Würzburg, Germany

We truly enjoy getting out of the larger cities and going to some smaller towns, so our trip to Würzburg was a perfect example of that. It has the old-world charm, friendly people, and wonderful food. The Residenz is definitely the largest thing to see when visiting, but just walking the streets of old town is also fascinating. We were there in late November, so the Christmas markets were also going with a wonderful variety of crafts and food on display.

Wurzburg Residence
Historic Buildings
Enjoying the Market

One of the reasons that we like going to a smaller town is that it makes you feel even more like a local as there aren’t usually any other tourists around. This was definitely the case during our time Würzburg as we enjoyed listening to a local band playing holiday music and watched the excitement of the local children as the holiday season kicked off. We even entered a raffle that benefited the local school and actually ended up winning a bottle of wine.

Local Band
Historic Church

One of the most interesting facts about Würzburg is that it was the location of the witch trials that occurred in the 1600’s, Germany’s equivalent to Salem, Massachusetts. Unfortunately it was much larger as over 600 accused witches were burnt during the trials. On a happier note, construction began on the Würzburg Residence (Residenz) about a hundred years later, which is now a focal point within the city.

Musician Near the Market
Fountain at the Residenz
Candles and Wreaths for Sale
Old World Charm

Located almost exactly halfway between Frankfurt and Nuremberg, Würzburg is definitely a wonderful place to spend a couple of days. If you are able to visit during the holiday season, we would recommend it as the town certainly embraces the spirit of the season as the locals come out to celebrate together.

Stalls in the Market
Statue Details
Another Angle of the Church
People on the Main Street

 

Life in a Palace

Palaces are certainly highlights of many cities throughout the world. They can be wonderful examples of wealth and opulence, but are also reminders of how powerful rulers and other leaders can become. While we would like to shame them for their excesses, it is hard not to walk through these gorgeous “homes” and wonder what it must be like to be able to surround oneself with such incredible artwork and beautiful furnishings. We don’t think that we could ever go to the extremes that the kings and princes achieved, but we have bought artwork from many of the places that we have visited and those paintings adorn the walls of our humble home here in Colorado. We find the memories of our travels to be worth more than any amount of personal possessions. For now, we will just have to visit palaces of the past and imagine what life must have been like for those who wandered through the hallways, bedrooms, and ballrooms. This week’s Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge are words that start with the letter P and have at least five letters, so we have chosen a few photos of palaces from our travels.

Prague Castle Complex, Czech Republic
Schloss Wilhelmshohe
Fountain in the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain
Palace of the Doors in Cochabamba, Bolivia
Christmas Tree in the Main Courtyard of Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria
Palace at Versailles

 

The Alhambra in Granada, Spain

We really enjoyed traveling around Southern Spain and one of the highlights of our trip was staying a couple of days in Granada and visiting the Alhambra fortress and palace. Before traveling to Spain, we weren’t aware of how much of influence the Moors had on the region. The Alhambra is a magnificent example of Moorish architecture and the colorful details are amazing.

Open Courtyard
Garden in Alhambra
View from the Fortress Walls
Looking out from the Palace

In the late 15th century Ferdinand and Isabella used the Alhambra as their royal court. During that period, there were some changes to reflect the Renaissance tastes of the time. What is amazing is that they found the original beauty of the Islamic palace so beautiful that they didn’t destroy most of the existing structures, but just augmented it. The gardens that were added are still absolutely breathtaking and you could literally spend the entire day just walking around them.

One of the Many Gardens
Beautiful Garden
View of One of the Gardens
Another Courtyard

One of the most interesting features of the Alhambra is its use of water and the unique delivery system. Water is brought from an aqueduct and then runs down, even along the stairs, to feed the various fountains and ponds on the palace and fortress grounds. We enjoyed all of the fountains, but the Court of the Lions, with its fountain surrounded by stone lions is one of the most interesting.

Another Fountain in Alhambra
Water Coming Down One of the Chutes of the Aqueducts in Alhambra
Lion Fountain
Looking over the Complex

You will definitely need a full day to see everything that the Alhambra has to view. There is the palace itself with its stunning mosaic walls and the fortress walls with the spectacular views of Granada. No matter what time of year that you visit the Alhambra, you will want to purchase your tickets weeks in advance or you won’t be able to get them. In order to maximize our time in the Alhambra, we ate lunch at the Hotel America that is actually located on the grounds of the Alhambra. The food and atmosphere was amazing and was well worth the somewhat higher prices.

Enjoying Lunch
Restaurant Courtyard
Looking Up at the Outside of the Alhambra
Moorish Architecture

No visit to Granada would be complete without a visit to the Alhambra. Washington Irving made this palace and fortress famous in his book Tales of the Alhambra and it is definitely deserving of the notoriety. The history of the Alhambra is so fascinating that we definitely recommend getting a book on it as there are so many interesting facts to learn about the wonderful place. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is definitely worthy of the honor.

View of One of the Towers at Alhambra
Looking out over Granada
Fortress Walls
Walking the Fortress Walls