Grenada, Spain
In January of 1492 a momentous event occurred in southern Spain, and it was not the departure of Christopher Columbus to find a new route to the riches of the Indies (although Columbus’ arrival in the New World was celebrated in Spain today.) On January 2, 1492, after a siege of seven months, the devoutly Muslim Moorish King Boabdil surrendered the key of the fortress and palace of La Alhambra to the devoutly Catholic Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile. Grenada was the last Moorish Kingdom to fall. After a period of over seven centuries of domination, beginning in 711, the Moors were evicted from Spain.
The National Geographic Endeavour docked at the port of Motril. Our motor coaches took us some 60 km inland, through agricultural land dominated by sugar cane and avocado trees, to reach Grenada in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada (= Snowy Mountains.) La Alhambra sits atop a hill above the old city of Grenada. Led by our very knowledgeable local guides, we visited, in turn, the administrative and judicial quarters, the private living quarters of the rulers, and the terraced gardens and summer palace of the Generalife, where the rulers would seek relief from the oppressive heat and humidity of the Spanish summers. The palaces are built around open, landscaped courtyards surrounded by ornately decorated rooms and alcoves. Moorish architecture is famous for its use of open space, light, and symmetry. Running water was diverted from the River Darro to flow through the courtyards and fountains, mimicking the Muslim concept of the seven levels of Paradise (hence our expression “in Seventh Heaven”.) The walls and ceilings were ornately decorated in wood and stucco featuring Arabic inscriptions taken from the Koran. Perhaps the decorations were subtly self-glorifying, for in making their surroundings like the seventh heaven of the Koran they were placing themselves close to Allah. Part of La Alhambra was demolished by Charles V, grandson of Ferdinand and Isabella, to construct his grandiose Renaissance-style palace. It was never completed, but today its circular courtyard provides a venue for concerts.
Following a sumptuous Spanish-style lunch (that is, big with fine Spanish wine flowing freely) at the luxurious La Alhambra Palace Hotel we descended the hill to enter the old city of Grenada to visit the Royal Chapel, where Ferdinand and Isabella are entombed beneath huge crypts of carved marble. Many discovered the market in the plaza, whether for buying or just nosing about the many stalls featuring queso (cheese), carnes (meats), pan (bread), and souvenir items carved from olive wood.
And then we returned to our ship at Motril to set sail toward the Straits of Gibralter, where we left the Mediterranean Sea to enter the Atlantic Ocean on our way to Lisbon, Portugal.
In January of 1492 a momentous event occurred in southern Spain, and it was not the departure of Christopher Columbus to find a new route to the riches of the Indies (although Columbus’ arrival in the New World was celebrated in Spain today.) On January 2, 1492, after a siege of seven months, the devoutly Muslim Moorish King Boabdil surrendered the key of the fortress and palace of La Alhambra to the devoutly Catholic Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile. Grenada was the last Moorish Kingdom to fall. After a period of over seven centuries of domination, beginning in 711, the Moors were evicted from Spain.
The National Geographic Endeavour docked at the port of Motril. Our motor coaches took us some 60 km inland, through agricultural land dominated by sugar cane and avocado trees, to reach Grenada in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada (= Snowy Mountains.) La Alhambra sits atop a hill above the old city of Grenada. Led by our very knowledgeable local guides, we visited, in turn, the administrative and judicial quarters, the private living quarters of the rulers, and the terraced gardens and summer palace of the Generalife, where the rulers would seek relief from the oppressive heat and humidity of the Spanish summers. The palaces are built around open, landscaped courtyards surrounded by ornately decorated rooms and alcoves. Moorish architecture is famous for its use of open space, light, and symmetry. Running water was diverted from the River Darro to flow through the courtyards and fountains, mimicking the Muslim concept of the seven levels of Paradise (hence our expression “in Seventh Heaven”.) The walls and ceilings were ornately decorated in wood and stucco featuring Arabic inscriptions taken from the Koran. Perhaps the decorations were subtly self-glorifying, for in making their surroundings like the seventh heaven of the Koran they were placing themselves close to Allah. Part of La Alhambra was demolished by Charles V, grandson of Ferdinand and Isabella, to construct his grandiose Renaissance-style palace. It was never completed, but today its circular courtyard provides a venue for concerts.
Following a sumptuous Spanish-style lunch (that is, big with fine Spanish wine flowing freely) at the luxurious La Alhambra Palace Hotel we descended the hill to enter the old city of Grenada to visit the Royal Chapel, where Ferdinand and Isabella are entombed beneath huge crypts of carved marble. Many discovered the market in the plaza, whether for buying or just nosing about the many stalls featuring queso (cheese), carnes (meats), pan (bread), and souvenir items carved from olive wood.
And then we returned to our ship at Motril to set sail toward the Straits of Gibralter, where we left the Mediterranean Sea to enter the Atlantic Ocean on our way to Lisbon, Portugal.
