After we passed through the remains of the city wall, we strolled along a nice path down towards the Alhambra palaces. One side over looked the gardens of upper Alhambra with a small church, Parador de San Francisco, while on the other side were the old city wall and some remains of baths and what appeared to be homes.

There also was a small shop where the owner demonstrated how he made inlay table tops and souvenir boxes. I was intrigued with the way he made the intricate pieces. We ended up buying a box to add to the collection from other parts of the world.

We were now approaching the palace of Charles V, a huge square building with a large circular courtyard in the center. Further along the path was the Wine Gate, the entrance to the original fortress , the Alcazaba. However, we did not have time to visit there. We had a time slot to go into the Royal Nasrid Palace.

The entrance to the palace is very mundane and it is not until you are well within the chambers and courtyards that the spectacular art works come into view. Notice the Christian tile works and the wood inlay ceiling in the first of many rooms. This one is referred to as the Mexuar.

The view from the Hall of the Ambassadors is quite spectacular. In the distant hills are caves dug by gypsies who still live inside.

Now we enter the apartments of Charles V with the ornate stone works and arches.

Next come the Patio de los Arayanes (Court of Myrtles) followed by the Patio de los Leones (Court of Lions) with the famous columns and arched passage ways.

We exited the palace on the east side where we walked along more beautiful gardens, reflecting pools and the red stone buildings of Alhambra. It had been a full day and it was time to take the bus back to the ship, the Windsurf.