croquetas and confusion: adventures in architecture

In the eternal US v. Europe competition, there is one category in which the states don't stand a chance: castles. Every European country loves castles, I don't care if they don't like each other but when it comes to castles they are all in the same boat. The castle in Malaga is a fortress known as the Alcazaba-Gibralfaro. Located just around the corner from my apartment (not kidding) this massive structure from the eleventh century once housed the Muslim rulers of the city. The Alcazaba is the lower section of the fortress, the Gibralfaro located a twenty minute almost entirely uphill climb away. Due to its Muslim origins, the Alcazaba has many traditional features of Islamic architecture prominent in Spain after the Reconquista. There are intricate mosaics, dome structures, pavilions, gardens, bright colors (although most of those have faded) and geometric shapes. I wandered around the Alcazaba last week one day and was shocked at the size and intricacy of the architecture. The interior of the palace is connected with various gardens and patios that lead to smaller puertas (gates) and a smaller palace within the palace.

Up a connected walkway and a mountainside (literally), the Alcazaba is connected to the Gibralfaro. This section of the fortress dates back to the 14th century when it was built on the sight of a lighthouse, which is how it got its name: gebel-faro means rock of the lighthouse. Ferdinand and Isabella conducted a three month siege against Malaga, during which time the military used the castle as its fortress. The Malagans finally gave up when their hunger became too much to bear and Ferdinand and Isabella gained control of Malaga. Spaniards would give up for food, and then take a nice long siesta to sleep off the food coma. Much of the Gibralfaro was destroyed during the military battle so what's left is evidently just a small piece of the entire structure. What's left is absolutely massive. We explored for over and hour and there was still more to see, but like true Spaniards, hunger won out.

In addition to exploring the fortress/castle, I finally made it to the cathedral that I walk past nearly every day. This may sound quite obvious since I'm talking about a cathedral in Catholic Spain, but it was stunning. I was shocked at how much the outside, which is still very pretty, compared to the inside, which is unbelievably beautiful. While there is nothing extremely original about this cathedral, it actually reminded me a lot of the one in Sevilla, the details and intricacy are just incredible. There are many small chapels that line the outer edge of the cathedral, each one dedicated to a different saint. In the center of the cathedral is the main altar, organ and chapel with wooden carvings of over fifty saints. The craftsmanship is breathtaking.

I can't do any of these structures justice with my descriptions, so here is an obscene number of pictures to help to you along...