S
painDuring the summer of 1998, I spent six weeks in Salamanca, Spain. I went to school during the week and traveled every weekend. Some parts of Spain reminded me a lot of Texas. During the bus ride from Madrid to Salamanca, all I saw were acres and acres of flat land. It was my first time in Europe and I didn't know what to expect. I certainly didn't think that I would be reminded of Texas as soon as I got on the bus.
One of the cities I visited was
Granada, Spain. I think Granada is one of the most interesting and beautiful cities I have ever visited. I spent most of my time in the Alhambra complex. It is a beautiful complex filled with gardens and fountains with the Sierra Nevada mountains behind it. The palace is located on a hill and looks over the city.
Since the palace is located on a hill, a visitor has to do a lot of hiking to get around. With a beautiful view, multiples of gardens and fountains and great works of architecture, I forgot all about the hike. I spent hours in the palace relaxing and admiring the artwork. This is the only place that I know of that was successful at integrating nature with human art. Everywhere you go, you can hear the sound of water flowing. Whoever designed the place made sure there was water flowing in every room. I remember climbing up the stairs and hearing water. I looked around and didn't see any signs of water near me. When I listened closer, I realized that the handrail, which was hollow, had water flowing through them!
"When a man, with such a pure appreciation in his peaceful mind, tries to compose with stones, grass and water in order to create one unified beauty - the formation is called a 'garden.' In this context, the garden is the embodiment of the peaceful coexistence of all the elements of nature."-Isamu Taniguchi
The Alhambra is a perfect example of the "peaceful coexistence" between man and nature.
