Spain - Alicante, Murcia and Alhambra at Granada

I recently spent 9 days in Cartagena, Spain on business - meeting with our Chinese partners and working with the SABIC-IP team on the license agreement. I had a few hours to kill waiting on my colleague whose flight was delayed so I drove along the coast near Alicante.

Following are pictures from around Murcia from various evenings. It stays light there until 9:45 PM, or so, which is about when the dinner hour starts. I know I mentioned this in a post last winter but it is even worse in the summer - everyone eats dinner LATE!

This is the Cathedral of St. Mary in Murcia. It dates back to the 15th century and is built on the remains of a mosque from the Moorish period of Spanish history.

The square outside must be a popular spot for wedding pictures.

Click on any picture to enlarge.

This is at Plaza de Santo Domingo.

This is a church of the same name.

Had beer and tapas here one night.

Plaza near by the reataurant above. Lots of these small squares in the city.

This is the Cathedral bell tower from the bridge over the river.

Here is night time shot of the Cathedral and the plaza in front of it. I'll take a tripod next time. It is tough to get really sharp pictures without one.

We ate at the Perela restaurant one night, also.

On Saturday, Dave and I took a road trip to Granada to see the Alhambra. The Alhambra is a Moorish castle complex dating to the 15th century. A UNESCO World Heritage site.

It is definitely worth the trip. It is a 3 hours drive from Murcia. Excellent roads and easy to get to. It is a beuatiful drive. There is still some snow on the mountains in southern Spain in July!
Click below for more information about Alhambra.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alhambra

This was the entance gate to the main fortress area.

The fortress area. This was built by the Moorish kings as they were being forced out of Spain during the Reconquista and Inquisition that followed.

Here is a view of the city of Granada from the fort.

Another view.

That's me with the fort in the background.

This is a picture inside the palace of  Charles V.

A view of the second floor.

This is inside the Nasrid palaces. Very difficult to photograph without a flash.

Another view.

And still another.

The ceiling of this room is carved wooden panels.

A LOT of carved marble.

Another view of the city.

A garden in the Generalife.

Here are some links to more recent posts about Murcia, Alhambra and Cartagena.
Alhambra - 2012     <-----  Click Here  
Murcia - 2012     <-----  Click Here
Cartagena - Roman Theater - 2012     <-----  Click Here