A tourist in Granada

Granada is Spain's top tourist spot at all times of year. The glamorous beauty of the snow-capped Sierra Nevada which rises above the ancient city with its world-famous Moorish palace and Renaissance cathedral gives it instant appeal. The Alhambra palace used to be one of the seven wonders of the world, and countless coachloads of visitors arrive week after week to be beguiled by its enchanting architecture and gardens. But if you go off the beaten track and wander up the steep and winding road through the gypsy quarter known as the Sacromonte, up the hillside along the river Darro, you will come to one of Granada's best kept secrets and treasures, the abbey of the Sacromonte. Perched on the hill overlooking both the Alhambra and the city with the dual domes of the cathedral and the new mosque, the abbey was founded in 1610 by the Archbishop of Granada, Don Pedro de Castro, to house the priceless relics of Christian martyrs found in old Torre Turpiana, and to guard the mysterious Lead Books, strange archaelogical artefacts discovered buried on the hill where the abbey stands. The abbey has been uppermost in my mind this week as I revise my new book which tells the story of these relics and lead texts, to be published later this year.
On a dark, wild, cold night in December in England, I am remembering with pleasure the tranquil beauty of Granadan abbey, and my kind and lovely friends who work there, former abbot Don Juan Sanchez and Dr Marisa Garcia Valverde, who helped me in my researches. !Feliz Navidad!