January 28th - February 10th 2021
Alhambra Assault on the senses
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ll the patios of the Alhambra - like the majority of Nasrid palaces in Granada - take the same basic format. They were designed to be an assault on all five senses, so most of them have myrtle hedges for scent and a gentle trickle of water for sound. Most importantly, they have rectangular pools in the middle, which appear to increase the size of the palace buildings utilising a mirror effect. Finally, take note: You never enter at one end, but normally a third of the way along one side, creating privacy and intimacy.
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seen’ - feared his ‘scribbling’ would never do justice to the city’s crowning monument. But his book, the Tales of the Alhambra are as popular today as they were nearly 200 years ago, and a plaque has been placed in his honour above his former apartment.
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Trickle down effect
he clever use of water in the Alhambra gardens is synonymous with the way the Moors cleverly utilised water in Andalucia… and it transformed the once-barren Sabika hill into a microclimate of lush woodland and forestry. Look out for the main water channel, called the Acequia real (its original arabic
name), which still functions to this day. It divides into a series of channels that ran directly into the Generalife gardens and then down into the Alhambra itself. In an inspiration to gardeners the world over, the channels reached all corners of the gardens and even the fountains with enough pressure and they still do today.
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Sight for royal eyes only
ichly decorated with mosaics and lit by rosettes and stars, the baños reales are a wondrous part of the Alhambra that few lay eyes on. They are not normally open to the public and are so private that in the days of the
hey can grow to 30m high and live as long as 1,000 years. And the cypress trees that you see all around the Alhambra are also seen in abundance in the ancient Albaicin quarter on the facing hillside.. And indeed most of Granada. But that’s not all. Two sections of the Generalife gardens are named after them - Patio de los Cipres and the Paseo de los Cipreses - and the cypress tree has effectively become the national tree of Spain, like the oak in the UK, or the yew in France, with the Alhambra palace its most celebrated home.
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nce the stage for bullfights, the remarkable circular courtyard of the Palace of Carlos V was one of the few surviving works of Pedro Machuca, a former pupil of none other than Italy’s Michaelangelo. Its comAbination of Ionic pillars and coffered ceilings, added as recently as the 1960s, make it a striking and atypical piece of Renaissance architecture.
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Michaelangelo’s influence... in a roundabout way
bling sound of water, which is both soothing and doesn’t even cause the faintest ripple on the pool.
Touching the skies
Yankee retreat
The palace was once home to American ambassador to Spain, Washington Irving. The former politician, best known for his romantic writing, actually lived in a private apartment created for King Charles V for nearly a year in 1829. Built around the atmospheric Lindaraxa Courtyard Garden, he shared the 16th-century apartment with a host of cats, a few donkeys and a lunatic. The American author - who described Granada as ‘a most picturesque city, situated in one of the loveliest landscapes that I have ever
Keystone fountains Look carefully and each pool will normally have a keyshaped fountain at one end. From here emanates the bab-
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Nasrid dynasty singers and musicians who performed there were blind, the legend goes, to conserve the modesty of the royal harem. While closed, you get glimpses of their splendour via doorways along the Patio de la Lindaraja.
Keeping it minimal
HE ancient Islamic rulers of the Alhambra did not clutter their palaces with furniture, but preferred to keep things minimal. They would have the odd seat (or throne), corners of rooms would have but mostly sat on cushions or had beautiful vases and the brightly-coloured rugs, while the occasional musical instrument.
La Linea shut down THE border town of La Linea de la Concepcion has been handed extra harsh coronavirus strictions by the Junta rede Andalucia. The municipality, which borders Gibraltar, placed into Level has been 4.2 of the region’s coronavirus tier system. The town is facing edented climb in an unprecthe number of cases and was forced to order all non-essential and trade to cease business activity from midnight on Sunday. This includes shops, restaurants and bars hotels, - with the exception of businesses such as essential supermarkets or petrol stations. Experts made the along with regional decision Juanma Moreno on president Friday after the town’s cumulative incidence rate reached 1,247.9 cases per 100,000 people.
