Granada 2018

The magnificent thirteenth century Moorish castle called the Alhambra, (Arabic for Red Fort), stands guard over the city of Granada.  The mountains of the Sierra Nevada lie to the southeast covered in snow. Built by a Nasrid sultan 500 years after the Muslims conquered most of Spain in 711, its 32 towers and two kilometres of walls once had a garrison of 40, 000 soldiers. The last Moorish ruler Boabdil surrendered the castle to the Christian army of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabel of Castille, whose union established the nation state of Spain. As he took one last tearful look at his palace his mother Aisha made the famous rebuke – ‘do not weep like a woman for what you could not defend like a man’. The Alhambra fell into disrepair when the royal court moved to Madrid. Later Napoleonic forces restored parts of the castle and finally travellers moved in and plundered its treasures.  Today it is the most visited monument in Spain.

Last week nine boys in Years 10, 11 and 12 and two teachers were looking down from the tallest tower of the old fort or Alcazaba after a tour of the sultan’s gardens, palace and private quarters.  An intricate system of reservoirs, aqueducts and pipes supply water by gravity from the Darro River to the gardens above the castle. It then feeds the many fountains, pools and water tanks throughout the palace and finally it flows down to the city.

‘While the city below pants with the noontide heat, the delicate airs from the Sierra Nevada play through these lofty halls, bringing with them the sweetness of the surrounding gardens’  (Washington Irving)

During their five day trip los nueve niños had a fascinating look around the 12,000 seated bullring, where matadors and bulls dance to the death in front of large crowds every June and July. They applauded four dancers performing Flamenco, which one boy described as ‘a very violent and passionate dance about pain and suffering’. They visited the Science Museum with a robot called Charles, lots of scientific activities and a biosphere full of lemurs, exotic birds and plants and sea creatures. They also spoke to street demonstrators about better working conditions for women. Their exemplary conduct impressed Senor Garcia who teaches at the Colegio Mulhavén, a private Catholic school with 600 boys on the outskirts of Granada. His class of Year 8 boys presented several aspects of Spanish culture in English. About half of all their subjects are taught in English. The headmaster Ignacio Lopéz met the boys and told them that he would like to develop links with NSB.

Many thanks to the boys for being outstanding ambassadors and fantastic travel companions, to Señor Garcia for his warm welcome and excellent tips about restaurants with Flamenco, and finally to Miss Devitt and Mr Drax for organising the trip.