Paseo de los Tristes, Granada

(1)
Look away from the wall
to blue sky above mountains
and the olive tree on the hillside
where a bird sings carelessly.

(2)
Look back at the wall
where the bullet holes remain,
spattered through plaster,
not higher than the head
of a kneeling man,
testament to war.

(3)
Look away from the wall
at the end of the road
to the tree on the hill.
And the bird still sings.

Alice Christie
13 ii 13

*****

The Cementerio de San José is situated on the hill above the Alhambra at the end of the Paseo de los Tristes. It is an impressive place full of monuments and statuary appropriate for a large and wealthy city.

Walk outside and follow the edge of the cemetery around to the right and you will come to a memorial which commemorates victims of the Franco regime who were shot by firing squads against the wall. 3,978 executions were recorded here between 1936 and 1956 and you can still see the bullet holes in the plaster. Places like this are to be found all over Spain but are only just being acknowledged.

If you visit the Alhambra I recommend that you find the time to walk up to the Cemetery and see this place of profound grief.