We went to see the Alhambra which is a palace and fortress complex located in Granada, Spain. It is located above Granada and overlooks the city. It was constructed as a small fortress in 889 AD on the remains of Roman fortifications. In the mid 13th century it was rebuilt by the Moorish emir Mohammed ben Al-Ahmar, who built its current palace and walls.

The Alhambra was an amazing place with numerous buildings and scenery that is absolutely breathtaking. Once inside it was easy to see just how complex the Alhambra site was. It is a self-contained city with a Fortress, Palace and array of other support building and areas.

There were flowering wisteria vines, flowering trees and assorted gardens throughout the entire Alhambra and the smells were amazing.

We walked through the grounds of the Alhambra, for about 3 hours  admiring the architecture and historic buildings. One of the areas we saw was the Palace of the Moorish emir. The Palace contained a centre courtyard with a water feature which you could see the reflection of the building.

The Palace was beautiful with spectacular detailed arabic designs. There was a pool of water in one of the rooms of the palace that reflected the ceiling which was designed with an intricate star pattern surrounded by windows letting light reflect off the design.

Rooms were adorn with detailed arabic designs.

The covered terrace area was also very detailed and intricately designed.

Once the  Christian Reconquista occurred in 1492, the Alhambra  became the Royal Court of Ferdinand and Isabella the King and Queen of Spain.  Ferdinand ordered a Palace built for them to live in Alhambra. They began building the Palace but it was never completed because the King changed his mind.

We walked through several other garden areas and smaller buildings that were just as beautiful.

We walked to the upper garden area of Alhambra and we came across some beautiful views and gardens.

We finished our tour of Alhambra by walking along the path on the upper section of the garden. There was a long hedge system with beautiful scenery all along the way.

It was a very beautiful spot and we really enjoyed our day exploring the ancient buildings and history of Alhambra.

“Adios y que tenga un grand días”

A few weeks back we were searching the internet for local activities to do in Alicante and we came across a web site called “Internations”. They are a global organization connecting expats in all areas of the world. It was free to join and so we thought, hey why not!

We signed up and before we knew it we were welcomed to the group and informed of an upcoming event in Alicante.

So on Friday night we went to our first event with some of the local expats in the area of Alicante. When we arrived we were met at the door by the organizers and welcomed in with a drink of sparkling wine.  There was lots of tapas and people were gathered around so it didn’t take long to start a conversation with someone.  It was very enjoyable and we met lots of people who were from all parts of the world but now live in the area. We spoke to people from Australia, United States, Brazil, Swiss, German and many others. They were all very friendly and most of them spoke english, (definitely a benefit for us).

It was also nice to be able to talk to people about the challenges and rewards of moving to a foreign country. They were very friendly and happy to point out some tips and the pitfalls in getting settled in. We stayed for the entire event and had a wonderful time. We will definitely be attending future events when possible.

“adios y que tenga un grand días”

 

 

Córdoba was an Islamic city from 756 to 1031, and the capital of the Moorish kingdom of Al-Andalus. During that Islamic time period they began building the Great Mosque known as “Mesquite”. throughout the years additions and enlargements were added to the Mosque eventually making it the largest Mosque in all of Islam. It was a massive building and the centre of power for that time period.

The power of Córdoba eroded through internal strife in the early 11th century and al-Andalus splintered into numerous mini states called taigas. Córdoba remained a Moorish city until 1236 when it fell to advancing Christian forces.

When the city was reconquered by the Christians in 1236, the new rulers of the city were so amazed by its beauty that they did not destroy it. Normally a Mosque is destroyed and a church built over the ruins as a symbol of power. However in this case they left the Mosque standing and built the church within the Mosque walls creating the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba, in spanish “Mezquita-Catedral de Córdoba”  We did a tour of the Mosque Cathedral and it was an amazing building. The size of the structure is immense in order to appreciate the size I have included an aerial view of the Mosque Cathedral of Córdoba.

Below are only some of the photos we took of this fascinating building.

