Spanish Journey Part One
2. Granada

Narrator
Visitors go to Granada mainly because of the Alhambra. It was built when most of the Iberian Peninsula was in the hands of the Moors, and parts of the palace date back to the 7th century. But Granada has many other places of interest to explore and this is what Inka does when she comes here. Granada has a rich and fascinating history. It was an important city for centuries and it was the last bastion of the Moors before they were driven out. Their legacy is to be found today in the local craftwork, for instance the inlaid woodwork. But Granada is certainly not a museum: it is a vibrant, colourful city, full of character. Inka, accompanied by Juan Bustos Bustos, an expert in local history, is visiting the Albaicín, one of the oldest areas of the city.

Inka Martí
Juan, Granada is full of cármenes, isn't it? Is this a carmen?

Juan Bustos 
This is a carmen, the exterior wall of a carmen. A carmen was a small property that was divided into part garden and part kitchen garden. And of course it was completely and totally sheltered from the gaze of passers-by. The Moors were a people obsessed with their private lives, their privacy, and wouldn’t share it with strangers. 

[song]

Juan Bustos
You must keep in mind that this district, as befits a district of ancient Moorish ancestry, was typical of a people that... as people from the desert they had no water, no flowers, and no light, not like you find here. Their light was hard and harsh, like the sand and desert lands. Here they went mad with flowers, and created a truly incredible paradise of flowers. The Moors are a particularly thirsty people: they were people who had been living for centuries amidst the hot sands of the desert, so they developed a water cult. Granada allowed them to worship the element most necessary for their survival: water. The cisterns are an example of the ingenuity and great skill of the Moors as hydraulic engineers. They were able to make water do their bidding and meet their needs like no other people had ever done before.

Inka Martí
With delicious water.

Juan Bustos
Manuel Bellido Machado wrote a sonnet with the lines: "Granada, the lament of hidden water." The sound you hear is the plaintive murmur of the water of Granada.

Narrator
But water is not the only element that sings in Granada. Spain is famous for its guitar players, like Paco Peña, Paco de Lucia or Tomatito, and for its guitar makers. Manuel Bellido Bellido started making guitars when he was only 14 years old. 

[music]

Inka Martí
Manuel, do you need to build a guitar with love for it to play well?

Manuel Bellido 
Yes! It's the most important thing. We say that on one hand a guitar is made of wood, wood and glue, isn't it? The glue we use is an animal extract. We've been using it forever. So a guitar consists of wood and also the hands of its maker... I believe you have to do everything with love. Not only make guitars: you need it for everything you do.

Inka Martí
Why is it that Spain produces such good flamenco players?

Manuel Bellido
I think it must be in the genes. It's genetic. There are good flamenco guitar players in other parts of the world, but maybe they lack what we call the magic, the duende, and some people have it but they have to come from the Andalusian or the gypsy families.

[music]

Manuel Bellido
I think it really comes from hunger, doesn't it? As well...[music].  Every country has a hunger, an innate quality... but I don't mean by that that people outside Spain can't play the guitar well.

Inka Martí
And can you play your guitars?

Manuel Bellido
No, to play is something else. It is very important for me: I have great respect for anyone who can play the guitar.

[music]