In Which The Brilliance Of The Alhambra Becomes Clear: Palacios Nazaries

Somehow, on our only visit to the Alhambra way back in 2001, we liked it, but we weren't wowed by it as much as we were by Cordoba's Mezquita and Seville's Royal Alcazar.

The Alhambra is considered the jewel of Muslim architecture in Spain.  We felt we had to give it another chance.  Were we confused?  Worn out?  So dazzled by Seville and Cordoba that just one day in Granada wasn't enough?  We owed it to ourselves and to the Alhambra to give it another go.

And let me tell you, it did not disappoint.  I remember 24 years ago being impressed with elements of the Alhambra, but not blown away like I thought I would be.  Not this time, not that morning.  We were blown away, which means we clearly made the right decision going back.

When we got into the Alhambra, the ticket taker was sending different people to different parts of the Alhambra.  There are essentially four parts:

• The Palacios Nazaries -- the home of the Muslim kings of Granada and the most beautiful and impressive part of the complex.
• The Generalife -- The summer palace retreat of the sultan, it's also where his vegetable and fruit orchards were.
• The Palace of Charles V -- Holy Roman Emperor Charles V loved the splendid Moorish palace, so he built a Renaissance palace next door for official functions and lived in the existing Palacios Nazaries.  Would he have moved into his palace?  Hard to say, as he died before it was finished.
• The Alcazaba -- the "red castle" served as the protective fort.  It's the oldest part of the complex, and most ruined part (thanks, Napoleon!).  It is believed there was a fort here in Roman times.

We were lucky -- because the ticket taker instinctively picked up on how charming we are and sent us to The Palacios Nazaries, the crown jewel of Alhambra.  Getting there at the opening meant it was not that crowded.

Most of the palace was built in the 14th century, and represents the peak of Moorish civilization in Spain, called al-Andalus by the Arabs when they controlled it.

It consists of stunning room after room, incredible ceiling after ceiling, wonderful fountains with beautiful reflections, stucco stalactites hanging down from parts of ceilings, arch key windows, carved stucco patterns on the walls, Verses from the Koran and sayings in Arabic abound on the walls.  And yet there's even more than I can describe here.

It's surrounded by fabulous gardens lovingly tended to by many gardeners, and features open-air fountains and water channels burbling along, providing a sense of peace and serenity.

Suffice it to say, our opinion of the Alhambra, after finishing just the Palacios Nazaries, skyrocketed.

The other areas of the Alhambra don't come close to Palacios Nazaries, but they were worth the visit as well.