How to describe our day in Granada…

It was one of the most wonderful days on this trip so far, a blissful chance to reset our minds a little bit. When we walked out of the hotel lobby, we were all feeling a little under the weather, worn out by long days and constant travel. But there was something in the air that morning, something calming in the steady climb up the hill to the Alhambra that made us a little less anxious. By the time we were strolling through the gardens and into the front entrance, all our worries seemed a little less intense. We were suddenly caught up in the blooming flowers and the quiet birds in the background. The architecture of the Alhambra suddenly became the only place in the world – we were able to sit, enjoy and sketch in a spectacular place we had only seen in history books.

As we followed the water through the site, we were taken by how flawlessly it moved. Water moved in and out, was visible and then magically appeared elsewhere. I have never seen a landscape that so perfectly makes water the defining characteristic. Even when we moved out from the Generalife, and back into the gardens, we happily followed the water back into the gardens. We just stopped and watched its mesmerizing energy for a while, soaking in the sun and the distant chatter. For today we were able to think about our anxieties and worries a little less. 

-Lauren Arndt

From Hotel Melia, we start our walk to see the Generalife, which represents a valuable cultural landscape keenly assembled by different vegetation units capable of housing rich and varied biodiversity. Our hopes are high as we climb up the hill. On either side of the road, we receive a warm welcome from the musical sounds made by the water on a gravity channel. We arrive at the entrance and are lucky this time around. No queues! We then climb the remaining bit of the hill with lots of anxiety.  Our eyes meet with Jardines Bajos del Generalife. Without noticing, because of the absolute beauty, we find ourselves deep inside these first set of gardens.  These gardens are well maintained, and the placement was well thought out. It’s noticeable that water and plants create multifunctional spaces that are currently used for leisure and appreciating Islamic cultures. Historically, these medieval Islamic gardens were symbolic spaces where the Nasrid royals mixed business with pleasure with art and science. 

Diving into Generalife, we meet a series of gardens with water features depicting distinctive characters. Water jets are seen in most of the gardens shooting water into the air and thus changing the microclimate. The movement of water throughout the garden is seamless and unusual, as they rely exclusively on gravity.  We climax our journey of progression of water at the Escalera del Agua, a water stairway that is substantially altered from the previous system, where water flowed from the Sultan’s Canal through pipes in the walls into three circular basins. In addition to the movement of water, Generalife has created a symbiotic relationship between flora and fauna, creating an exceptional set of ecosystems.  After the tranquil experience, we end our day by walking down to the river and then make several meanders to get to the top of the mountain facing Alhambra. Here we find Ermita de san Miguel alto, which stands at the home of the largest Nasrid towers within the entire defensive wall of Granada. It was known Torre del Aceituno because tradition holds that it was built on the former site of a Christian church, on which there was a legendary olive tree that was able to flourish, grow fruit and ripen in a single day.

-Christopher Ototo

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