It was a long trip to Granada, Spain. I flew to Chicago, had a 4-hour layover, flew on to Madrid for another layover of nearly 5 hours, then one more flight before finally arriving in Granada. I was checking into my hotel around 2:30 in the afternoon the day after having left home. My host was gracious enough to not schedule anything for the rest of Day 1 in Spain. I knew I’d be anxious to start exploring, however, and had asked if a pass could be arranged for me to photograph the Alhambra rather than taking a nap or otherwise resting up from the trip. (I find that, in general, I escape most of the effects of jet lag by not taking naps and, instead, getting back into a regular pattern of sleeping only when it’s dark as soon as possible.)
As soon as I knew I was going to Granada, I knew that I’d want to spend as much time as I could at the Alhambra. A combination of fortress and palace, the Alhambra dates back to 889 with several massive renovations and expansions over the following centuries. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the centerpiece of any visit to Granada. It was scheduled to be the first stop of my actual tour on my second day in the city, but I looked forward to having an early visit on my own, to try and photograph the elaborately decorated buildings without being a part of a tour group.
Little did I know that the Alhambra limits visitation to 7000 people a day, and they sell out nearly every day of the year. My dreams of wandering the structures alone were shattered, and I found myself surrounded by throngs of tourists — all seemingly wielding cameras of their own. Oh, well. I was still on my own and could sprint ahead of groups, and wait for others to pass before getting my shots. It worked. And sometimes the tourists WERE the shot. When I returned the following day with my own guide and group, I encountered even larger crowds so I was glad to have had this extra visit on Day 1 to set my own pace and get my bearings in the sprawling palace and its gardens.
These shots are all from my solo Day 1 visit. I know it probably doesn’t look like there were all that many other people there, but I was looking for the quiet spots. At times it was nearly shoulder-to-shoulder with people. Even in such a situation I find that you can minimize the impact of the crowds on your photographs by careful framing. I often found myself “aiming high” and shooting over the heads of the other visitors to crop them out of the shot. What I wouldn’t give, though, to have this complex completely to myself for a few hours around sunset some evening. And a tripod would be nice — something else not allowed on either of my visits.
The “texture” of the Alhambra is what I found most appealing. The level of detail in its decoration was absolutely incredible.
I’ll continue posting images from my Granada trip over the coming weeks and I’ll try and stay somewhat chronological so you’ll be able to see some of the images that I made on my return visit to the Alhambra the following day. I skipped the Palace of Charles V portion of the Alhambra entirely on my first visit, but it would be the first stop on our return.
