Nothing really prepares you for a visit to Alhambra. At this point, our visit is only halfway over. We secured advanced tickets for two successive days because we were pretty sure that one day would not be enough to take it all in. That proved to be correct. In our five plus hours there today, we didn’t even visit every site in the large complex, much less process what we did see.

The experience, while overwhelming, has thus far been significantly different than the experience of visiting La Mezquita. I suspect that has much to do with the fact the La Mazquita is a mosque/cathedral and Alhambra is basically a fort and some castles, albeit built top of several mosques and incorporating Moorish architecture to a large extent. La Mezquita was moving and inspirational. The Alhambra–while evocative and indescribably beautiful–is more overwhelming. At least for now.

So, here are a quick couple of shots of Alhambra from the Mirador de San Nicolas, a popular spot for viewing the Alhambra at sunset, and just a quarter mile from our B and B in Abeyzin–Spain’s best old Moorish quarter. Much more later. I have soooo many photos…