Granada absolutely kicks ass

1/31/09

The Rhythm in Spain is very different. I am getting used to it, but that doesn’t change the fact that it is different. It seems to me that Spaniards wake up around noon, eat a light breakfast of bread and ham, and then set about their day. A second meal is eaten around 4 pm, and dinner is at about 9 or 10 pm. Around midnight the bars begin to fill and then somewhere between 4 and 8, one goes home and goes to bed. This is of course, not everyone, but then there is more. If one has business to attend to or errands to run, one must plan to do them either in the morning before noon or in the evening after about 4 pm because la siesta happens from around noon to four and many of the shops simply pull down the sliding metal doors and are closed during the afternoon. I like all of this. The rhythm is different but it must be learned and honestly, it feels more like remembering it than learning it.

In terms of learning, my immersion language crash course is progressing. I can communicate basic things in Spanish now and recognize perhaps 25% of what I hear, maybe less than that. But it is a process and I should remember that it has only been about two weeks and before that, I knew little to no Spanish at all. It is frustrating to want to have a conversation and meet up with words that cannot be overcome.

This sign is in English for some reason and amuses me “Physically Impossible Entry”.

Yesterday I walked along the river on Paseo del Padre Manjion, a tight cobbled street that ultimately led me to the picturesque Barrio Abadia.

Here I found an empty churchyard and sat in the sun reading the book I bought at Alhambra. Tales of the Alhambra by Washington Irving was written in 1829 when Irving lived in Alhambra. The language describing Granada is as beautiful and true today as it was then nearly 200 years ago.

The chambers of Washington Irving at Alhambra

To the traveller imbued with a feeling for the historical and poetical, the Alhambra of Granada is as much an object of veneration as is the Kaaba or sacred house of Mecca to all true Muslim pilgrims.How many legends and traditions, true and fabulous, how many songs and romances, Spanish and Arabian, of love and war and chivalry are associated with this romantic pile!

From here I walked to the Mirador de San Nicholas where I found more stunning views of Alhambra which were strong enough to affect me alone, but matched with Irvings romantic descriptions of Bandits and Moors, was all the more powerful. At Mirador de San Nicholas there were many people, most of them Spanish hippies and Rastas selling jewelry, hanging out with their dogs, or just enjoying a sunny day with friends. It was a very nice vibe. I am constantly amazed by the number of piercings and dreadlocks here in Granada.

At this point my friend and host Susana called and told me that she and her roommate Neves, were going to be taking a hiking trip to the Sierra Nevada with their friend Fernando and that I was welcome to come along. Since I had been sitting in the sun gazing longingly at these same mountains at Mirador de San Nicholas, the answer was easy.

We met at the big Arch built to celebrate the eviction of the moors from Spain on Callet Elvira (pronounced Albeerah) and loaded up into Fernando’s car. The drive from Granada to the country was interesting. I realize that I am spending a lot of time in urban environments, which I enjoy, but the chance to get into the majestic nature of Spain was fantastic.




There were beautiful waterfalls, narrow arroyos, and even herds of mountain deer that did death defying acts of movement on the rocky cliffs. Fernando had climbing gear, but we started sort of late in the day, so it was simply a very nice hike. Here is a video of some of the deer: