LIVING GRANADA
GRANADA…
My strange, beautiful, sold and bought thousands of times, your flowers are blooming in such a peculiar way in the burning sun. My...kind of love to one point on the earth. So many bricks to heaven, so many, many... By a principle of freedom I don't possess a piece of land, and it would be so inhuman for me to possess one. How is it possible to buy a piece of the Earth? In fact, it is just kind of stupid habit for a range of beings considering them as Humans. Whatever, Granada is one of the points on the earth, which are desired seriously from many centuries. Who desired this place so much that was fighting for it using weapons of all sorts, from swords to philosophical thoughts? What kind of arrogance?
This city is really special. Of course, it's a point of major interest on the map of every traveler.
Why? Over all because it's beautiful. When you'll arrive to the parking of Saint Miguel, the first what you will see will be the tops of Sierra Nevada covered with snow for the months. Those mountains, watched from Saint Miguel's parking, are rocky as the ones of the highest tops of Europe should be, and their shapes are clear in Andalusian powerful light of the sun. The sky above them is blue intensive, and from the parking of Saint Miguel in Granada, you can observe for the hours the passages of giant cumulus floating massively between the giant rocks. Those masses of steam are descending slowly from the mountains to the beaches, or they are climbing through the valleys to get stacked on the natural walls of marble.
There where Granada was build, the sea was compressing the sand so, that a few millions years later, one Gypsy family could dig a nest in this previously underwater soil. Yes, Granada was build on the sea ancient bottom. Sierra Nevada mountains chain did raise from this soil also. So, Granada is like a rare beauty pearl laying on the ancestral bottom of the sea, and her secrets are protected by the marble massive rocks of the mountains. Strategically, this city was and is one of the most important in geopolitical history of Europe. It was, and it is a very peculiar center of the cultural and religious streams which flawed in its direction from all the World and from centuries it happens until this day.. And while walking through Albaicin, one of the oldest quarters, you will meet with the cascades of the flowers blooming in high temperature on the walls protecting the gardens of the Carmens.
Granada was a cool spot for the cool guys originating from the region of North Africa, it means from Mauritania, part of the Sahara, till deep of Algeria. One day they decided to elect one Prince, and offer to him a support total in establishing a kind of Islamic kingdom of peace and prosperity on the territory of actual Andalusia. This territory was genuinely naturally hostile for Europeans, very hot, very rocky, very hard, but detaining a massive amount of water flowing from the tops of the mountains to the Mediterranean Sea.
And this water exactly, it's extremely huge amount, was a treasure for the elected Prince. This Prince, a very smooth and wise man, came to the valleys of actual Granada, and have built a gorgeous Mauryan palace, which have become one of the most important center of cultural-economic and spiritual exchanges on European continent. Alhambra is a fortress observatory over peace and prosperity of the intercontinental relations fluctuating between North Africa, mostly under Mauryan supremacy, and Europe already united under supremacy of Pope. Alhambra, as a military and politically highly developed strategic enterprise, was untakable, and the highest point of the control over a large region separating raising Empire of Vatican from Islamic kingdoms. However, the Europeans dignitaries managed to squat the gardens of magical Alhambra and to build there the palace of the Prince of the Pope's. When you will watch at Alhambra from the terrace of Saint Miguel, or from Saint Nicolas, you will observe this " diplomatic-radical" situation, the both of the palaces are separated with around of 40 meters of intergalactic court. Two extreme powers meeting in the garden shaped on the flank of ancient bottom of the sea. The Christian fanatics managed to chase Muslim population and to take over the south region of Iberia peninsula, but Andalusia and Grenada remains till today. And in the streets of Albaicin, the Catholics are living with Muslims, with Gypsies, and with people arriving there from all the World, in peace and unquestionable tolerance.