There are numerous orange trees in the courtyard and a beautiful smell of the oranges and lots of birds singing.

At the courtyard near the entrance into the Mosque Cathedral there are wooden planks displayed on the wall. The planks were part of the original interior roof section of the Mosque. There are arabic writings engraved into the planks.

Once inside the Mosque Cathedral the beauty of the building almost takes your breath away. It is hard to imagine a building this old with such an array of designs, displays and overall vastness to the rooms.

A single arched wall did not signify as much power or grander as a double arched wall. The walls were double arched to represent the power and greatness of the Mosque at that time.

During construction of the Mosque the former Roman city was in ruins.  As a result there were remnants of building parts available for use in the construction of the Mosque. During that time they used pillars from the Roman ruins to build the Mosque. No two pillars are the same as each was “recycled” from former buildings.

The Arabic design is visible in all areas of the Mosque section of the building, from the ornate golden arches to the inlaid arabic letters and symbols in the walls.

Throughout the Mosque Cathedral there are sections of the building that were constructed at different times. We noticed that the construction materials and designs were different as we went through the building. As we progressed further into the building we noticed that the floors changed to wood from the marble that was prominent in other sections. Apparently there was limited money at that time and construction used less costly materials. Even the pillars were changed to simple cement or stone and painted to resemble marble.

There were beautiful and ornate inlaid designs throughout the building.

 

There was a section for the choir of the church. The acoustic sounds within the church are impressive and we can only imagine how the singing choir would sound. They are apparently an excellent choir. If the chairs and seating area are any indication they must be amazing singers.

The ceilings were ornate in some areas and there were several dome areas that had amazing designs.

There were numerous statues and displays throughout the building, below are a few examples.

The photos do not give justice to the beauty and depth of colours in the Mosque Cathedral. We spent a few hours there walking through the building and it was truly a unique and wonderful experience. It is amazing the lengths that people went through to build this building.

“Adios y que tenga un grand días”

Our first stop on our bus trip was the city of Córdoba. There is a long rich history that dates back to the Roman Empire. Córdoba was an important city under the Roman Empire in 27 BC to 14 AD. (Yes the city is that old), it was the capital of the province of Baetica and the largest city in the Iberian Peninsula and birthplace of the Roman statesman and philosopher Seneca.

After the Roman Empire Córdoba was also an Islamic city from 756 to 1031, and was the capital of al-Andalus. The Islamic time period is when the Great Mosque was built. Córdoba continued to grow throughout the years and became a very important city and by the 10th century was the largest and greatest city in Europe. Apparently the population was around 700,000 at the peak of Córdoba’s glory.

We saw some of the amazing historical sites. Below is the remains of a Roman wall located near the Roman bridge that was preserved after all these years.

We walked through the old quarter of Córdoba which was originally known as the jewish quarter and is referred to as “La Judea”. There was some amazing sights and unique buildings and structures. The narrow cobblestone streets intertwined into a maze of small streets that would sometimes open up into a small square.

In the old quarter it was easy to see the Muslim influence in the architecture and buildings. The cobble stoned streets are narrow and full of people shopping and sight-seeing.

In the square there is an Arc the Triomphe which dominates the square. You are able to go to the top of the Arc and see the beautiful views.

We went to the top of the Arc de Triomphe and we were in awe at the beautiful views and scenery.

Another amazing structure was the Roman bridge of Córdoba.  It was built-in the early 1st century BC across the Guadalquivir river.  We walked across the bridge and admired the beauty of the structure as well as the beauty of the surrounding scenery.

There is the Calahorra Fort, which was built-in 1338 and is located near the Roman bridge. It was built there with the intent to guard the Roman bridge because of its strategic importance.

We walked to the Mosque Cathedral of Córdoba. It is a very large building and has walls that surround the courtyard.

It is such a spectacular building  that we will do a separate post on the Mosque Cathedral of Córdoba.

The city of Córdoba is beautiful with ancient ruins, Roman structures and historically rich culture and architecture. We are very glad we went to this great city.

“Adios y que tenga un grand días”