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Alhambra   (Ah l’am bra)

A whispered word – an extended exhale – the embodiment of reverence.  The sound is part secret, part power, part history and part awe.  Because that’s precisely what it describes.

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An ancient fortress containing a collection of stunning palaces and historical gardens and orchards, Alhambra rises above the medieval city of Granada, Spain like a massive citadel sitting atop two adjacent hills in the base of the Sierra Nevada mountains and surrounded by red-colored walls and towers for which the site is so aptly named.  A remnant from the Nasrid dynasty, the last Islamic kingdom in Western Europe, it is also the only surviving (barely – no thanks to Napoleon!) palatine city from the Golden Age of Islam. 

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Historians are unclear of the exact data of the establishment of Alhambra.  Records and archaeological finds indicate that sometime around the 9th century, reference was made to the red castle, “Kalat al hamra” on Sabika hill in Granada.  Over time, a multitude of castles, palaces, great towers and walls (Alcazaba) were constructed on Sabika and Mauror hills.  Eventually, over nearly a thousand years, the Albaicin, Alhambra and Generalife came into existence.  It wasn’t always an Islamic residence.  In 1492, the same year they sent Columbus en route to the Americas, Queen Isabel I and King Ferdinand II successfully attacked and overtook the sultan, Muhammed the 12th, and acquired this phenomenal site in the name of christianity and Spain.  Over the centuries, Spanish royals would continue to stamp christian influence and design onto nearly every space available.  Finally, Napoleon nearly destroyed all of the towers of the Alcazaba and is remembered as childishly shouting “If I can’t have it, nobody can have it!” before his men began detonation.  The locals tell the heroic story a Spanish soldier, José Garcia, who literally ran toward the explosions and, with his hands, disabled the remaining fuses before any more of the towers could be destroyed.  Reconstruction started in the 20th century and is ongoing today.  

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For my 50th birthday this year, I wanted only one thing: to see Alhambra.  I dreamed of it.  To walk through the palaces, imagining the emirs and sultans of the past, strolling these same halls, their robes flowing and flapping as they moved among the elegant, ornate passages.  To see the sunlight dancing on the famous gardens of the Generalife – the splendor and diversity of color on display, the ingenuity of irrigation engineering and ancient hydraulic infrastructures, the pools of gentle water offering soothing tranquility or peaceful reflection.  To climb the White Tower and gaze over the city stretching out as far and wide as the eye can see and dotted with monuments, steeples and an endless sea of structures divided only by winding streets and the river Darro.  How lucky was I to be able to make this trip, in my birthday month, and with my only daughter.  It was idyllic and a memory I will cherish for the rest of my life.  

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We stayed in the gothic quarter, naturally, on a tiny street inaccessible by our taxi or any other four-wheeled vehicle.  The balcony of our hotel room hung over an outdoor restaurant from which the most amazing scents emanated – keeping us in a perpetual state of hunger.  Because of the pandemic, we saw not a single hotel employee and checked ourselves in using a computer in the lobby, which also issued us an electronic keycard to our room.  It was the ideal combination of modern age technology, gothic architecture and Moorish decor – we loved it.  

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Allita and I explored as much of medieval Granada as physically possible on foot in two days and were both exhausted and exhilarated the entire time.  We discovered a wealth of lovely and fascinating places in the city during our brief stay.  We visited the burial site of Queen Isabella I and King Ferdinand II in the Royal Chapel of the massive Catedral de Granada (Cathedral of Granada).  We explored the Albaicín and walked from Plaza Isabel La Catolica (plaza with statue of Isabel and Colombus) along the Carrera del Darro (the street running along the Darro river) to the Puerta de los Tableros (part of the canal/aqueduct system to transport Darro river water up to Alhambra) and paused for a moment at Puente Cabrera (bridge).   We savored some of the most absolutely amazing Mediterranean food and enjoyed a bit of off-time shopping in La Alcaicería, the original main bazaar of Granada, – trying on ridiculous hats and dresses and pretending to be silly tourists as we strolled through the narrow medieval passages adorned from top to bottom with every imaginable ware.  The experience reminded us of our time spent in the outdoor market in Greece in January 2020 (A Greek New Year).  

