In Granada...

What a city. This is my kind of place. And here is a correction. I said in my last post that the Albicin (Albizin, if you are muslim...) was a thousand years old. Sorry to short the place. There has been continuous inhabitation of this place for over seven thousand years and this hillside for over 2.7 millennia. Granada seems to be literally the cross-road of humanity in Europe, excepting the Caucuses, and I want to go there too!

We walked out of the Albacin today, meaning downhill, to re-enter modernity for a bit and on the way we came across this street. A taste of Morocco to come, eh?


Then, while continuing our walking tour, I stumbled across this guy, Jem along the river Darro. We'd come across a number of classical guitar players in the street but this fellow was different. He wasn't playing the Busker's Canon of Spanish Tourist Songs – meaning, Gypsy Kings, Frank Sinatra, and so on – and he kept his head and face covered with a impromptu keffiyef. I think to stay focused on the music. A true artist. So I stopped and listened. I could hear a number of classical Spanish composers my mother used play for me as a child, but I couldn't identify the song list. So I bought his CD out of his case and look forward to listening to it in the studio at home. I did the same thing ten years ago in San Miguel Allende – buying a lovely trio's homespun CD in a bar, and when I got it home they'd embedded this awful click-track accompaniment so I never played it again. But I don't think this will be the case with this Jem. I'll be sending him the photos I took and a downloadable link to this video. I hope he becomes famous. He deserves it for surprising the listener.

Enjoy:

Oh, and a kitty picture for those of you who like fuzzy things...


Lot of cats in the gypsy part of the Albacin...

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Oh yes, after visiting the caves, and a lovely afternoon mojito, I set up to paint the Alhambra from across the canyon at sunset. Surrounded by a crowd watching that sunset. Again, Spaniards and the tourists here are awfully polite. No one interrupted me even though I was obviously positioned.

What a beautiful structure. A dream for me. Exquisitely proportioned, a fortress, a Muslim stronghold, yet still a thing of grace. We will walk through it tomorrow. Can't wait to see the details.








My friend, Mark, is cooking up some fresh sardines in olive oil and garlic as I write this. Time to refocus.

Update:



Life is good.

Thomas



- Posted from the road from my iPad