Andalus - the wonderful gardens of the Alhambra

Andalus - the wonderful gardens of the Alhambra, originally uploaded by CharlesFred.

We go to Madrid tomorrow.

We were in Spain for a two week holiday six years ago when we flew to Malaga and hired a car. We toured Andalucia stayed in Granada, Cordoba and Seville, as well as visiting Marbella (in the mist) and Torremolinos (by night). We enjoyed what we could see of the old Muslim culture of what was Andalus, notably the Alhambra in Granada and the Mesquita in Cordoba.

I am now reading the History of the Arab People by Albert Hourani, recommended by my father. Not really the easiest of reads and I know quite a lot of it as well, but it describes very well the spread of the Islamic empire from Mecca to India in the east and Spain in the West, when it proved to be a great conduit for the spread of learning about science, medicine, language study and philosophy.

We now go to Christian Spain, home of the Spanish Inquisition and the Counter Reformation.