The Alhambra

I'm backkk!!!!!!! I have so much to catch y'all up on!! I've been busy traveling and haven't had time to sit down and write! Blogging is actually pretty time-consuming if you didn't know! So I will catch you up as best I can! I took my Spanish placement exam last Monday which placed me into Level 5 of 9 of Spanish! As happy as I am about getting into that high of a level, I am a tad worried it will be harder than I expected to take. I originally told A&M that I would be in Level 4 so hopefully I can work it the transferring of credits soon! Keep your fingers crossed for me! On Tuesday, I had a lazy day of walking around and more orientation business! I got my cell phone here so I am connected to Spain that way! I also went out with some of the girls in my program to an adorable Cantina here in Spain for drinks and fun that night! While they had margaritas and whatnot, I (being the weird girl who doesn't like the taste of alcohol) had a smoothie in a margarita glass! I wanted the full effect of going out without actually drinking haha! It was so much fun to just girl talk and get to know these lovely ladies!

The next day I got to go on a beautiful tour of the Alhambra here in Granada! It is the most visited tourist attraction in Spain and such a beautiful place to see! Take a look at what the Alhambra looks like from a distance at sunset!!

My group got to go on a tour around the Alhambra led by a Spanish man with a British accent..talk about diversity! He led us all around the site and showed us everything there was to see at the Alhambra all the while giving us a thorough history of the Alhambra!

I love this view with the contrast of the palm trees and the snowy mountains!

  

I love this city!!

One of the many views from the top of the Alhambra!

There was so much history in this place! It has witnessed royalty of different nationalities from Sultans to Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand! It was actually here at the Alhambra that Christopher Columbus received permission to sail to the New World!I love standing in the same place as so many important people...it makes me feel like I'm a part of history! Not only was the history so interesting, but it was beautiful around the outside as well! The gardens around the Alhambra (called Generalife) were stunning then, but apparently its even prettier in the spring when everything is blooming around the fountains and around the mazes! I can't wait to go back to see it all in bloom!

When we actually went into the palace areas of the Alhambra, I was blown away by the ornateness of the architecture and designs that were everywhere! What is even more amazing to me is that each of these ornate designs on the walls and ceilings, were at one point painted meticulously in reds, blues, and green like a beautiful Persian rug. I can only imagine how beautiful that must of been!

You can still see some of the red that was once on the trim!

I can just see myself on silk pillows and eating grapes with this view!

Can you imagine painting all of these ornate carvings?! Can you imagine them painted!?!?

It was so beautiful to behold now, but in its heyday it must have been even more spectacular! This is the view from across a pond into the main room that Sultan used to greet visitors and ambassadors! That room across the way is also the same room that was later used by Queen Isabel to give permission to Christopher Columbus who found our wonderful America!

The Sultan's room!

I could hardly take it all in! It was all so beautiful and extravagant! I highly recommend visiting the Alhambra if you are in Spain! If you want to know more about the history of the Alhambra check out its Wiki page here! I am totally a Wikipedia addict even if its not exactly all that accurate all the time it still serves its purpose! Also if you want to look up pictures, tour information, and all around site information, you can check out the official Alhambra site here!
Until next time, have a blessed week!

Mackenzy