling
Ceiling in one of the side halls, covered in muqarnas. - Zellij in Alhambra
More wonderful zellij pattern in the palace. - Stucco in Alhambra
Detail of stucco on the wall indicating that the decorations were indeed colourful. - Patio de Lindaraja
16th century Renaissance-style addition. Originally an open garden, but closed when new buildings were added. - View from Alhambra
Wonderful view towards Albaicin and Sacromonte. - Church of Santa María de la Alhambra
The only way to take pictures without the crowds it so hide them behind the bushes :-) - Window shopping in Granada
This is a very bold dress. - Window shopping in Granada
- Capilla Real
Royal Chapel portal. - Capilla Real
The Royal Chapel was built in the 16th century (1505-1521) as the burial site for Queen Isabella I and King Ferdinand. - Palacio de la Madraza
The madrasa was founded in 1349 by Yusuf I, Most of the building (now part of University of Granada) was replaced with a baroque building. These (I think) are the doors of Saints Caecilius and Gregory of Elvira. With pomegranate underneath, the symbol of Granada. - Traffic sign
Traffic sign for a campaign against domestic violence. - Window shopping in Granada
Take a look at these merengues! Below are some normal-sized cakes. They must be around 20 cm tall! - Window shopping in Granada
This are some superbly executed fruits, veggies, plants, flowers, birds ... - Palacio de los Cordova
We had dinner in the palace's gardens :-) With the view of Alhambra at sunset. - Window shopping in Granada
Somehow I can see Louis XIV walking around in such shoes. Ok, maybe the heels are not high enough for him. - Alcaicería
Super lively during day, super lonely otherwise. This part has been a shopping centre since the 11th century. - Granada
The streets look pretty even when the shops and restaurants are closed. - Window shopping in Granada
- Window shopping in Granada
Window shopping in Granada is an experience! So many so beautiful and special dresses. I am not used to seeing dresses like that in shops. - Plaza de la Trinidad
- Beer spa?
Now maybe if you like beer, this is a place for you. But not for me. Nope. - Puerta de la Justicia
The southern entrance to Alhambra palace, built in 1348 by Yusuf I. - Puerta de la Justicia
This massive entrance surely kept all the enemies out. - Alhambra hammam
Ceiling in the Alhambra's public hammam, constructed under Muhammad III. - Alhambra hammam
Every room you enter has more holes in the ceiling. The rooms follow a standard layout: changing room, cold room, hot room, boiler room. - Window shopping in Granada
Of course bold dresses need bold shoes... - El Bañuelo
These baths are very similar to the Alhambra baths. - El Bañuelo
Lovely baths, but this reminds me of some Star Wars helmet... - El Bañuelo
These 11th century Arab baths are a lovely place to chill on a warm day. - Granada
View from the El Maristan. the first hospital in Granada. The hospital was built in the 14th and destroyed in the 19th century, now being renovated. These houses could also use a bit of renovation. - Casa Horno de Oro
A small Nasrid house, with the second floor added in the 16th century. - Palacio de Dar al-Horra
Another lovely palace with very few tourists. It was the residence of the sultan's wife, later a convent. - Palacio de Dar al-Horra
View from the Palace towards San Cristobal. - Palacio de Dar al-Horra
No, this is not an entrance, but a tiny niche (called a taqa). Probably used to store a vase or a jug of water. - Palacio de Dar al-Horra
View from the Palace towards San Cristobal. - Alhambra palace
Alhambra palace from Mirador de San Nicolas. With Sierra Nevada in the background. - Iglesia de San Nicolás
This is one of the strangest churches I've been to. Built in 1525, but the roof was destroyed by fire. So this decoration might be temporary. - Iglesia de San Nicolás
Yes, an unusually trippy church ceiling indeed. - Centro Cultural Fundación Unicaja de Málaga
A palace in the Plaza del Obispo in front of the Cathedral. - Málaga Cathedral
Southern wall of the Cathedral. - Spanish art
- Plaza de la Merced
Mimosa trees are full of pink blossoms... ... and green parakeets. Look closely :-) - Málaga Cathedral
I like the Renaissance symmetry :-) - Málaga Cathedral
The Cathedral tower is 84 m high. The south tower is unfinished, though. - Málaga Cathedral
- Málaga Cathedral
The ceiling is interesting, but it gives me this heavy feeling. - Málaga Cathedral
- Málaga Cathedral
Another very heavily decorated church. - Cathedral gardens
What a lovely gem, the cathedral gardens. - Cathedral gardens
And some wonderful Hawaiian hibiscus. - Frangipani!
I just love frangipani (plumeria)! - My favouite statue!
An adorable 5 m tall statue by local artist Javier Calleja is called Heads V2. - Calle Molina Lario
Now this I like. Although it was still insanely hot, we could walk in shadow. - Alcazaba
I just learned that Alcazaba comes from Al-qasbah. D'oh. - Alcazaba
The fortress was built on the slopes of Gibralfaro from the 11th to the 14th century. Puerta de los Cuartos de Granada. - Alcazaba
Interesting multifoil arches in the Taifa palace (11th century). - Alcazaba
Reconstructed Nasrid palaces. - Alcazaba
Cuartos de Granada - Patio de la Alberca
Patio de la Alberca (Pool courtyard) in the Nasrid palace. - Alcazaba
What lovely patterns! - Roman Theatre
Dating from the 1st and used until the 3rd century, the theatre was discovered in 1951! Parts of the theatre were used to build Alcazaba. - Málaga Cathedral
The Renaissance Cathedral was built between 1528 and 1782.