As long ago as the fourteenth century the poet and statesman Ibn Zamrak said: "Quien no ha visto Granada, no ha visto nada" - He who has not seen Granada has seen nothing; and it is certainly true that Granada is an amazing place. Granada is famous for so many historical events, but perhaps its defining moment was in 1492 when Boabdil, the last Muslim ruler in Iberia, surrendered the Emirate of Granada to Ferdinand and Isabella - Los Reyes Catolicos, the Catholic Kings. Ferdinand and Isabella lost no time in moving into the best palace in the area, which was the Alhambra.
We had wanted to visit the Alhambra for a long time, and this April we finally got to go there; it was every bit as impressive as we had hoped. We had booked our tickets well in advance which saved us a very long walk on the day, although the climb to the Gate of Justice is still very steep. On the way to the gate is a statue of Washington Irving who realised as long ago as 1829 what a great tourist attraction this could be, or rather what a unique cultural monument it is.
We had wanted to visit the Alhambra for a long time, and this April we finally got to go there; it was every bit as impressive as we had hoped. We had booked our tickets well in advance which saved us a very long walk on the day, although the climb to the Gate of Justice is still very steep. On the way to the gate is a statue of Washington Irving who realised as long ago as 1829 what a great tourist attraction this could be, or rather what a unique cultural monument it is.
In 1891 crystallographer Evgraf Fedorov proved that there are only seventeen possible isometries that can tile a Euclidean plane. However members of the Muslim building trade knew about them hundreds of years before, and every one of the seventeen tiling patterns can be found as part of the Alhambra decoration somewhere. They have been inspirational in so many ways to many different artists, not least Ben Johnson who had a major exhibition at Southampton City Art Gallery in 2015, that included paintings of the Alhambra.
I intend to use them as a basis for knitting patterns
I intend to use them as a basis for knitting patterns
Catherine of Aragon spent a large part of her childhood living at the Alhambra and would have taken for granted sights like these:
The difference between the luxury of the Alhambra and her first six months of life in Britain at Ludlow Castle must have been almost overwhelming. Although in those days princesses were made of sterner stuff than now - Catherine's mother, Queen Isabella is said to have taken her children into battle with her.
The Fountain of Lions in the Nasrid Palace is one of the many delights of the Alhambra and was already over one hundred years old when Catherine lived there.
The Fountain of Lions in the Nasrid Palace is one of the many delights of the Alhambra and was already over one hundred years old when Catherine lived there.
As everyone knows, being a tourist is exhausting; but Spain has just the thing for tired sight seers, and that is a huge number of bars and restaurants. Granada is especially brilliant as it has many tapas trails, where if you sit down for a drink, they bring you something to eat as well!
There is just one thing that may happen as you are eating and drinking, and that is a hideous caterwauling noise can often be heard in the distance, steadily getting closer. It resolves itself as two men, one with a guitar, who howl and strum until you give them some money to go away. It is a small price to pay for the pleasure of sitting out in a warm plaza watching the world go by.
There are many other remarkable tourist attractions to look at in Granada. The shopping opportunities are great and include the Alcaiceria which we walked down by accident. Our guide book rather snootily described it as "for some it radiates the atmosphere of a souk". It is like a souk except that the sellers don't chase you down the street shouting at you to buy the stuff, and they don't charge you money to take photographs. So much nicer than a souk then.
There are some things the same no matter where you travel. As we came out of the incredibly lavish, rich, covered in gold and jewel encrusted cathedral, we were accosted by beggars. We suggested that they try inside.
I would love to go back to Granada - the pomegranate. We hardly managed to see the Albaicin neighbourhood or the surrounding countryside, and the Spanish people are so friendly and easy going that a return trip is high on our list of things to do in the near future.