Alhambra

June 30
I woke up early around 8:00 in the morning to get to Alhambra. Good thing too since I got lost on the way to the building. It took me an hour when it should have taken me less the thirty minutes. At least I got breakfast.

I entered the fortress through the back. Apparently, most forts don't have many defenses in the back (This may be why Helm's Deep was such a good place for the Rohirrim to fight. It didn't have a back entrance or exit.). I meandered my up to the tickets where a guy tried to get to stop for a shoe shine. Anyway, I didn't fall for it. Probably because I was tired, sweaty, pissed, and starting to go over budget. Anyway, got my tickets and then went to the front entrance near the original fortress. Now for the bad part, the Alhambra museum was closed on Monday which meant that I couldn't see it. Bummer. On the bright side, I had virtually unlimited access to the sites except for the Nazrid palaces which I only had thirty minutes to get into. So, I decided to hold off on looking at the other places. Then I tossed my straw hat into the garbage bin due to the fact it was stained and broken beyond repair. Not bad for a week's use. Unfortunately, I had a Twilight Zone moment just before I went in. I had asked this guy to take a picture of me and camera snagged my watch and it fell. Unfortunately, the camera fell and broke. The lens won't retract and the camera itself doesn't work anymore. The scene went like this:

Camera falls and break.
Robert picks up the remains of his camera.

Robert: (sobbing)That's–that's not fair. That's not fair at all. There was time now. There was, was all the time I needed... ! It's not fair!

Camera zooms out.
Rod Serling:
The best laid plans of mice and men and Robert Black, the young man in the straw hat who wanted nothing but pictures. Robert Black, now just a part of a Moorish landscape, just a piece of the architecture, just a fragment of what man has deeded to himself. Mr. Robert Black in the Twilight Zone.

Anyway, I went out bought two disposable cameras and ended up losing one of them. Fortunately, I had my cell phone as a back up. The palaces were beautiful. Every inch of it was pure mathematical and geometrical symmetry representative of Moorish culture. For your math majors that can do woodworking, learn Moorish patterns. I managed to take a lot of pictures which will go up on facebook when I get back. The patterns you see in Moorish art are different. You don't see pictures of people at all. What you do see are geometric figures created by mathematics. Anyway, after teh palaces, I headed to the gardens which were gorgeous. Words cannot describe them. Which is why I won't even try. Went to the original fortress. Not much to see really.

Afterwards, I headed back to the hostel and chilled before I went to check out the arab baths. Went to the Arab baths. Very dark. Very intimate. Very awkward for me. Got a massage. Came to the realization that people back then were very short. The tallest male was probably shorter than most of the girls I know. Anyway, it felt good. I packed up and left the next morning first class on the train. Apparently, you get more space, a free meal and drink for an extra seven euros. Not bad.


Casualty List
1 Canon Digital Camera SD600
1 7 Euro Straw Hat
1 Disposable Camera of questionable origin
My good mood that I was in
Time Enough At Last