The Warriors Den

The Alhambra of Grenada

Part 2 (Part 1 here)

Alxazaba/ Charles V. Palace

Walking to the fortress and the Narid Palace you have a view back up to the Generalife, we walked by the gorgeous Palace hotel in the center to where the burial place for the Catholic Ferdinand V and Isabella I is, in a Crypt in the Royal Chapel. The two were known to bring unification to Spain (15th Century). A continuos Golden time for Spain and the Catholics but turned in to a rather horrible time for the Jews and Muslims with the "inquisition". The Spanish inquisition was established in 1480 and meant in simple terms that you either had to convert or leave.

The ceiling of the Crypt

Burial Stone

Ferdinand V and Isabella I, conquered Granada in 1492 and then turned the mosque into a church.

The Palace of Charles V

With the later rule of Charles V. the Holy Roman Emperor continued the colonization of America and in Granada he decided to build a palace befitting an emperor. The Palace is built by Pedro Machuca (1527) in a mannerism style... and to be honest it seems directly insulting to the surroundings. A building with grandeur on the outside and empty on the inside, a building built to impress not for any particular stated use. Now though they have filled the empty spaces with gallery's and museums. 

Alcazaba

I walked to the Alcazaba with much lighter steps, here is the original fortress, presumably where the Nasrid people lived while they built their palace. Wonderfully situated on the peak of the mountain with a fantastic view.

The Warriors den

With the tension within the sultans, this fortress was built not only to  defend from the outside but also from within. Built so the sultans could defend themselves from their own guards. As a visitor one is always confronted by at least one wall forming a bend that one has to go round in order to penetrate into the interior. 

View to Granada

Few would understand the beauty of the inside of this fortress by seeing the facade.

After seeing the Fortress, I walked back to the timed slot (important to book in advance) for the Nasrid palace and the Partal Palace, the pearls of this place. Will write about these wonders next time as the last segment about the Alhambra of Granada. Until then enjoy:)

With Love

Kristin