Granada
 

Glimpse of Granada | Catholic wonders | Night has fallen | The Nazrid Palaces | Alhambra | Alcazaba | Generalife | Mirador de San Nicola | Albaicin views | Central Granada | Flamenco nights

Catholic wonders

Side-room to the Cathedral

 
Impressive height and paleness
Impressive richness displayed
   
Central alley of the Cathedral
Ancient song books

 
Entrance of the Monasterio de la Cartuja
Charming courtyard
   
Kitsch decoration of a bar

Back in the streets, I continue to observe the people, the many hippie students, the beggars and musicians, the local bourgeoisie and the English tourists. Many are waiting at the Royal Chapel, as foreigners are not used to eating so late and would certainly have been impatient to resume the visits in a city so rich with culture. Today, I am mainly in the Renaissance Catholic part of town, as the Alhambra will be for the next day. The sacred tombs of the Catholic kings are here in a superb chapel, with stunning marble graves. King Fernanco el Catolico and his wife Isabel are next to King Felipe I el Hermoso and his Juana de Castilla. Below, a crypt contains their coffins. All whisper in respect for the magnificence of the place, and in front of a towering altar with many bible scenes. Many of the sixteenth century objects are on display in a room nearby - I gaze at an object dating from 1496, four years after the voyage of Christopher Columbus, when the Spanish empire was a dominating power.

The adjacent cathedral was built to consecrate the return of the Catholics to Andalusia, and it is plain to see how much they made it a declaration of their power and faith. I have never seen one like it, a truly original style, all the more so than one reaches it from the eastern side, and thus only gradually discovers its imposing organs, endless columns and pure white ceilings. The contrasts are striking, between richly ornamented golden altars, simple Moorish wooden doors, and the white walls and pillars.

After wandering around in the midst of the prestige of the Spanish crown, I head for a more modest building, nonetheless interesting. The Monasterio de la Cartuja is one century more recent, and is therefore more rococo. The realism of the wooden figures of the altar is its highlight, as is its charming courtyard with a fountain and orange trees echoing the Moorish palaces. Black and white tiles and early Renaissance paintings are predictably all around. As it closes, I head out - the sun is still high but dimmed by some clouds, children laugh and play while waiting for their parents.

Onboard the bus back to the city centre, I sit at the only free seat, next to someone that it seems nobody else wanted to approach. My fatigue, lack of sleep and starting flu all get to me, as does the strong heating of the vehicle. I feel drowsy and close my eyes, even if I become wary of this guy. We are stuck in traffic, and he regularly leans forward all of a sudden, then moves backward, as if drugged or about to be ill. I keep an eye on him while avoiding eye contact, and still dozing off between his oscillations. I prepare myself to move away, but sleep again and again. Perhaps we are both delirious. Or maybe he is just tired, and reacting to some sounds coming from what seems to be a radio in his coat - a football match? My stop is near, and I hop off finally after everyone else - he follows me all of a sudden... He heads in a different direction, and I move on.


All of: Spain
Glimpse of Granada | Catholic wonders | Night has fallen | The Nazrid Palaces | Alhambra | Alcazaba | Generalife | Mirador de San Nicola | Albaicin views | Central Granada | Flamenco nights

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