Beyza Berfin Karataş “Traveling to different cities, getting to know different cultures, listening to the stories of completely different people, and becoming a part of those stories; all of these are very special. The European cities I’ve had the chance to explore so far have been a big part of this, but this time it will be different.” As I was trying to sleep at Barcelona Airport, ready to depart for Granada in the morning, these thoughts were running through my mind. I had the opportunity to see a few different cities in Europe. I had unique experiences in each city, but the excitement of stepping onto Andalusian soil was something else. A city built by Muslims, a place where I felt completely at home, a place I could call “ours.” It was land where I felt I belonged more than any other European city could make me feel.
As I waited for our early morning flight, unaware of the disappointments I would face, I thought about these things during my brief naps at the airport. I placed my passport and the last of my money in the top compartment of my backpack, rested my head on it, and fell into a deep sleep with these thoughts. While I was sleeping, my travel companion and dear friend Hale apparently couldn’t get as comfortable as I did, because when I woke up, she looked quite tired and sleepless. Hoping to catch some more sleep on the plane, we were kept awake by three elderly couples sitting in front of us, who were laughing and enjoying themselves, clearly still in the springtime of their lives. As we descended after a noisy flight, the villages and neighborhoods I saw didn’t seem unfamiliar at all; they looked just like the ones back home. After visiting large European cities, this sight made me feel really good. Our Spanish adventure, which had started a few days earlier, had already taught us that no one knew enough English to give directions. So, after getting off the plane, with my map skills and Hale’s knowledge of public transportation, we managed to find the local bus that would take us to the city.
A Sweet Romantic Comedy Scene
We took a short bus ride and reached the city center. From what I could see along the way, the outskirts of the city were not much different from our small towns, but things changed once we reached the city center. The city center reminded me of the small towns from the romantic comedies we used to watch with the girls in the dorm at night. A tiny center, a marketplace with historic stone buildings, local markets; all of these felt like they were straight out of those magical movies. As soon as we got off the bus, we headed towards our hotel. The place we were staying was a hostel in the city center, typically where travelers stay for relatively longer periods, but unfortunately, we would only be spending one night there.
Since it wasn’t time to check in yet, we left our bags in a corner of the lobby, changed our clothes to shake off the traces of the long night at the airport, and stepped into the magical streets of Granada. As soon as we left the hotel, we saw a neighborhood church and went inside. Unlike other European cities, a crowded congregation greeted us here. A grand church in a side street and a large praying congregation were enough to show us that the people of this city were devout. When we reached the city center, we saw a church with well-dressed people in front of it, and we immediately went inside. As luck would have it, a wedding ceremony was taking place at that very moment. With the songs, hymns, and the wedding ceremony itself, we found yet another piece of those magical movies in this city.
A Garden from Paradise
Our biggest dream when coming here was to visit the Alhambra Palace. We considered walking to the palace, which is located on top of the city, but since our time in the city was already quite limited, we decided against it. While looking for a way to get there, we discovered that minibuses, very similar to those in Turkey, were available and that they could take us to the palace quickly and cheaply. As the minibus climbed up towards the top of the city, we felt like we were in a beautiful Mediterranean town in Turkey. It seemed like the only difference between this city and a Mediterranean one was the lack of a connection to the sea. After a journey of about 10-15 minutes, we arrived at the palace. Although we heard at the entrance that the tickets for the day were sold out, we had bought our tickets online well in advance, so we had no issues at the gate and quickly passed through the turnstiles to reach the palace. It was as if, after passing through the turnstiles, we had left the world behind and stepped into a completely different, magical realm. Everywhere in the vast area of the palace, we were greeted by magnificent trees and flowers.
