|
In the heart of Granada
Granada has got hold of my heart, as if I were wounded, convalescent...
...this is what Juan Ramón Jiménez would say in a tender, poetic letter he sent to Isabel García Lorca in September 1924 on his return from a trip to Granada. This letter, and indeed all of his book "Olvidos" (Forgotten Memories) shows just to what extent he was able to take on board, understand and recount the essence of Granada. He realised how, as with Andalusia as a whole, that Granada brings together thousands of years of history, and how its stones, waters and skies focus all this culture and beauty. He also understood the difference between the Andalusia represented by Granada, in the east and that of the west; Granada may be somewhat less joyful and open, but it is more intimate, more austere, more mysterious and magical. He was not the only one to understand and feel the fascination of Granada. Before and after him came others such as the great thinker Ángel Ganivet, or the universal poet Federico García Lorca, and other writers, artists and Romantic adventurers who came to Granada in search of a kind of revelation, which many indeed found.
In the Realejo neighbourhood - the old Jewish quarter
(Moseh Ibn Ezra)A beautiful figure, a glass of wine, a garden, birdsong and the whisper of running water
Gar-Anat Hotel de Peregrinos is in the Realejo neighbourhood, and gives onto Plaza de los Peregrinos, Calle San Matías (a street that heads up to Realejo from Plaza de Mariana Pineda) and Escudo del Carmen (a passageway that leads towards the Corral del Carbón and Plaza del Carmen).
Some theories state that early Granada was founded by Jews, but what is known for sure is that from times of the old Roman Iliberis located on the opposite bank of the Darro River (the Albayzin Hill) formerly home to the ancient Iberian settlement, on this side, on the slopes of Mauror (name of the hill alongside Al Sabika, home to the Alhambra) the Jewish Granada, or Garnata al Yahud, was already in existence. Illustrious Jews (such as Ibn Gabirol, Ibn Agrela, Ibn Ezra and others) led the political and artistic life of the city throughout its subsequent history, including during the time of the Nasrid dynasty, when the Muslim kingdom of Granada reached its maximum splendour.
In 1492, the very year when the city was handed over to the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, expulsion came to the neighbourhood and it lost its Jewish vestiges. It would come to be the Potters' Neighbourhood, or Realejo. The stately palaces and mansions of the Moors did remain however, and you can still see these wonderful witnesses to history in places such as the Cuarto Real de Santo Domingo. Furthermore, the excellent orientation of the area meant it was chosen for Castilian palaces (Casa de los Girones, Casa de los Tiros…) and a host of churches (San Cecilio, Santo Domingo, San Matías) and convents (Comendadoras de Santiago, Santa Cruz la Real, Carmelitas descalzas…).
There are two clearly defined areas in the Realejo neighbourhood: that which once gave shelter to pilgrims from Antequera, or Antequeruela, which drops down in tight, labyrinthine streets from the top of Mauror Hill, guarded by the Bermejas Towers and the Carmen (traditional large house) of the Rodriguez Acosta Foundation; and the lower, flatter area which has its centre in Campo del Príncipe Square, at the foot of the gardens of the Carmen de los Mártires and the Manuel de Falla Auditorium. Its backbone is Calle Molinos, that runs right through this traditional, lively neighbourhood, which has its own rhythms and customs, its own cliques and atmosphere. Proof of its vitality is that now you can find Irish pubs, enchanting hotels, gastronomic boutiques and oriental fast-food bars side by side in the neighbourhood, where the impressive houses of well-to-do locals co-exist with the rented apartments of young pilgrims form all over the world who study or claim to study their post-grad or Spanish language courses.
