Atlético de Madrid and Besiktas players charmed by the Alhambra

Footballers from Spain’s Atlético de Madrid and Turkey’s Besiktas  this morning left the playing field to pay a cultural visit to the Alhambra and Generalife, along with executives from both teams. The teams are in Granada to play in a three-way tournament against Granada CF, kicking off tonight at the Los Cármenes stadium, but took a side trip to visit the charms of the Unesco World Heritage Site.
The visit, which lasted over two hours, caused great excitement among tourists at the site, who were delighted to be able to get autographs and have their photos taken with the stars. The players followed a route which took in the Generalife Palace and Gardens, the Palace of Carlos V, the Palace of Carlos V and the Partal Gardens. Many expressed surprise at the state of preservation of the Alhambra and were impressed by the attention to detail in the recently-renovated Lions of the Alhambra’s most emblematic courtyard, as documented in the exhibition currently on show in the Crypt of the Palace of Carlos V, which the footballers also found time to visit.