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Still within the town boundaries, though at some distance from the city centre, a ten minutes walk, from the Royal Hospital towards the Cartuja’s University Campus, will lead us to another obliged visit: the monastery of Cartuja; a trip well worth the effort especially when faced, on our arrival, by the decorative profusion of its sacristy.
Back to the Paseo de los Tristes, specially if you like to get away from it all, you can cross the bridge in the direction of the Rey Chico and from there, walk up to the fuente del Avellano through a type of gladed Arcadia. There is surely no other stroll in the world so shaded, leafy and, as the sun brushes the trees, so redolent of green.
From this part of the river one can also climb up to the Alhambra via its natural and most ancient access point, the puerta de las Armas. Although continuing your walk up the cuesta de los Chinos will not disappoint, leading as it does to a place without equal outside Granada, la Mimbre.
Beyond the city itself, a visit to nearby Fuentevaqueros is worthwhile, here you can visit Lorca’s birthplace and get to know the magical countryside of the vega (Granada’s plain): the poplars recalling verses from forgotten poems or the disquieting architecture of the tobacco drying sheds.
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Once more in the city, fans of Lorca will want to visit the huerta de San Vicente (his Granada home) as well as Víznar, complete with the famous ravine where the poet met his death, nearby is Aynadamar, a spring which seems to shed tears of pearl.)
From the very centre of the city, stroll down to the carrera de la Virgen de las Angustias, Granada’s undisputed patron saint, before reaching the boulevards of the Salón and la Bomba which, following the river Genil, lead to the start of the road to the mountains and the puente Verde.Having crossed the river in the other direction, the Violón boulevard maintains a paradoxical vision of an old public washing place sitting opposite the ultra-modern palacio de Congresos. A few metres away and almost lost within the modern buildings which surround it, one finds the ermita de San Sebastián, an ancient Muslim monastery and the Arab palace of Alcázar Genil.
What effort it takes
for the light to leave Granada!
It weaves between the cypresses
or conceals itself under water.*
Federico García Lorca
JOURNEYS AROUND THE PROVINCE
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Granada’s privileged geographical position makes it the starting point for a whole host of excursions, both inside and outside the province. The ambitious programme of routes opened up by the cultural programme The Legacy of al-Andalus has shown that, using Granada as its historical centre, one can tour round a world of fascinating places. Here we will perhaps mention those which on no account should be missed: Sierra Nevada, well known during the ski season, though also well worth a visit in summer; the Alpujarras, Granada’s costa tropical; or the nucleus formed by the towns of Guadix and Baza. Along with these essential sights do not forget Montefrío, La Calahorra, Loja, Riofrío and many other towns which in themselves offer a fine day out.
(*) Federico García Lorca: Mariana Pineda, Espasa Calpe, colección Austral, Madrid, 1971.
© Herederos de Federico García Lorca.
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