This is another post showcasing my mom's work, and this one is super special because it's tied in with so many memories, as you'll see. My mom's really becoming an incredibly fast stitcher! Ladies and gentlemen, here is her latest finish:
I don't know the designer, but it depicts one of Spain's most beautiful heritage sites: the beautiful Alhambra in Granada, with the mountain range Sierra Nevada behind it.
The Alhambra is one of the world's best preserved Moorish palaces from medieval times, a real jewel of Moorish architecture. It's a couple of hours from where we live so it's a weekend getaway place for us and I can tell you, the sunset looks exactly like that when it hits the palace walls. In fact, the name "Al-hambra" means "the red" in Arabic, probably because its walls were built of reddish rammed earth.
Here is a picture I took on one of our last visits... apologies for the blurry quality:
I've been going to the Alhambra since my first school field trip when I was seven. Then, in my early twenties, the city of Granada itself became a place to hang out with friends, chilling at the tea shops and eating the traditional sweets made with nuts and honey. I still love this city, because it has a very strong sense of history and an active student culture.
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| The Courtyard of Lions |
Granada was so special to me that when a certain Irish boy came to visit Spain for the first time some years ago, I took him to visit it, and this is where he asked me to date! Much later, the same boy took me to the Alhambra and asked me to marry him in its lush gardens.
So you see, a lot of memories surround this place. Here are some more pictures that will hopefully give you a feeling for the place:
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| Moorish windows looking into a courtyard garden |
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| Peeping through an arch |
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| Detailed wall carvings |
Until next time, happy stitching :)
Your Mom's finish of the Alhambra is stunning. It triggered some memories for me as well. I took a trip to Spain during high school with a teacher and other students from different high schools. The Alhambra was one of the places we visited.
ReplyDeleteHow nice that you've seen this place, Robin! :D It sounds like a great trip. I'll let my mom know you liked her project, thank you for your comment :)
DeleteWhat a beautiful piece- your Mom's stitching is lovely. And how wonderful to have such special memories associated with it, too. That certainly looks like a gorgeous place to visit.
ReplyDeleteHope you're having a fun and relaxing weekend!
Mary
Thank you Mary :) it's certainly worth a visit if you ever find yourself around the area. I hope you're having a good week, thank you for commenting :D
DeleteOh, I can't tell you how much I loved this post, Robin, as the Alhambra is very special to me, too! You see, we went to Europe as a family in 2011 after my son had spent the summer studying in Seville and we spent such an amazing day at the Alhambra (if you would like to read my post, check out https://stitchingdream.blogspot.com/2011/07/delivering-liberty.html
ReplyDeleteI LOVED the photos of you and your now husband there--how wonderful and I hope you get to go visit often to recall your engagement :) Your mom did a wonderful job in her stitching. Thank you for sharing. And thank you for your sweet comment on my last post--loved the way seniors are thought of in Spain! I'll have to remember that ♥
How wonderful that you were at the Alhambra Carol! Thank you for the link to your post, I had a great time reading it and seeing the pictures, I've left you a comment on it with more detail :) and I'm so glad to hear you liked our little "senior culture" here in Spain :D thanks for your comment, I hope you're having a great week!
DeleteWhat nice memories and especially since that's where your hubby proposed! That is so neat! Here I thought Alhambra was a Hispanic word. Interesting to know of it's Arabic ties. Spain is on my bucket list but I know I'll never visit so thanks for sharing your pictures.
ReplyDeleteFun fact: any word in Spanish that begins with "al" actually comes from Arabic; isn't that cool? And I understand about the bucket list, there's sooo many places I'd like to visit as well... I hope you get to Spain at some stage! Thanks for your comment :)
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