The Alhambra!

It's a two hour drive from Malaga up to Granada and the Alhambra.  This Moorish palace has plenty of history for both the Moors and the royalty of Spain, including being home to the young Infanta Catalina de Aragon (Henry VIII's real queen, Catherine of Aragon).  We'll not tell its history here, check online at www.alhambradegranada.org and other places for outside pictures and historical stuff.  We'll take you inside where the treasures really are.  Hang on, here we go:

The tree of life.  God, apparently, sits above its roots:

The patios:

And inside: Hint on this first photo...that's not decoration, it's Arabic from different periods.  And it says "there is no conqueror but Allah".  Twice.  This particular carving is replicated all over the building.

Here's the conqueror script again:

Mind boggled yet?  It's amazing isn't it?  One can come up for air at the nearby Generalife Gardens, where the royalty hung out on hot days...

We stopped for a wonderful lunch and then, back to the ship and onward.  Read our next installment for an interesting tale of the sea.