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We spent an entire day exploring Alhambra, the three royal palaces: Mexuar, Serallo, and the Harem, Puerta de la Justicia (main gate), the Torre de la Cautiva (beautiful tower with decorated rooms), the Generalife, the Puerta del Vino (Wine Gate/Door), along Calle Real (Royal Street), the Palacio Comares containing the great Tower of the Ambassadors and Salón de los Embajadores (Hall of the Ambassadors), Palacio de Los Leones (Palace of the Lions) containing the Patio de los Leones (Court of the Lions), Puerta de las Granadas (Gate of Pomegranates), the Alcazaba (the oldest part) and its Torre de la Vela, Palacio Árabe (Arab palace), Patio de los Arrayanes (Court of the Myrtles), Sala de los Abencerrajes (Hall of the Abencerrages) famous for the massacre that occurred in this perfectly square room, Patio del Mexuar (Court of the Council Chamber), the Patio de Daraxa (Court of the Vestibule), the Peinador de la Reina (Queen’s Robing Room), and the Palacio del Partal (Partal Palace).  To name a few.  The entire area we covered was about 35 acres of walking space.  I’m sure we saw more things and likely even photographed them, but I can only remember so many details and then I’m out of RAM.

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For my daughter, the artist, Alhambra presented a plethora of stunning art in a variety of forms.  To decorate many of the palace rooms, poems and blessings written in Nasrid cursive script, a form of Arabic calligraphy, are carved into the wood, marble and tiles in the arches, columns, walls, floors, windowsills, and ceilings.  The most common, the motto of the Nasrid dynasty, was “ولا غالب إلا الله” (“Only God is victorious” or “There is no victor but God”).  Tile designs feature heavily in the ornate decorations.  They are remarkable because they feature almost all of the 17 mathematically possible “wallpaper groups” or 2-dimensional tile patterns without overlaps or gaps.  In fact, one of Allita’s favorite artists, M.C. Esher, came to Alhambra in 1922 to study these tile patterns and as a result, created his own “regular divisions of the plane”.  Our tour also took us into a workshop for artisans who are currently attempting to reconstruct the palatial furnishings from the Nasrid dynasty era based on writings and drawings recovered by archeologists and historians.  I’m not sure how to describe the process they are using.  Long thin strips of wood, ivory, onyx, mother of pearl, etc. are fashioned together to create a pattern that is replicated with every cross-section.  The work is very similar to in-laid wood workings I had seen as a child in Germany.  Allita was fascinated by the precision and detail required to create the various patterns and shapes.  

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For me, Alhambra was the ideal birthday gift – the trip made possible by my mother, the experience made perfect by my daughter, and the memories we created to be shared and savored forever.  

** With a few obvious exceptions, the photographs were taken by my (then) 12- year-old daughter. More of her photographs can be seen in the Photo Album – Granada. **

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Tuesday, April 6, 2021 was our last full day at the Tamarit Beach Resort (“glamping”), and on Wednesday, we began our gradual return to Barcelona.  We weren’t in a terrible hurry to return home right away.  Actually, we had planned to wander through the Penedés (the official cava region), visiting some of the little towns and their wineries as we progressed.  Mom and I had been kicking around the idea of finding some little pension or hotel along the route where we could spend the night.  Little did we realize just how difficult that would be during a pandemic.  

