Alhambra

Alhambra lived up to our expectations. We caught the bus to the top and collected our prebooked tickets by the time they opened at 8.30 am. Six hours later, we returned to our hotel for a Spanish siesta.

The highlight was the Palacios Nazaries. It is absolutely stunning with its intricate carvings, columns, beautiful rooms and courtyards. The pools, fountains and gardens were delightful. We felt it was impossible to capture the majesty of the place on film but we certainly tried. We visited lots of rooms and chambers including the Queen's bedroom, baths, halls and pavilions.

One of the most famous monuments, the Fountain of the 12 Lions, was under wraps with the lions away for restoration. Perhaps we will return.

We also loved the Alcazaba and the stunning views over the city. We spent lots of times climbing the towers and recovering on the patios. We could clearly see the snow on the Sierra Nevada mountains above us while the temperature where we were standing was in the mid thirties. This is one of those places where you can ski in the morning and swim in the afternoon.

We visited the 2 museums in the Palace of Carlos V and even managed to see a few of the famous lions. We walked through the gardens and around to the Generalife, the gardens for the architect, with its great views back to the Alhambra and of course wonderful gardens and pools.

This was a magical day and we understand why it is the most visited place in Europe.