Writers Abroad Magazine Issue 4 | Page 11

WRITERS ABROAD MAGAZINE: THE THIRD SPACE La Alhambra By Chris Nedahl Many people seldom visit places of interest or importance in their own countries. This is true of expats settled here in sunny Spain. Having our granddaughter visit last summer prompted us to book tickets for the Alhambra in Granada, highly recommended due to the number of visitors. From our adopted home of Arboleas in the Almanzora Valley it is a two hour drive to Granada. The journey itself is rewarding as you view the changing countryside and see the Sierra Nevada with its vast areas of snow, even in the height of summer. The Alhambra, Arabic for ‘red castle’, is well sign posted but don’t get caught by the men at the road side as you approach the hill to the parking area. They are convincing when slowing you down and directing you into a lay-by, they explain there is no room left at the Alhambra. Once you lock your car they guide you across the road onto a rough path saying it is a short cut. Some metres along they attempt to elicit money from you for parking! The path is leading you away from the palace entrance and one wonders what might happen to vulnerable people when they don’t wish to part with any Euros. Once at the Alhambra access is easy. We placed the credit card used to purchase our online tickets into a machine and hey presto our paper copies were in our hands. We had to wait for our entry time but once in we wandered at our leisure through the beautiful gardens and the different areas of the Moorish fortress. The construction of this immense creation began in 1338 during the period of the Nasrid Dynasty but its architect is unknown. The Palacios de Nazarenes contains many rooms and once housed the personal chambers of the king and queen, the baths, the harem, a number of halls and superb gardens. We could only wonder at the skill of those workmen of centuries ago. The intricacies of the tiled decoration and carving were outstanding. Here there is some evidence of Christian influence in the Patio de los Leones or Patio of the Lions. Entry into this old Royal House is at a specific time and whilst we could spend as much time inside as we wished, once we exited we could not return. The Generalife, set on the slopes of Cerro del Sol, Hill of the Sun, commands a view over the whole city of Granada and the valleys of the rivers Genil and Darro. History does not tell us the meaning of the name but it was a place where the kings of the city could relax, away from affairs of state. The building is plainer and lacks the ornate decoration of the Nasrid Palaces. It lends itself more to the intimate leisure of its royal occupants. Outside the Generalife a channel carries water from the irrigation ditch of the Alhambra. El Patio de la Acequia or the Patio of the Irrigation Ditch is the most important part of the Generalife, dividing it lengthways. On the right hand side is the Patio de los Cipreses, Patio of the Cypresses where the famous Ciprés de la Sultana or Cypress of the Sultana stands. 11 | May 2016