The Alhambra, Granada

I have at last been able to get back to scanning in a few more Spanish photographs, some of which are shown here. More are in my gallery at Smugmug and I will be adding more over the next few weeks.




















Perhaps the best known place to visit in Granada is the Alhambra Palace. It is certainly impressive and spectacular, but it comes at a price in terms of having to share the experience with many other tourists, so much so that on occasion it is very difficult to appreciate the beauty of the place. It also makes taking photographs less than easy as there is almost invariably a body in the way.




















Built inside the Palace is the Palace of King Carlos V who, it seems, had tired of the Moorish architecture and styled his pad on the Italian Renaissance period and used an architect who had trained under Michelangelo.














This view from the Alhambra looks across the gypsy quarter of the Albaicin which is situated below the Palace and above Granada. You can walk up to the Alhambra through this district, although you might want to save your energies for the considerable trek through the Palace.




When Mohammed V succeeded his father Yusuf I, he did more than just finishing the alterations that his father had started. He actually started building what would become his great work of art, the marvelous legacy he left us in the Alhambra: the Palace of the Lions (Palacio de los Leones).

Plantasia

We recently took advantage of somewhat better weather, which although cold and dry, was bright and sunny, and got out into the countryside. Well, it was sort of countryside, but attached to one of our local garden centres as some 30 acres of natural parkland. Dobbies have done a pretty good job of establishing the park, which contains trees, lakes and some wildlife. I'm not sure what it will be like in the summer if it becomes too popular, but as a winter retreat (especially at the lower winter price rates) it was a very enjoyable couple of hours.















The lakes had a thin layer of ice which gave perfect conditions for capturing the reflections.

There was a little bit of the theme park feeling which I am sure that the children will enjoy, with features such as the Treetop Trail which enables you to get up close and personal with the vegetation.















The view whilst the trees had no leaves was excellent. No doubt when they are fully clothed with foliage they will have a different appeal.















There are several types of deer to be seen, which obliged by coming to the nearside of their enclosure.




















Part of the park is given over to mazes which I am sure will become a great attraction when fully developed. This was from part of the Japanese Trellis Maze, but there are also Canadian, Australian, African, Antarctic and English Mazes for you to lose yourself and your children in. By the time we got to this area we were suffering from exposure and so opted out of most of it to take refuge in the interactive exhibition area. Again, really aimed at kids, but we felt that we could find something of interest in here as well.

All in all a good outing. There are more pictures to be found on my Smugmug Galleries.

Information about the park can be seen at Plantasia