Granada, day 4

The big deal of Monday was our visit to the amazing Alhambra, straight uphill from our hotel in the old center of Granada. It's a wonderful place to see, with huge rooms, courtyards, and gardens built by the Muslim people who ruled Spain for 700 years, until they were defeated and kicked out by the Catholics in 1492. A lot of work has been done to restore things that had fallen apart over the years, and it is all beautiful.

There are fountains and pools everywhere; you hear water trickling or flowing whenever you leave a room or go down a staircase. The gardens are on many levels, with great colors and scents from all the flowers.

The rooms all have elaborate ceilings and walls, with Arabic writing and geometric designs. Some very skilled people created these amazing rooms hundreds of years ago, and other skilled people are keeping them in good shape now.