Walking through the Alhambra Palace is a mesmerizing stroll in divine geometry and perfection. Behind every stone there is a mathematically calculated move; each mosaic piece is a perfection coming together with precision and the vision the creators of this wondrous place had. What fascinates me the most about this palace is how the grand [...]
The Alhambra Palace
Everyone has their personal story about the Alhambra; I do not know anyone who has not been affected by it in one way or another. I visit this palace as part of my Andalus pilgrimage and my last visit was with a group pf writers I organized a retreat for in May 2022. The retreat [...]
Olive Land
To be alone by choice is a luxury I lavishly savour today. I am driving on olive land and chew on some interesting things about this corner of Andalucia. The day is bright already and I am holding onto the wheel as I drive up steep mountain roads only to descend to ziggety country paths [...]
History Buried by Tourists
I live on two lands; one foot in soggy old England; the other is in the challenging soils of Andalucia. I drive along the sparkling coast, with the sun behind me, guiding my way towards the mountains behind Malaga. This land is blessed and vast in its wisdom, and despite its appearance, the coastline is [...]
Cervantes and Islam
Everyone with some interest in Spain knows about Don Quixote. The world laughs at him as a foolish figure of locura (silliness) but like many things in Spain, there is more to what meets the eyes. Cervantes, although called the writer of the first Western novel, was also a figure we all need to observe [...]
Olive Land
To be alone by choice is a luxury. And I lavishly savour it today as I am driving on olive land while chewing on some interesting things about this corner of Andalucia. The day is bright already and I am holding onto the wheel as I drive up steep mountain roads only to descend to [...]
Ash-Sharquiyyah (Axarquia) of Andalucia
There is a delirious joy driving through the sleepy white villages of the Axarquia region of Andalucia- a strip of land devoid of the lights and crime of the costa and the frozen air of the Sierra Nevada. This part of my loving land holds its secrets in tiny details, so you need to be [...]
Mayurqa
On the road to learn about love again, this time to the Spanish island where most people from Essex travel to, Mallorca. I overhear conversations about booze and serrano ham as we board, so I know instinctively what I might expect. But even at 6am I cannot help but hear my tickling brain-what was the [...]
Love Letter to Andalus
It is one thing to be besotted by Spain, it is another to be in the grips of Andalus. This intoxicating place that had me the moment I set foot there shifted my entire worldview and allowed me to enter a bigger world where I see history, politics and life in all forms morphed into [...]
Interview with Steven Nightingale
When I want something badly, I can be a nuisance, I know. But I did not need to use any of my bugging or bargaining skills when I asked Steven to talk to me about his book, Granada- a Pomegranate in God’s Hands. He was ready to share and willing to weave a conversation on [...]