Andalucia is considered as one of warmest places in Europe. Just the day I left Málaga (blog post here), it was snowing, which has been one of the biggest surprises during my trip! I was not prepared for the cold at all. I knew that it would be hard times for taking pictures in Granada. However, I still got the feeling that I would love Granada in advance of arriving based on what people have told me about this city,
A diverse and beautiful city
The first impression: Granada is absolutely a beautiful city. When you are visiting The Moorish Albaicin neighborhood up the hill, it looks like the place which does confront you with this very clear picture of walking though the centuries. Some parts of the city look like Moroccan souk, which are full of arab shops in small streets. From my point of view, the most original parts of the city are the cave dwelling of San Miguel alto and Sacromonte. It is mainly occupied by a multicultural hippie community now.
I love Granada as a city which is surrounded by so many neighborhoods, and all of them are amazingly beautiful.
The Alhambra
This is surely the most brilliant Islamic building in Europe, a true gem of Moorish presence. The most visited monument in Spain, World Heritage and also considered as the 8th Wonder of the World. It was built during the medieval period by the Moorish princes. After the Moors were driven out of Spain in 1492, the Christians continued to use it as a palace. The four main sections are the Nasrid Palaces (in my opinion the best part); the Generalife (includes lovely gardens and a palace), the palacio Carlos V (with an amazing county yard), and the Alcazaba (with spectacular views of the city).
As you will see in my pictures, it seems that those places are almost empty. I like to have one main subject which attracts the eyes. For these minimalist compositions, you have to be very patient if you want to avoid people being in your pictures.
Stunning any time of the day, beautiful Alhambra sunset with the Sierra Nevada behind is a must for any vositors to Andalusia. Even it was full of people taking selfies and pushing my tripod, the Mirador de San Nicolas is still the best vantage point of Alhambra.
If you haven’t read my Instagram story, these are two backstage pictures at the mirador:
I am using a Neutral density Filter (ND400) on my lens. It reduces the amount of lights entering the camera, enables a longer exposure time than otherwise possible. It can emphasize motion, or make an otherwise tumultuous scene appear surreal and quiescent. For example, the one below is a 30 second exposure, which adds dynamism to the picture because of the moving clouds.
I was trying to catch the lights between pink and purple while the sun was going down. This is a 408 second exposure (almost 7 minutes!).
Palacio Nazaries
Palacio Nazaries is the Alhambra’s true gem with its perfectly symmetric rooms and courtyards, intricately moulded beautiful tiling, stucco walls, carved wooden ceilings, all worked in mesmerising, symbolic, geometrical patterns. Arabic inscriptions proliferate in the stucco work.
El Generalife
As a spectacular Nazari architecture complex of multi-leveled patios, walkways, fountains and stunning gardens, this place has been conceived as a summer recreational villa of the sultans, the Generalife of Granada, which makes it undoubtedly another emblem of tourism in Granada.
Palacio Carlos V
This building has been placed in the avant-garde of its time without any precedent in Renaissance architecture. Originaly built for Carlos I, the building has never been a home to a monarch and stood roofless until 1957. The entrance is free, you can admire its huge symetrical county yard.
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2 Comments
Really love it ! Keep on going ! Such a good eye for every kind of architecture !
Merci Simon!