The wise Sheik of Andalusian Islamic kingdom invested enormously in spiritual and cultural development of his city, which have become also one of the capital centers of economical intercontinental interests. Once I was hitchhiking on the way from Granada to Barcelona, and still in Provincia de Granada, I got a lift in one huge luxury white pearl Mercedes. The super car was driven by one Andalusian guy riding back home, around 250 km on the Andalusian highway, it's a kind of experience. This guy was working as real estate agent high level, he complained on the market conditions and asked me where from I was coming. I answered that I have left Granada behind. " Oh! Absolutely the best city in the world! " He shouted, smoking his joint, rolling over 160 km per hour, on the way to get naked, to grab a cooled beer, and to jump into the pool in the garden of his property settled around 2 km far from the beach. Yeah! That's an Andalusian bad boy. " If I wouldn't have the job I do, I would live in Granada " he continued to explain his enthusiasm, " Granada? There's Alhambra, have you been there? Inside?... oh boy! You must go there, so if you want to understand...and all those Carmen! Beautiful houses, and gardens, all secret, calm, shadow when sun is hitting hard...yeah! From there you go to the beach, just like that, you jump in the car and in forty minutes you get to the coast, and after in one hour and half to the mountains, and you go skiing... Man! Flamenco everywhere, good food, cheap life, sun, snow, mountains, beautiful women and Albaicin, and Sacromonte, and La Semana Santa, did you see that? Oh, Man!! "
Yes, he was right in every detail, but selling the parcels of the Capo de Gata and building the ultra expensive villas on them appeared from his story as the business of his life, so, ciao! Granada for a while. And yes, if you don't visit Alhambra, you will not understand the essence of project Granada, brought into being many centuries ago by one wise man, who ordered the interiors of the palace to be designed with the magical patterns of Holly Geometry. It is where the history of Granada, Andalusia, and one region buffer between Islam and Christianity begins. As like constructed with the multicolored, precious shapes of perfect geometrical combinations of forms, the interiors of Alhambra are pulsing with an impenetrable beauty, force and calm. And this vibe is frequenting from the palace of the wise man into all the city covering a valley around. Once you'll go through the chambers of Alhambra, and you will take a sit on the marble bench in one ancient huge garden, you will discover a kind of sanctuary of peace that has been built there... But, one day, the administration of the Vatican offered to Roma and to the Sinti one opportunity to get the job for the generations. After many armed intrusions into territory of Andalusia, the Christianity United, entered to Granada, and to resettle intercontinental peace, the Christianity of Europe United in the name Of God, decided to build the Prince of Popes palace, in the garden of Sheik Palace, and few dozen of yards of distance from house of the Head of Muslim kingdom. So, to build this palace, the Christian administration needed a lot of sand, and stones, which were the environing construction basic materials.
Andalusian soil was also the Gypsies' land. The Sinti and the Roma were melting there to give life to the next generations of the native Andalusian Gitanos. Off course considered till the nineties of twentieth century as undesirable, but the cheapest workers, the Gypsies, contributed massively into construction of Catholic palace in the Gardens of Islamic Alhambra. In exchange, for their very hard work, the Roma and Sinti, flowing to the valley of Granada, were offered with possibility to settle in the caves, previously sources of building supply. Those caves are surrounding the north part of Alhambra, and constitute a city particular quarter. Gypsies supported also very massively the Catholic regime. And finally, after centuries of outcasts existence, they have become the citizens of Andalusia, equal with Christians and Muslims. They have got the identity cards, the passports and obligatory education. VoilĂ ! But the caves of Albaicin and Sacromonte have become the natural shelters for many generations of local Gypsies diaspora. It's a kind of city raised over the city. The streets there, are just the paths meandering between the rocks, on the edges of precipice, and becoming they are larger there where the caves are situated like the houses in any regular suburban location. Sacromonte is a flamenco epicenter.
Main quarter of the Gypsies part of Granada, Sacromonte knows its evolving fame from the seventies of twentieth century, before, Albaicin and Sacromonte were the poorest and most dangerous Granadians communities. But, while tourism was becoming one of the city's main income activities, a few wise Gitanos invested maximum of their energy into emancipation of their roots, culture and history, to develop a strong presence of their folk. Of course, flamenco has become local show business, which sustains many families of Gitanos Grenadignos. This music played very efficient notes in establishing peaceful communication between very different spiritual and artistic currents, which were and are continually meeting on Andalusian ground. Flamenco roots are African as are Europeans and Indo-Asians. It's a perfect mix of spiritual and emotional expressions of Sufis, Sinti, Roma, and Christians. But Los Gitanos have become the best interpreters of this art, and they are considered as the only keepers of the flamenco secrets. And I must admit, they really are. Flamenco is music, dance, singing, thinking, moving, deciding, braking, loving, hating, losing, winning, being all and breathing in hitting sun. It is a story about one art which evolved into an expression of the power of freedom. In Granada, I had only the gypsy kind of adventures. I have lost everything there to regain much more than I would ever expect, and finally I have met with experienced travelers who were talking about this place with respect" Granada...it can take all from you, and it will change you...it's a hard core place... " .
It is the only city on my actual map of traveler where I feel coming back home whenever I go there. Last time I have rid to Granada on a bicycle. It was a dream realization. This last trip was very confusing, so calm and precious, as deeply disturbing and difficult. I was riding alone, my huge cruiser was carrying the minimum of vital stuff I needed. I was heading to my Granada from very far in the North of Germany. And this reverie of arriving with my bicycle to Saint Miguel in Granada, to have a rest there on the stairs to the church and to watch Alhambra spaceship floating on the thick clouds over the city, has been transformed into reality.
