Carmen de la Victoria

”Life is good !” was all I was saying to myself at mornings of last week. Where the slope of the narrow street from Albaicin starts to show you blue blue sky behind the opuntias of Monte Croce, where white painted narrow houses open their windows to mirror Alhambra and where a small dog climbed a roof to see visitors better, there are big ornamental black iron doors. Each morning, for almost a week, I rang the bell at these doors. Working with colleagues on two different projects we met in Granada this time and behind these black doors , at University of Granada’s  Carmen de la Victoria, was where we worked  each day. 

Carmen de la Victoria  doesn’t mean victorious lady Carmen as one could wrongly assume, but means Victoria’s house. Only in Granada CARMEN means a house with a garden. Carmens are typical for Albaicin district of Granada, where Arabs had set first gardens around the houses, behind the walls,  in medieval times. Now these gardens are being reconstructed, they are traditionally gardens with many smaller terraces, with different water motifs, with various decorative elements, with palms and oranges, mirth, pomegranates and apricots, one of best valued elements is view of Alhambra. Carmen de la Victoria garden is Eden of its own, sweet smell of unknown flowers embraces visitors and reminds them of times past centuries ago,  Alhambra at the other hill  seems as a picture inviting the guests to step into the book of Arab legends….. where each morning a lady rings a door bell to enter the pitoresque garden……

In Granada’s carmens life is good………..the best message a garden can give…