Today I am sitting in my apartment, finally getting around to writing this post. I have been living in Granada city for the past two weeks. It is such a different energy being in a city versus the country-side. There is so much I want to do and see; I find it much harder to carve out the time and to get myself in the headspace for writing. Though, there are so many things I wish to share!
In the past I have never seen myself as a “city girl”, but there is something about this place that intrigues and inspires me. Deciding to follow that feeling, I booked a stay within the city for a month. This opportunity gives me the time to truly get to know this city and makes me feel like I am living here rather than just traveling through. The first week I felt a lot of anxiety with living alone because it is not something I have done for an extended amount of time. It’s weird because I consider myself an introvert, but I quite like being in the company or even just the presence of others. I, of course, love being alone as well but it is a different feeling when you have to be alone. After the first week of adjustment and getting used to a very open schedule, I feel like I am starting to understand the city (I have been asked for directions a few times and I actually knew the answer!) and I am so grateful to actually live here.
Having connections here through the university has proven to be invaluable. I have gotten to meet a lot of students my age and make friends which has been very rewarding, and something I feel like has been missing, even since the beginning of Covid. Being halfway through my stay in Granada, I am beginning to feel sad to leave after making so many connections and falling in love with this city. It also feels like there is still have so much to do. In these past weeks I have tried to hit all the tourist attractions: the Cathedral, the Alhambra, Flamenco shows, as well as indulging in way too many tapas.
Granada is one of the last places in Spain where you can still get a free tapa with every drink you order. It is a truly incredible concept, you can go out and fill up on various tapas for about 2-3 euros. You choose your tapas but at many places they just bring you whatever they are serving that night; this could be a small serving of paella, pork stew, croquetas or one of my favorites: fried eggplant with molasses. I almost never have to go out for a full meal and it is a great way to try out the cuisine of the area. I love it!
One of the perks of living in an apartment is to experiment with cooking now that I have my own kitchen! There are tons of spice stores here so I picked up some Moroccan spices and other typical ingredients used here. I have been experimenting with working on my cooking fundamentals of building flavors as well as enjoying my time in the kitchen. I am also trying to stick to a semi-vegetarian diet since I got used to that with my last host. This week I am going to challenge myself to try out some different dishes that originate in Andalusia, so keep an eye out for a post documenting that experience next week! (On a side not, there is now a way to sign up for an email list that notifies you every time I post, it is at the bottom of the page!)
I have been living in the historical Albaicin neighborhood, the old moorish quarter of the city. It is a hilly neighborhood with narrow, winding, maze-like streets between white buildings with stone walkways. I am so glad I am able to have the opportunity to live in this area of the city, it feels very ancient and like I am walking in the past. It is a little outside of the city center so everyday I get to walk down through the neighborhood and enjoy all of the sights and views of the city.
Back at home, when I imagine what Washington looked like in the past, I think about endless forests. I can see the remanence of buildings from the 18-1900s but before then, there was not much visible human impact. I look out my window and imagine the Douglas firs and cedars that still stand multiplied by hundreds; a dense forest that I would not be able to find my way through easily. Just a few centuries ago, to an outsiders eye, the forests were seemingly untouched. The indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest stewarded the land in such a harmonious way that the marks of humanity could not be easily found.
Here in Granada, its history is looking you right in the face. The Alhambra towers over the city, looking as it did centuries ago. It is easy to imagine how the streets in the Albaicin were laid out to make sure that a soldier from the opposing side would get lost. How the wall that used to surround the city still remains. How the caves of Sacromonte are still lived in. Everything seems to serve as a reminder of the past and people who have made a mark on this area.
Granada has had a complicated history, full of different settlers and wars. The city dates back to Roman times and has been through the hands of many different groups after that; starting with the Visigoths who were taken over by the Umayyads in the 8th century. For the next few centuries, Spain (named Al-Andalus) was under Islamic rule. During this time Muslims, Jews and Christians were all allowed to practice and lived alongside each other. Granada was the last stronghold under Muslim rule and held out for an extra two centuries after the rest of Al-Andalus had fallen to Christian kingdoms in the 13th century. The construction of the Alhambra began during this time by the founder of the Nasrid dynasty (Mohammed I) and was continued throughout the dynasty’s rule. When Granada was conquered in 1492 by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, uniting Spain under catholic rule, they did not destroy the Alhambra. When Charles V (their grandson) came into power he had a palace built for himself and a church to replace the mosque within the complex of the Alhambra. The Alhambra stands as a reminder of Spains past, of the moorish rule that lasted seven centuries, as well as the lasting legacy their culture and peoples have left on this area of Spain.
This week I finally visited inside the Alhambra. I have spent so much time just marveling at it from across the city in the Albaicin. The huge castle was awing; unlike anything I had seen in real life. I went to visit with not much prior knowledge about what it looked like inside — I was not at all prepared for how incredibly detailed the inside of the palace would be. Inside there are seemingly endless geometric patterns and calligraphy carved into the walls. The tile mosaics, as well as the stone and wood carvings, are so well preserved and just shocking to see in real life.
In Islamic art, geometric shapes and pattern are often utilized to represent the complexity and expansiveness of Allah. Many of the patterns are supposed to mimic the patterns seen in nature and calligraphy is another art form often utilized. It is an aniconic religion so their way of showing their faith is more abstract and the designs just reminds me of the adaptability of art as well as faith. This was something new I learned; Seeing these designs just reminded me of the adaptability of art and just how incredibly creative and skilled humans are.
The most interesting observation I have had here is the difference between the Catholic and Islamic art. In Catholicism, the depictions of their saints, Jesus and other figures are so raw and real. I was surprised by how many times you would find a crucified Jesus, a decapitated head, or faces full of pain and sadness. The cathedrals have a chilling beauty to them, a reminder of the past and a depiction of humanity.
I was speaking with a friend here who practices Catholicism. She said what she likes about the way her religious figures are portrayed, is being able to visually see what they could look like — the tangibility makes it feel more real to her and therefore easier to feel their impact. Speaking of cathedrals, the Cathedral of Granada that was one of the first places I visited here. As a lover of renaissance and religious art, going to cathedrals is such a treat. The cathedral here is huge, probably the biggest room I have ever been in. Commissioned by Charles V, it was built as a way of claiming the area as Catholic after Ferdinand and Isabella had conquered Granada and dispelled all Muslims and Jews from the city. It signified the end of an era and beginning of Spain’s unification under Catholicism, as well as the beginning of the “Spanish renaissance”. There are huge oil paintings, pillars adorned with gold and statues of saints and religious figures all throughout the place. In this room I was just shocked by the grandness, you can really feel the power of religion here.
Having these two stark contrasts of art in the Alhambra and in the Cathedral shows the duality and endless interpretations we as humans are capable of creating. It also shows just how complex the history of Granada is and represents well what an intersection of cultures this place is.
As amazing as the palace was, my favorite part of the Alhambra was definitely the gardens. I could walk in there for hours, you can really see why the the Nasrid rulers built their palace there. I packed a lunch when I went to the palace and found a good bench to just sit, admire and reflect. It was the perfect way to wrap up the day in such a majestic place.
Exploring Granada has been such an enjoyable experience, I feel I find something new everyday and there are still so many things for me to discover. My next post will be more focused on cuisine, so I am looking forward to sharing what I have learned — and eaten!
Sources
The Alhambra:
https://www.history.com/topics/landmarks/alhambra
Granada City Origins:
https://www.alhambradegranada.org/en/info/originsofgranada.asp
Islamic Art:
https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/geom/hd_geom.htmhttps://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/orna/hd_orna.htm