Mountaintop wonders in al'Andalus

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Granada is a the sparkling, ruby aril of Andalucia. The town, whose name means Pomegranate, makes up the confluence of the arab and hispanic worlds, and it's reflected in the ethnicity of the people, their culture, and the beautiful La Alhambra that adorns one of the Sierra Nevada peaks there. This city isn't on most people's big europe itineraries, but it was a solid suggestion from one of my Chemical Engineering professors, so I'm glad I took it to heart.

So what is La Alhambra?

A place designed for God, inhabited by Kings.

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A place designed for God, inhabited by Kings. That´s the best way I can think of to describe it. Built in the 13th century when Yusef I was the Islamic Kign of al'Andalus, the complex is huge -- we spent a solid 6 hours exploring it and hadn't exhausted the beautiful things to see. There is an official sultan's palace designed for public visits, The Nasarid Palace, which is completely decked out in islamic decorative and religious art. Adjunct to this were the rooms of Charles V, one of the Christian kings who had his time there; they´re a lot more european in style (which is to say bare in comparison), but that´s where Washington Irving spent his stay back in 1827 before writing Tales of the Alhambra. He inspired later artists and musicians -- including Debussy and Angel Barrios -- to spend time there.

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There's the Alcazaba, the huge castle that formed the military stronghold to defend the palace. It was there at this square in 1929 that a fair included the music of flamenco that caused it to gain recognition for the first time in the sphere of classical music. There´s the Generalife, the architect´s garden (eg. the heavenly maker), a beautiful fountain-gurgling reprieve from public life where a medieval garden recreated the kind of vegetation there in the 14th century. Speaking of plants -- the Jardines de San Francisco had huge, huge beds of roses - multiple 20x20ft areas of peach, yellow, white, burgundy, pink blossoms - from which arose the most amazing scent.

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"The occident believe that in me, lies the orient"

The most interesting part of the tour for me was the museum where the confluence of hispanic and muslim cultures could be traced. The transformation of the art of islam, which eschews figurative representation, could be traced by the columns from La Alhambra and the numerous carved panels of wood, clay, plaster, and stone; what started as geometric and plant-based motifs gradually changed to include animals, in both carvings and containers. Oil lamps with heads like canines and a magnificent lion from a circular fountain supported by a ring of twelve, as well as the beautiful vase of the Gazelles painted in luxury ceramic blue. Large eyes symbolize pentrating vision and contemplative life.  I also learned of the importance of coinage for historical documentation, which makes a lot of sense from an anthropological perspective.

After seeing La Alhambra, we were in need of a chill break, so Kasbah was the perfect spot to sip some 1001 nights tea and chil amongst the low light filtering through latticed arches, hookahs, and ethereal lounge goodness. It was the best tetería there, but their preponderance made me quite the happy clam. I could hang out in tea houses all day!

To conclude: As you can see, this trip has been quite the scenic history lesson for me. I wouldn´t have it any other way (other options involving falling asleep in class seem now much, much less appealing).

Caitlin