LIVING GRANADA
GRANADA…
My strange, beautiful, sold and bought thousands of times, your flowers are blooming in such a peculiar way in the burning sun. My...kind of love to one point on the earth. So many bricks to heaven, so many, many... By a principle of freedom I don't possess a piece of land, and it would be so inhuman for me to possess one. How is it possible to buy a piece of the Earth? In fact, it is just kind of stupid habit for a range of beings considering them as Humans. Whatever, Granada is one of the points on the earth, which are desired seriously from many centuries. Who desired this place so much that was fighting for it using weapons of all sorts, from swords to philosophical thoughts? What kind of arrogance?
This city is really special. Of course, it's a point of major interest on the map of every traveler. Why? Over all because it's beautiful. When you'll arrive to the parking of Saint Miguel, the first what you will see will be the tops of Sierra Nevada covered with snow for the months. Those mountains, watched from Saint Miguel's parking, are rocky as the ones of the highest tops of Europe should be, and their shapes are clear in Andalusian powerful light of the sun. The sky above them is blue intensive, and from the parking of Saint Miguel in Granada, you can observe for the hours the passages of giant cumulus floating massively between the giant rocks. Those masses of steam are descending slowly from the mountains to the beaches, or they are climbing through the valleys to get stacked on the natural walls of marble.
There where Granada was build, the sea was compressing the sand so, that a few millions years later, one Gypsy family could dig a nest in this previously underwater soil. Yes, Granada was build on the sea ancient bottom.
Sierra Nevada mountains chain did raise from this soil also. So, Granada is like a rare beauty pearl laying on the ancestral bottom of the sea, and her secrets are protected by the marble massive rocks of the mountains. Strategically, this city was and is one of the most important in geopolitical history of Europe. It was, and it is a very peculiar center of the cultural and religious streams which flawed in its direction from all the World and from centuries it happens until this day.. And while walking through Albaicin, one of the oldest quarters, you will meet with the cascades of the flowers blooming in high temperature on the walls protecting the gardens of the Carmens. Granada was a cool spot for the cool guys originating from the region of North Africa, it means from Mauritania, part of the Sahara, till deep of Algeria. One day they decided to elect one Prince, and offer to him a support total in establishing a kind of Islamic kingdom of peace and prosperity on the territory of actual Andalusia.
This territory was genuinely naturally hostile for Europeans, very hot, very rocky, very hard, but detaining a massive amount of water flowing from the tops of the mountains to the Mediterranean Sea. And this water exactly, it's extremely huge amount, was a treasure for the elected Prince. This Prince, a very smooth and wise man, came to the valleys of actual Granada, and have built a gorgeous Mauryan palace, which have become one of the most important center of cultural-economic and spiritual exchanges on European continent. Alhambra is a fortress observatory over peace and prosperity of the intercontinental relations fluctuating between North Africa, mostly under Mauryan supremacy, and Europe already united under supremacy of Pope. Alhambra, as a military and politically highly developed strategic enterprise, was untakable, and the highest point of the control over a large region separating raising Empire of Vatican from Islamic kingdoms. However, the Europeans dignitaries managed to squat the gardens of magical Alhambra and to build there the palace of the Prince of the Pope's.
When you will watch at Alhambra from the terrace of Saint Miguel, or from Saint Nicolas, you will observe this " diplomatic-radical" situation, the both of the palaces are separated with around of 40 meters of intergalactic court. Two extreme powers meeting in the garden shaped on the flank of ancient bottom of the sea. The Christian fanatics managed to chase Muslim population and to take over the south region of Iberia peninsula, but Andalusia and Grenada remains till today. And in the streets of Albaicin, the Catholics are living with Muslims, with Gypsies, and with people arriving there from all the World, in peace and unquestionable tolerance. The wise Sheik of Andalusian Islamic kingdom invested enormously in spiritual and cultural development of his city, which have become also one of the capital centers of economical intercontinental interests. Once I was hitchhiking on the way from Granada to Barcelona, and still in Provincia de Granada, I got a lift in one huge luxury white pearl Mercedes. The super car was driven by one Andalusian guy riding back home, around 250 km on the Andalusian highway, it's a kind of experience.
