Backpackers Travel Insurance Center

Granada is the capital city of the province of Granada, in Andalusia in southern Spain. The population of the city of Granada is over 250,000 and the population of the area is about 500,000. About 3.3% of the population does not hold Spanish citizenship. The biggest and best tourist attraction is the legendary Alhambra, a famous Moorish citadel and palace. It is a must see if you visit.

According to the Alhambra website, the Alhambra was so called because of the reddish walls throughout the palace. In Arabic, Alhambra means “Red Castle”. The Alhambra is located on top of the hill “al-Sabika” overlooking Granada, on the left bank of the river Darro, to the west of the city of Granada and in front of the neighbourhoods of the Albaicin and of the Alcazaba.

The Alhambra is located on a strategic point, with a great, picturesque view over the whole city and the meadow (la Vega), and this fact leads to beliefs that other buildings were already on that site before the Muslims arrived. The complex is surrounded by ramparts and has an irregular shape. Pictures of the Alhambra can be seen on the http://www.AboutSpainTravel.com website.

As appearant from the pictures on www.AboutSpainTravel.com, the greatest concern of the architects of the Alhambra was to cover every single space with decoration, no matter the size of the space. The interior arches are mostly false arches for decoration only. Walls are covered with beautiful and extremely rich ceramics and plasterwork. Wooden frames that have been exquisitely carved abound.

While Muslims of the time ban the artistic representation of figures, the decorating themes in the Alhambra are quite varied. Classical calligraphic decorations are used, including cursive and kufic inscriptions, which reproduce the words of Zawi ben Ziri (founder of the Nasrid dynasty): “Only God is Victor”, and poems written by different poets of the court.

Share This

The Spanish property market has once again changed over the last 2 years or so. There was once a rush to buy property before it became too expensive as property prices were rising at a storming rate. In fact it was cheaper to buy a new property off plan than buying a resale, such was the demand, as even those who had no intention to ever use any property realised the investment potential. Most though, stuck to the off plan route as it was cheaper, the lack of trust towards Spanish estate agencies, the Valencia land grab issue and generally a lack of understanding on how to be safe when buying in Spain. But the race has now settled, as the boom has now slowed down.

It is no longer the off plan that is the cheapest route but the resale. On just about every complex you will see a ’se vende’ sign, from those who want to live a new dream, those who have made a handy profit and want their return and those who have just changed their minds. To compliment this change of direction, there is far more information on good estate agencies, English speaking solicitors, plus building standards has now massively improved.

So if you are looking for your dream home on the Costa Blanca here is some handy advice. First of all get a map and try to establish what area within Costa Blanca you may be looking to buy. Then using a search engine, find the local Internet forums for that area. Here you will be able to talk online to real people who, probably own a property or even live there, know what’s what about everything in your area, recommend the right people or warn you about what to avoid. After joining a few forums you should have a good idea about your initial predictions of your chosen area. Review websites on resales and compare directly with off plan prices, asking those on the forums advice on each one. And now you should be ready for the exciting search ahead for your new dream home in the Costa Blanca.

Mark is wenmaster for Direct Line Home Insurance also European
Breakdown Cover and Airport
Parking

Share This