We left a little earlier than the noon checkout time since we were excited to once again “hit the road”.  Our little car was packed full with all our junk and treasures but there was still, barely, enough room for the three of us to cruise along the coastal highway, up the N-340A, through Altafulla, Torredembarra, Creixell, and eventually Vendrell.  We saw so much of the tiny towns dotted along the Balearic Sea as the road literally became “Main Street” and wandered in and out of each village, changing names as we entered one and exited the other.  This is the nature of a blue road, right?  It starts out the simple but popular “Aveniguda de Franscesc Macia” then shifts into “Passeig Marítim” as it wanders toward the sea.  It morphs into “Carrer de Vallespir”, “Carrer del Bergantí”, “Carretera de Tarragona” and finally becomes “Carretera Vendrell” before merging with the N-340 and following (somewhat) in the shadow of the A-7 autoroute.  I prefer the road less traveled.  There’s more to see.  More towns, more people, more traffic, more churches, more shops, more ruins and castles, and just more stuff!  Not to mention, it’s more fun trying to figure out how to navigate through all the little towns and keep up with a road that’s constantly changing names and evolving. Perhaps it takes a little longer to get from Tamarit to Vilafranca del Penedès, but what’s the hurry?  Isn’t this supposed to be a vacation?  

Surprisingly, we arrived in Vilafranca del Penedès around mid-day.  Just in time for a break!  We popped back on to the N-340A so we could wander directly through the center of town (Main Street, remember?).  We were surprised to discover there is basically one main intersection in Vilafranca. And, yes – it has a functioning traffic light.  You can stay on the N-340A and go straight through town, or you can turn left onto BP-2121 and end up at the city auditorium and largest cava winery and hotel “Mastinell”.  The hotel was not open for business at the time we were in Vilafranca.  The winery was, however.  We found a public parking spot downtown and then walked all over the city until we located the famous blue “i” for “INFORMATION” – Mom’s favorite business to visit in new places.  

At the Tourist Information and Welcome Center, we met a lovely local who was delighted to help us (her first tourists this week!) and provided us with a single-page map of the city with a route defined as the “historical tour” as well as a phone number to call for a local bed and breakfast.  Turns out, every single hotel in Vilafranca was either temporarily closed due to Covid or out of business entirely due to Covid.  The tiny, one room B&B was the only place she could find that was available, operational, and not a hostel.   It’s not that we are anti-hostel, but, for this particular trip, sleeping in a large room together with 1-3 other strangers and sharing a public shower wasn’t exactly what we had in mind.  Also, there was the car to think about – public parking overnight is a tad expensive and somewhat risky.  We thanked her for all her amazing assistance and took off on the walking tour of the city – following the historical tour route, obviously.

Basílica de Santa Maria de Vilafranca

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Vilafranca is the capital of the Alt Penedès comarca (municipality) and is the largest town between Barcelona and Tarragona.  It’s a relatively big berg, which is what was so surprising about the lack of operating hotels.  There were a number of very large hotels in town, some quite ornate and grandiose, but all with signs indicating they were closed and to please check their website for reopening information.  Until then, we had seen very little physical evidence of the economic destruction of the pandemic.  Now, it was hard to miss.  

Vilafranca del Penedès

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The town has a rich history – as many Spanish towns do – including being the site where King Peter the III of Aragon died while staying at the Royal Palace of Vilafranca and being the birthplace of Saint Raymond, Raymond of Penyafort, O.P.  We wandered past the Basílica de Santa Maria de Vilafranca, a formidable gothic church (Santa Maria), the Paleau Reial (Royal Palace), now a massive wine museum (Vinseum, the Museum of Wine Cultures of Catalonia, Palau Balta or Palau del Fraret an impressive gothic manner built in the 1500s by Francesc Babau (it includes both a pool AND a golf course!), the very romanesque Capella de Sant Joan (church of Saint Joan) with it’s circular window and octagonal bell tower (with a well-functioning bell, thank you very much), and a variety of other famous old merchant’s mansions such as: Palau Macià (home to local Barons and knows as “the house of the seven portals”) with its lovely Arabic tiled roof, gothic archways and noble balconies, and the Casal dels Gomà, the manor house of Bishop Josep Torras i Bages that later became the local provincial library.  We also posed for a photograph outside Cal Figarot a.k.a. Casa Via Raventós, home of the world famous Castellers of the Vilafranca (remember them from 2019?). Unfortunately, we ran out of time (and energy) and weren’t able to visit the convent of Sant Francesc before we had to leave.  

