#946 The Mezquita, Cordoba, Spain

The first time I heard about the Mezquita in Cordoba, I was studying Moorish and Islamic architecture in Morocco. Seeing slides of this beautiful construction made me long for many years to visit it. The first thing that stuck in my memory were the magnificent double arches in striking pink and white stripes. The arch itself is an amazing construction, but to have two so beautifully decorated, with the lower one free standing, and replicated over and over to make an Alice in Wonderland, icing-on-the-cake magic was original.

Originally built as a mosque by the Moors that controlled Southern Spain (Al-Andalusia), after the Spaniards pushed the Muslim empire back into North Africa, the building had a 16th Century cathedral built in the very center, which tended to make it much darker, and many other features were added. The technical complexity and unity of the original mosque are astounding and a wonder of the time (it was started in 785 by Abd ar-Rahman I). Ironically, it was not originally a Muslim site -- he purchased half from the Christian community in order to make the mosque.

Of the original 1300 columns, an astounding 850 remain, creating a forest-like interior, and some are uniquely bubbled, creating a more cloud-like image. The domes also display a complex geometry and beauty that has withstood the test of time to remain solid and as pretty as when they were created, although with the addition of Catholic imagery.

Source: Lonely Planet Spain, 4th Edition

#981 Alhambra Palace, Granada, Spain

The crown jewel of beautiful Andalusia lies in the city of Granada (pomegranate!): The Alhambra Palace. An amazing Islamic structure in Europe, it was the last stronghold of the Moors before they were conquered by Isabel and Ferdinand, and expelled by the Inquisition.

The name comes from the Arabic name al qala'at al-hamra (red castle), and began in the 9th century as a fortress until the Nasrid emirs turned it into palace in the 13th and 14th centuries. Napoleon occupied it and almost blew it up, but the world didn't really take notice until the Romantics brought it to the world's attention in the 1830s. And what a beauty it is! A spectacular mix of architecture, history, gardens, and archaeological remnants, it tumbles over the hill and overlooks the modern town.

In the Medina

The Bathhouse

The large gated entrance - Puerto Justicia.

View from the Mexuar entrance way inside the Palacio Nazaries.

Patio del Cuarto Dorado (the golden room) in the Palacio Nazaries

The amazing muqarnas (stalactites) and the floral motifs made with wet plaster in the Palacio Nazaries  

The Torre de Comares of the Palacio de Comares and the Patio de los Arrayenes (Patio of the Myrtles)

Amazing muqarnas in the Patio de los Leones in the Palacio Nazaries

Patio de los Leones in the Palacio Nazaries

Patio de los Leones in the Palacio Nazaries

Jardines del Partal

View from the Torre de la Vela of the Alcazaba looking back towards the Palacio Nazaries and the Palacio de Carlos V 

Alcazaba

Palacio de Carlos V

Gardens of the Generalife

View of the Alhambra palace from the Summer Palace.

Postcard of the Alhambra Palace with the Sierra Nevada behind.

Source: Lonely Planet 'Spain' 4th Edition.

Barcelona

Barcelona is a city in Spain and is the capital of Catalonia autonomous region. The city is also the second largest city in Spain, after Madrid, with a population of 1,621,537. The city that stands at 230 BC This is an important cultural center and major tourist destination and has a rich cultural heritage. Especially famous is the work of Antoni Gaudí and Lluís architecture Domenech i Montaner that have been designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. Barcelona is now one of the world's leading tourist attractions, and is the city of the 16th most visited in the world and the 4th most visited country in Europe after Paris, London and Rome, with several million tourists each year.

Palacio de Generalife or the Generalife

Palacio de Generalife or the Generalife is a park or rather a summer palace is very beautiful and famous in his country or in another country. The park is also referred to as a form of landscape art is located in the highlands of Spain, and was built in the reign of Muhammad III (1302-1309) and redecorated shortly after by Abu I-Walid Isma'il (1313-1324).
Generalife is one of the oldest Moorish garden. Generalife is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Granada.

Now the park has developed into a very beautiful tourist spot complete with a long pool framed by flowers, fountains, pillars and pavilions, and the Jardin de la Sultana or Courtyard of fir.
So this place will spoil you if you come here, sit down and look at the natural beauty that is in the park.

Magic Fountain of Montjuic

Magic Fountain of Montjuic is a fountain with a spectacular play of color, light, movement, music and water acrobatics. This fountain is located in the head in the Avenida Maria Cristina Montjuic Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The fountain is situated below the Palau Nacional on Montjuic hill and close to Plaça d'Espanya.

In 1980, the music combined with light and fountain show, along with the Museu Nacional, completely restored before the 1992 Olympics, which was held on Montjuic. The show includes films, classic and modern music, such as The Godfather, The Lord of the Rings, Gladiator, Spanish Zarzuela movement, and "Barcelona" by Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballé. Light show and music from October to April took place on Friday and Saturday 7:00 to 20:30 every half hour, and from May to September Thursday through Sunday 9:00 to 23:00 every half hour.

Acid Lake Rio Tinto in Spain

This is one very strange natural phenomena. As you can see the color of lake water is very strange that is orange, or rather like the color of rust on iron. Extremely acidic lake water is rarely the case. But in Spain this phenomenon is found.
Tentative conclusions of the experts is a strange color in the lake water in the Rio Tinto sebabkaan by aerobic micro-organisms kind of extremophile bacteria.