Some of my favourite places here… The gardens of the Carmen de los Martires: I am often found sitting here, feeling tranquil and serene amid the greenery and the water flowing from the fountain, and the absence of noisy crowds of tourists (they are over at the Alhambra).
The day before I had discovered the Carmen Victoria – again I had sat and read and felt well and connected and grounded – all from a well designed and planted and built garden space, connected to history and with a view over the valley to the Alhambra on the other side.
Carmen de los Mártires, donated to the city and now free to enter, has plenty of flowing water. Here the lambent orbs or oranges are reflected amongst the water lilly. Carmens are traditional houses in Granada with orchard gardens. Here I stand in Carmen de la Victoria and look to the Alhambra.Respecta el silencio – quiet and peace in the University of Granada’s library in the 16th century Hospital Real building. I feel relief seeing some ageing beauty in Spain – in richer places like Australia anything old is instantly repaired.Old doors, portals to something or other, surely significant.Outside my window people eat, drink and socialise. Its not a visually beautiful part of the city, but there is so much social interaction in this Spanish barrio compared to Australian suburbs. In the background you can see the way ugly high rises ring old European cities – on the plus side over seventy percent of Spanish people own their own home.Looking upstream along the Rio Genil, which runs through Granada.Shadows of the elaborate stone work of the Royal Chapel, shadows that have been falling for over 500 years old.
