The Alhambra, Granada

Detail of stucco plasterwork, Palacios Nazaries, Alhambra, Granada
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I get up this morning with a dodgy stomach. Luckily I have my huge supply of pills and potions that I always travel with (I should make a note for next time that Lemsip isn’t very useful unless you have a kettle). I take some pills and head downstairs for breakfast.

Our first stop of the morning is the Alhambra Palace. It’s got to be one of Spain’s biggest tourist attractions and has an enormous car park. Sadly Grandma feels she really can’t make it any further, so heads out of the car park to a nearby café. On the way she runs the gauntlet of gypsy women selling lace and embroidered table cloths. I think Grandma will have plenty of retail opportunities whilst we are away.

After all not everyone can say they have part of a World Heritage Site sitting on their mantelpiece.

The Lion Fountain, Palacios Nazaries, Alhambra, Granada
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We meet up with our guide who leads us towards the palace. The first surprise is a building that clearly isn’t very Moorish at all. The Emperor of Spain, Charles V, brought his new wife, Isabella of Portugal, to the Alhambra for their honeymoon. They were so taken with it that they wanted to make it more suitable for modern living. Instead of transforming the old Moorish palace, they built a new one alongside. It is a lovely building, just desperately outclassed by its surroundings. The outside shape of the building is square, but inside is a wonderful circular courtyard, surrounded by two levels of colonnaded pillars. Today it is a museum and is also used as a venue for classical concerts.

The Alhambra, Granada
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Off to the Alhambra proper – or at least we will be once everyone has been to the loo. Our guide isn’t taking any chances; we have to enter the building within a half hour timeslot and once we’re in there will be no going back. Sometimes coach holidays can leave you feeling like a child on a school trip. That being said, there a quite a few takers!

Finally we make it inside the Palacios Nazaries and I’m completely bowled over. The outside is very plain – there isn’t any unnecessary decoration. This is because public displays of wealth were frowned upon by Islam. However inside the palace every surface – wood, plaster and tile – is heavily worked with intricate patterns. It’s amazing how rich the decoration is, even though it is created using such simple and basic materials. I just can’t decide where to look first.

The Alhambra, Granada
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Another surprise is that the Palacios Nazaries is actually made up of three separate palaces – The Mexuar (Council Chamber), Comares (State Rooms) and Leones (the Sultan’s private quarters). We walk through them in order and each time the next palace looks more spectacular than the last. Our guide had warned us this would be the case, but we really did think he was joking.

It’s impossible to do justice to these remarkable buildings by trying to describe them; far better to look at my photographs of them. I just wish I had the skills and camera to really do justice to them. Better still get one of the excellent guide books sold in the gift shop. It’s a much better memento than a handful dodgy snaps or postcards. The only thing about guidebooks is they do sometimes reveal secrets you may prefer not to know. For example, how much restoration the buildings have undergone.

Detail of stucco plasterwork, Palacios Nazaries, Alhambra, Granada
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Other more alarming souvenirs can be purchased in the gift shop. You can buy parts of the building itself. Broken or damaged tiles and plaster that has presumably been replaced are sold at alarmingly low prices. It’s extremely tempting, after all not everyone can say they have part of a World Heritage Site sitting on their mantelpiece. But I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. I worked in a museum for 10 years, so the shame would be too great.

After the palaces we walk around the gardens towards the Generalife. It’s a beautiful, hot day and the gardens make a pleasant break from the heat. The area we are now walking through used to be the palaces of nobles, courtiers as well as barracks of soldiers. Sadly there isn’t a great deal left now. Much was destroyed when Napoleon invaded Spain.

Decorative niche, Palacios Nazaries, Alhambra, Granada
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It’s a fairly long walk from the Palacios Nazaries to the Generalife; however I’m really beginning to wane. I’m feeling ill but refuse to give up – after all this is the highlight of the trip. Sadly as beautiful as the Generalife is, I find it really hard to enjoy it. It didn’t stop me posing for photographs, but my smile looks distinctly half hearted in them.

After our sightseeing we head for a nearby café to get a bite to eat. Susan and Yee are a little concerned about me and I’m trying to play down how I really feel. We sit on a shady terrace and I order some soup, figuring it would be good for my delicate constitution. However I’m beginning to realise how poorly I am, because when I ask the girls if they are feeling cold, they look at me as though I’m mad. Apparently the temperature is well into the 40s and I’m shivering and wishing I had a jumper. Thankfully the girls are with me and guide me back to the coach past the gypsies. I’m really not up to pushy sales techniques at the moment.