The Heart of Granada

The Heart of Granada is the Alhambra, Sacromonte and the Albázin. They are all part of the rich heritage and diversity of this city. Like most of southern Spain, Granada was occupied on and off by the Christians (some of whom were Spanish Catholics) and the Moors or Muslims. Many of today’s cathedrals were once Muslim mosques and many of the wonderful buildings like the Alhambra are a mix of Moorish and Christian architecture.

The Alhambra is huge; it was in fact a whole city and military fortress, high on a hill with dungeons, homes, markets and a royal palace. Then the Christians tossed the Moors out of Spain and the Alhambra evolved. Today it is an amazing example of exquisite Arabic carvings and renaissance ceilings and porticos., lush gardens and calming pools, all surrounded by ruins of cultures beyond our ken but within the grasp of our imagination. I cannot do this mystical place justice with words so I will be sharing pictures on facebook and flicker. I have heard a Spanish saying, “That if you die and you have not seen the Alhambra, you have not lived.”

The Sacromonte is a city of caves carved into the hillside facing the Alhambra. It was first occupied by the Moors, but as gypsies began arriving in Europe from India, it evolved into a diverse gypsy community. The dwellings were quite complete and complex with several caves used to complete an entire estate for a family, including bedrooms, living rooms, stables, kitchens and work studios for ceramics, iron work, basketry, weaving and other occupations. They have a Museo or Centre de Interpretación where they have recreated living spaces to give visitors a sense of what the inside of the caves look like. People still live in these caves and I presume it would be rude to knock on their doors and ask to see their homes. The caves were not preexisting; they were carved into the hillside according to need and even have chimneys for fireplaces. They were very cool in the summer heat. I do not know if they get really cold in the winter.

On Wednesday night we climbed through the narrow streets of the Albázin and Sacromonte. Leea claims it was a mile uphill, but me thinks the lady doth protest too much. Walking any where here is what we call a “splat’ adventure, even on the normal streets. Many Spanish drivers seem to think it is sport and speed up as the pedestrians try to cross the street. And cars as well as pedestrians use the very narrow passageways they consider streets in some areas. I mean it would be difficult to walk three abreast, but cars navigate at top speed. So when you are walking, you need always keep a sharp eye out for a doorway or crevice you can squeeze into when you hear a car coming. I’m not so concerned at getting run over as I am about getting whacked by a side mirror.

We were on our way to the Museo or Centre de Interpretación to see a flamenco show. Leea laughs at me because I keep saying and writing flamingo, like I’m expecting to see pink birds. Anyway the flamenco show was on an outdoor stage which was probably pretty authentic for this area where impromptu music would start outdoors or in the caves. The performance was enchanting and made more so by the soft summer breezes.

Flamenco is not just a dance, but a very serious art form. It is comparable to western ballet. It is often very dramatic and has a very stringent discipline of moves and steps. Flamenco refers to a certain kind of song, dance and the guitar. It developed from a combination of Arabic, Andalusian (southern Spanish), Sephardic, and Gypsy cultures. Latin American and Cuban influences have also been important in shaping the rumba and tango flamenco forms. Flamenco is the music of the gypsies and played in their social community. Andalusian people who grew up around gypsies and the life were also accepted as "flamencos." So flamenco is big in Granada. As we were walking home through the Sacromonte last night or early this morning (it was after 1 am) we could hear flamenco sounds coming from many different buildings, some performances and some practice.

We have been eating well. We are locals in our favorite breakfast place. This morning they just brought us each a café con leche and an order of tostada con mantequilla y mermalada. We didn’t even have to order. Leea is screaming in the bathroom. It seems the hair dryer attacked her, sucked in her hair and burnt it off. This is just another of our adventures. She is persisting and is determined to conquer the beast. I hope we don’t have to call the fire department when her head goes up in flames. We are getting ready to go to dinner and a flamenco show in a cave in the Sacromonte.