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Double
That is more than average rate of thedouble the besieged Campo de currently Gibraltar health district, which stands at 506.5 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. The whole district, made up eight towns, is currently closed down, meaning no one can leave or exit without a justified reason, such legal or for work. as medical, These measures will remain in place until at least January 25, Moreno said at a press conference today. The campo was first closed off when health authorities discovered the more UK variant of the contagious arrived in Gibraltar.virus had Since then, La Linea, receives cross-border which ers daily, has seen workan extremely sharp increase in COVID-19 cases. One worker told Press this week thatthe Olive the situation in the area was ‘out of control.’ The young woman, who works on the Costa del Sol in the Campo, and but lives ner are still both her partwaiting to be tested after coming into direct contact with infected person. a COVID-19
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HE tale of Joseph Lathey’s Nando’s border drama has made headlines around the world. The Olive Press’s frontpage exclusive last edition was quickly picked 952 147 834 up by national newspapers in the UK, Spain and even as far away as Russia. We first told the story of how Spanish customs officials confiscated Joseph’s Nando’s Peri-Peri sauce at the Gibraltar border, claiming new Brexit rules as justification. And it wasn’t long before the yarn was picked up by LadBible, followed by the Sun, the Daily Mail and eventually the FRONT PAGE of the Telegraph, and later Russia Today (RT). Even several Spanish publications, including the popular 20minutos, ran with the story. “It has definitely kicked off,” Joseph told the Olive Press this week following almost a fortnight of media appearances, “Nand o s h a v e already contacted me and are going to be sending me a parcel.” It was just one of several exclusives - spread across our six regional editions that we continue to deliver every fortnight. Dark times
THERE have been a total of 16 deaths from COVID-19 since the pandemic first struck in Gibraltar. The last four occurred weekend the vaccines on the arrived on January 9. finally The majority of the deaths were of elderly people with underlying conditions although there were also some exceptions. COVID-19 active cases passed the 1,000 mark surjust after the Christmas period although they have since stabilised. The strict measures imposed in the social lockdown introduced by the government on ber 27 and January Decem2 have finally taken effect. Public health experts believe the start of the third wave was initiated by Black Friday shopping on November 29. As the pre-Christmas shopping spree continued and families started to meet it is believed to havetogether spread further.
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STUMPED: Lathey was angry when his chilli and cloves were accepted but his Peri-Peri hot sauce A BRITISH expat was confiscated at the has branded border Spanish border officials and ‘clueless’ after they ‘ridiculous’ his Nando’s Peri Peri confiscated sauce at the Gibraltar border. Joseph Lathey, 27, was when much of his weeklyleft fuming shopping was binned as he tried to cross back “I said it was ridiculous into La Linea. as that would mean most of This meant seeing his Exclusive by my shopping prohibited list. But Spanish would also not be allowed legisleeks being tipped intobananas and Laurence Dollimore lation, specifically law in.” a customs Indeed, officials officer’s bin. told the Brit the dictates that vegetables 2019/2072, only items from his £55 and vegetawho asked not to be named, It also included his vegetable saadmit- ble-based products are prohibited could cross the frontier shop that ted that he stuffed mosas, one of his favourite bacon down his from entering the peninsula weekly cloves and chilli powder. were his underwear after from a treats he buys from hearing they were ‘third country.’ Ramsons, on “It didn’t make any sense,” Waterport Road. he add- seizing the majority of someone The Gibraltar Government ed, “they seemed to be told the Meanwhile, his chilli Olive Press: “The pretty clue- else’s products. less. The EU now classes were deemed acceptable.and cloves understanding is thatGovernment’s “I asked them to provide EU law third country, bringingthe UK as a cifically “I was completely stumped. exempts plant productsspein tougher I had a to justify what they were documents controls on what chicken which I thought inthey just sent me a phototaking and cross the border can and cannot tended for personal consumption been stopped but not might have from official controls at into of the a link bloc. the Peri-Peri to a Spanish Government Border ConAccording to the Gibraltar sauce,” Lathey told the Olive Press. Gov- trol Posts on introduction to the EU. Lathey was told he couldwebsite.” “The officials said it contained take his ernment website, several items shopping back onto puree, meaning it containedonion the Rock to for personal consumption are now store it. proAgreement banned, including all cessed veg and was meat and milk therefore not “I ended up selling it allowed over. all for £20, products (bar powdered infant milk, “Therefore, the Government will which is better than nothing,” be baby added for food and special food required seeking to clarify this matter with medical reasons or pet the relevant Spanish Authorities. Lathey. food re- “Until the final agreement It comes after quired for animal health reasons). several reports You cannot bring in more than 20kg respect to Gibraltar’s future with on social me- of any fish product or more than 2kg tionship with the EU is settled,reladia of Brits of other specific animal products, unless the Government advisesand See page 16 on including honey, oysters, specific having food live mus- ogationsbridging measures or derseized at the sels and snails. having been agreed whilst The Government reminder, that agreement is negotiated, border. pub- braltar Gilished on January 4, will be treated as One expat, vegetable does not products as being on list country for the purposes of a third EU custhe toms controls.”
British expat left fuming including the Peri-Peri after most of his shopping sauce - was labelled at Gib border due to ‘contraband’ new Brexit rules
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