Tuesday, 13 November 2012

Alhambra - Granada, Spain August 2012


Alhambra – Granada, Spain August 2012.

Our visit to Spain last August mainly covered  the Andalusian region where we visited City of Granada, Cardoba, Toledo and Malaga. These cities were part of the Ummayyad Empire which started from 711 until the fall of Granada that ended the Muslim rule in the Iberian peninsula in 1492. There were so much history and episodes regarding these fantastic cities and I had to read quite a number of history books to really understand and appreciate the significant of some of the attractions there.
Alhambra Complex
Fortress Wall and City of Granada below

View of City of Granada from Alhambra
Entrance into the Palace
Granada is home to Alhambra, a palace and fortress complex build by the  Nasrid Dynasty. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Alhambra was also shortlisted for the 7 Wonders of the World finalist. The design is highly influenced by Moorish architecture with fine intricate carvings, calligraphy and arabesques on its columns and stilted arches as well as muqarnas (stalactite ceiling decorations). This palace is definitely heaven for Architecture and art students/lovers….


Intricate Calligraphy and Arabesques
 

Stilted arches ....
 

Intricate Calligraphy and Arabesques
 

Ceiling decorations
 



To put it into a nutshell, this jewel is a complex made up of gardens, fountains, streams, a palace and a mosque within an imposing fortress wall flanked by 13 massive towers…..





Court of the Lions .... after restorations done. It was closed when I visited Alhambra back in 2007.
Stilted arches ....

Court of the Lions
 

Stilted arches....
Muqarnas (stalactite ceiling decorations)

Palacio de Generalife
Alhambra Complex - Towers and Walls
Palacio de Generalife
Palacio de Generalife

Palacio de Generalife

Tuesday, 9 October 2012

USA - The West April 2012 Arches National Park



 Day 9 - Last Day

Entrance into The Arch National Park
 This was our last day for this wonderful trip. As there are many attractions in Utah, we have no choice but to choose only one as we need to get back to Denver latest by the night. Having to spare all the canyons for future visit, we proceeded to the Arches National Park where you will find natural rock formations of contrasting colors in the form of arches, pinnacles. Massive fins as well as balanced rock. 





The Park Avenue & Courthouse Towers
 

The Park Avenue
 



 Located about 5 miles north of Moab, Utah we were amazed with the landscape and sheer size of the rocks. To really appreciate the beauty of this park, you have to hike along the trails for the best photo opportunity as some of the great vistas can only be reached by walking. To cover the whole park will take you a few days…..
The Delicate Arch
The Delicate Arch
 






Among the must-see attractions here are the Delicate Arch, Park Avenue and Balance Rock but to reach the Delicate Arch would require a 3 km hike up the hill. We just went to the other side of the arch and viewed it from below as everybody was too tired to do any exercise. This place is really a heaven for photography enthusiasts.  


The Balanced Rock
After spending enough time in the park, we proceeded back to Denver which is over 350 miles away from Moab. Feeling really exhausted, all of us were very satisfied with all the visits and attractions that we visited. This 9 day trip covering a total distance of over 2,500 miles was really a tiring yet very memorable one….