Castellers of Vilafranca

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We were tired of walking, but we didn’t have a place to stop for the night.  We were getting hungry, but we didn’t want to stop at a restaurant (and few were open in any regard).  Most of all, we were still wrapped up in the spirit of adventure and excited to explore more of the area – only by car, instead of by foot.  We weren’t really interested in staying the night in a B&B in Vilafranca and we were optimistic that we would find something closer to Barcelona.  So, we procured some snacks and decided to head up the N-340A, now named “Avinguda de Barcelona”, until we got to an unexpected round-about where our choices were limited to the A-7 autoroute or BV-2127/C-244z.  Since the idea was to “see the sights” and “explore the countryside”, I’m sure you can guess which route we took.  Interestingly, the C-244z becomes the C-243A at some point just outside of town and it was along the lovely C-243A that we journeyed, following the winding road over Riera de Lavernó (the Laverno River) until we happened upon the perfect place for a picnic.  In a bend in the road, we turned left onto a dirt path not available on any map but hosting a brown sign that indicated a nearby chapel.  The tiny chapel was located exactly where the road ended in another secret trail that ventured towards the main winery house or into the vineyard itself.  Naturally, we turned left into the actual vineyard and parked under a tree in the semi-shade so we could enjoy our snack and the lovely weather from the comfort of our little rental car.  No-one bothered us, except a curious black bird and some local butterflies, and we savored our time, nestled among the fields covered with vertically trellised vines just beginning to turn green again after their winter hibernation.

Hotel Sol i Vi

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The best discovery we made that day was the Hotel Sol i Vi.  Located literally just around the corner and up the road a ways from where we had picnicked, we were surprised to find the hotel both open and operational.  Furthermore, the hotel boasted a four-star restaurant with a locally famous Catalan chef and a lovely pool and playground area.  Fate intervened!  We were saved!  And, Allita was delighted to discover, they also have excellent wifi.  

Mom and I spent a significant amount of our first evening on “the chill out”, an outdoor garden terrace on the upper floor overlooking the surrounding vineyards and the entire hotel compound.  I say “compound” because this hotel is just that large.  It is family-owned with the three brothers now taking care of an aging mom – all of whom live onsite in their own homes – and includes a large, multi-roomed restaurant, sprawling hotel, convention center, pool, gardens, playground, and a variety of conference rooms/centers available for hosting weddings, birthdays, or other similar social or even business functions.  They even own some of the vineyard you can see growing all around the property and a large solar panel farm located below the bus parking lot.  The hotel sits right on a walking trail, not indicated on any map we owned or googled, but well-known by the locals and wine enthusiasts.  This trail leads from the little town of Lavern to El Pla del Penedés with another branch leading to Sant Sadurní d’Anoia and Sol i Vi at the very center.  It’s a popular way the locals and grape farmers travel from village to village without needing a vehicle.  Further, it’s the best way to access the vineyards in harvest or pruning season because it winds through literally field after field of grapes.  Clearly, this hotel is a location accustomed to large events, traffic and crowds.  That said, we were the only overnight guests in the place that Wednesday.  We were pampered and treated like queens.  Even dinner was an affair for which we all three “dressed” after a refreshing dip in the pool and a short nap, of course.  All-in-all, our stay was absolutely ideal.  Perfect.  We would return to visit Sol i Vi hotel at least one more time before the year was over.  Even then, with the grapes visible on the vines and many more guests demanding their time, the owners still treated us like special, treasured friends.  I would go there again.  Anytime. Today, for example.

Sol i Vi – what else would you name your vineyard/resort hotel/convention center/business complex/home?  If you lived in beautiful sunny Spain near the Catalan coast and surrounded by luscious fields of grapes?  Yeah – Sun and Life sounds perfect.  That’s what it all boils down to, after all.  Sipping a glass of locally grown Cava, sitting in the Catalan sunshine and soaking up the life – La Vida Bonita.  It doesn’t get any better than that.