The citadel came next. I was far from disappointed. I spent my whole childhood and adolescence looking longingly at pictures of castles and wishing I could see them close up enough to locate the key defensive features I had read about so extensively. Seeing several and even staying in one during my first trip abroad let me check off one of my lifelong dreams as completed.
These defensive fortifications still fascinate me. I mean, look at this. How can you not love a face like that? It's the kind of face that says, "Come any closer, and I'll fill your chest with arrows and pour boiling oil on your head."
The highest tower in the Alhambra's citadel (above) provides the best view of the Mirador in the city (below). At night, we could see the flashes of cameras in the Alhambra as people there took pictures of us taking pictures of them – like the trick with putting two mirrors next to each other so you can see an infinite number of images of yourself.