The most beautiful gardens I have ever seen in my life were the gardens of this palace. Passing through these unpretentious, serene, yet enchanting gardens, we reached the main section of the palace. To be honest, I didn’t know it was this large before coming here. I had always thought it was just a courtyard surrounded by flowers and a couple of gardens, as seen in photos. But it felt as if the palace expanded as we walked, giving us a small taste of paradise on earth. I don’t think it would make much sense to tell you about the exact number of rooms, buildings, gardens, etc. All of these are just minor details. What really matters is the fact that, as soon as we passed through the turnstile, we felt as if we were in a completely different world, perhaps even in the gardens of paradise. With each step, I smiled with greater admiration and pride at the thought of Muslims leaving such a perfect legacy to the world. And seeing the awe-struck looks on the faces of other tourists made me realize again and again how justified my pride was.
Dreams Dashed
We only had one day to spend in Granada. For this reason, we decided to fully explore the palace and promised to visit the other sites on our next trip. After touring the palace, we descended back to the city square and began walking around. I had said at the beginning that I felt like I belonged here, but unfortunately, the palace tour and our walks around the city were enough to shatter those dreams. Unlike the welcome I had received in other European cities, for the first time here, as a young woman in a headscarf, I felt the scornful gazes of the local people. The fact that the city’s already small population consisted mostly of elderly, devout people could be one of the reasons for this.
I will never forget the disdainful stares of the elderly women on the bus, the likely English couple whose hatred I read in their eyes while touring the palace, and many others like them. Anyway, back to our story—we walked through the city’s markets, stumbled upon an open-air stage in the middle of a park that looked like something out of a romantic comedy, and amused ourselves, enjoying the city. We searched for a nice place to have dinner, but just like in the rest of Spain, the opening and closing hours of the venues here were much later than what we were used to, and we couldn’t find a suitable place. So, we bought some cheese, bread, a crate of strawberries, and those amazing cookies we had been eating throughout our trip from the market and headed back to our hotel. We squeezed the table from the room onto the small balcony of our hotel room, and over a delightful conversation, we enjoyed a meal that was perfect for us.
Night Walk
We were so exhausted from the palace and the city center that Hale wanted to rest in the room. But since we had such little time in this city, I wanted to explore a bit more, so I went outside. I didn’t have internet on my phone; I had been using the internet on Hale’s phone during the day, and I didn’t have a SIM card, so I set off on a nighttime walk through the streets of Granada without any internet or map. Despite it being late, the small city of Granada was quite crowded, and I would soon find out why. I started walking through the streets and when I reached the church where we had attended the wedding ceremony in the morning, I encountered a large crowd. I followed the crowd to see what was happening and saw that dozens of people had formed a grand procession.
A dozen young men were leading the way, carrying large crosses and censers, while others followed behind, carrying statues of Jesus and Mary placed on platforms. It took nearly ten people to carry each statue with great difficulty. The procession was led by a person who set the pace by striking an object to produce a rhythm. They walked to the rhythm, lowered the statue to rest, and then resumed walking to the same beat. The sound of the rhythm and the sight of the young men, all dressed in black suits, simultaneously lifting the statue into the air with a coordinated jump still lingers in my mind. I tried to talk to the people around me to understand why this grand, spectacular event was happening and what it meant. I asked a few officials in suits and some locals, but no one spoke enough English to satisfy my curiosity. I would have to wait until Córdoba to fully understand this ritual. From the bits and pieces of information I gathered, I could only deduce that they were taking the statues of Jesus and Mary from the church for a brief procession and then returning them. By the end of this ceremony, I felt like I had truly experienced Granada and was ready to set off for Córdoba.
Belonging
As I walked back to the hotel from the church, I remember thinking about the things this city had taught me. Initially, I was saddened by the thought that I would never feel like I belonged here, having been ostracized because of my faith. However, this changed when I encountered a few Muslim shopkeepers and a Turkish woman who was also traveling like us. The moment she saw me, she gave me a big smile and said, “Selamünaleyküm.” I was reminded once again that I have brothers and sisters all over the world, and wherever they are, I can feel a deep sense of belonging. With the weight of all these emotions and thoughts, I slowly walked back to the hotel. Remembering that I belong everywhere gave me confidence, and it was time to rest for a proud journey to Córdoba.
