Friday, October 20, 2006
Granada, Spain!
On the other hand, maybe we could pay a visit to the Alhambra in Granada... I think information abt the place is easily available from Wiki or justspain.org bah :) but granada's pretty far down south, not as far as gibraltar but in the middle lahs. so we'll think abt it? :)
Welcome to the
Nonetheless, it was a success, and today Granada is a vast, predominantly modern city, with a population of some three million and growing. The journey in - through a stream of concrete-block suburbs - isn't pretty, but the streets at the heart of the city are a pleasant surprise, with pockets of medieval buildings and narrow, atmospheric alleys, dotted with the oddest of shops and bars, and interspersed with eighteenth-century Bourbon squares. By comparison with the historic cities of Spain - Toledo, Salamanca, Sevilla, Granada - there may be few sights of great architectural interest, but the monarchs did acquire outstanding picture collections, which formed the basis of the Prado museum. This has long ensured Granada a place on the European art tour, and the more so since the 1990s arrival - literally down the street - of the Reina Sofía and Thyssen-Bornemisza galleries, state-of-the-art homes to fabulous arrays of modern Spanish painting (including Picasso's Guernica ) and European and American masters.
Welcome to the
Granada Travel Guide
GRANADA, As the Christian Reconquista advanced, the Moors enclosed the city of Granada in layer upon layer of fortification. The citadel was bitterly contested until 1492 when Boabdil, its last Moorish king, lost the city to the Catholic rulers Fernando and Isabel. Most buildings of that era were destroyed, but the spectacular Alhambra still attracts visitors from all over the world. It is one of the most important monuments in Spain and a UNESCO national heritage site, along with the Albayzin quarter, in the hill just opposite it. The beautiful whitewashed houses and the colourful flowers in the courtyards and on balconies are some of the things worth looking out for, as are the many sights of historic interest. Granada has a very lively flair thanks to the approx. 60.000 students of the local university.Nonetheless, it was a success, and today Granada is a vast, predominantly modern city, with a population of some three million and growing. The journey in - through a stream of concrete-block suburbs - isn't pretty, but the streets at the heart of the city are a pleasant surprise, with pockets of medieval buildings and narrow, atmospheric alleys, dotted with the oddest of shops and bars, and interspersed with eighteenth-century Bourbon squares. By comparison with the historic cities of Spain - Toledo, Salamanca, Sevilla, Granada - there may be few sights of great architectural interest, but the monarchs did acquire outstanding picture collections, which formed the basis of the Prado museum. This has long ensured Granada a place on the European art tour, and the more so since the 1990s arrival - literally down the street - of the Reina Sofía and Thyssen-Bornemisza galleries, state-of-the-art homes to fabulous arrays of modern Spanish painting (including Picasso's Guernica ) and European and American masters.
# posted by ruoling : 6:03 AM