This guy was working as real estate agent high level, he complained on the market conditions and asked me where from I was coming. I answered that I have left Granada behind. " Oh! Absolutely the best city in the world! " He shouted, smoking his joint, rolling over 160 km per hour, on the way to get naked, to grab a cooled beer, and to jump into the pool in the garden of his property settled around 2 km far from the beach. Yeah! That's an Andalusian bad boy. " If I wouldn't have the job I do, I would live in Granada " he continued to explain his enthusiasm, " Granada? There's Alhambra, have you been there? Inside?... oh boy! You must go there, so if you want to understand...and all those Carmen! Beautiful houses, and gardens, all secret, calm, shadow when sun is hitting hard...yeah! From there you go to the beach, just like that, you jump in the car and in forty minutes you get to the coast, and after in one hour and half to the mountains, and you go skiing... Man! Flamenco everywhere, good food, cheap life, sun, snow, mountains, beautiful women and Albaicin, and Sacromonte, and La Semana Santa, did you see that? Oh, Man!! "
Yes, he was right in every detail, but selling the parcels of the Capo de Gata and building the ultra expensive villas on them appeared from his story as the business of his life, so, ciao! Granada for a while. And yes, if you don't visit Alhambra, you will not understand the essence of project Granada, brought into being many centuries ago by one wise man, who ordered the interiors of the palace to be designed with the magical patterns of Holly Geometry. It is where the history of Granada, Andalusia, and one region buffer between Islam and Christianity begins. As like constructed with the multicolored, precious shapes of perfect geometrical combinations of forms, the interiors of Alhambra are pulsing with an impenetrable beauty, force and calm. And this vibe is frequenting from the palace of the wise man into all the city covering a valley around. Once you'll go through the chambers of Alhambra, and you will take a sit on the marble bench in one ancient huge garden, you will discover a kind of sanctuary of peace that has been built there... But, one day, the administration of the Vatican offered to Roma and to the Sinti one opportunity to get the job for the generations.
After many armed intrusions into territory of Andalusia, the Christianity United, entered to Granada, and to resettle intercontinental peace, the Christianity of Europe United in the name Of God, decided to build the Prince of Popes palace, in the garden of Sheik Palace, and few dozen of yards of distance from house of the Head of Muslim kingdom. So, to build this palace, the Christian administration needed a lot of sand, and stones, which were the environing construction basic materials. Andalusian soil was also the Gypsies' land. The Sinti and the Roma were melting there to give life to the next generations of the native Andalusian Gitanos. Off course considered till the nineties of twentieth century as undesirable, but the cheapest workers, the Gypsies, contributed massively into construction of Catholic palace in the Gardens of Islamic Alhambra. In exchange, for their very hard work, the Roma and Sinti, flowing to the valley of Granada, were offered with possibility to settle in the caves, previously sources of building supply. Those caves are surrounding the north part of Alhambra, and constitute a city particular quarter. Gypsies supported also very massively the Catholic regime.
And finally, after centuries of outcasts existence, they have become the citizens of Andalusia, equal with Christians and Muslims. They have got the identity cards, the passports and obligatory education. VoilĂ ! But the caves of Albaicin and Sacromonte have become the natural shelters for many generations of local Gypsies diaspora. It's a kind of city raised over the city. The streets there, are just the paths meandering between the rocks, on the edges of precipice, and becoming they are larger there where the caves are situated like the houses in any regular suburban location. Sacromonte is a flamenco epicenter. Main quarter of the Gypsies part of Granada, Sacromonte knows its evolving fame from the seventies of twentieth century, before, Albaicin and Sacromonte were the poorest and most dangerous Granadians communities. But, while tourism was becoming one of the city's main income activities, a few wise Gitanos invested maximum of their energy into emancipation of their roots, culture and history, to develop a strong presence of their folk. Of course, flamenco has become local show business, which sustains many families of Gitanos Grenadignos.
This music played very efficient notes in establishing peaceful communication between very different spiritual and artistic currents, which were and are continually meeting on Andalusian ground. Flamenco roots are African as are Europeans and Indo-Asians. It's a perfect mix of spiritual and emotional expressions of Sufis, Sinti, Roma, and Christians. But Los Gitanos have become the best interpreters of this art, and they are considered as the only keepers of the flamenco secrets. And I must admit, they really are. Flamenco is music, dance, singing, thinking, moving, deciding, braking, loving, hating, losing, winning, being all and breathing in hitting sun. It is a story about one art which evolved into an expression of the power of freedom. In Granada, I had only the gypsy kind of adventures. I have lost everything there to regain much more than I would ever expect, and finally I have met with experienced travelers who were talking about this place with respect" Granada...it can take all from you, and it will change you...it's a hard core place... " . It is the only city on my actual map of traveler where I feel coming back home whenever I go there. Last time I have rid to Granada on a bicycle. It was a dream realization.
This last trip was very confusing, so calm and precious, as deeply disturbing and difficult. I was riding alone, my huge cruiser was carrying the minimum of vital stuff I needed. I was heading to my Granada from very far in the North of Germany. And this reverie of arriving with my bicycle to Saint Miguel in Granada, to have a rest there on the stairs to the church and to watch Alhambra spaceship floating on the thick clouds over the city, has been transformed into reality.
