Dear Tiffany,
Greetings! Have you visited Washington, D.C.'s cherry blossoms this year?
I am always fond of the flower season, especially the cherry blossom in the area. They always give me a sense of dreaminess and pull me away from the anxiety accumulated from never-ending tasks.
Though DC's cherry blossom is mesmerizing and dreamy, without your companion, I went to the Brookside Garden to subdue loneliness. There are many different types of gardens and resting points. What I like most was strolling through their rose garden and gazing at the flower bed at the gazebo. It reminded me of my visit to the Alhambra.
Built from the red clay, the Alhambra was a fortress carved by the River Darro to the north and the Genil hill to the south. The word "Alhambra" is derived from Arabic and means "red house". Its entire complex was composed of three major campuses: the Alcazaba at the western defense point, the Palacio Nasrid as the main theme, and the Generalife at the side as a complementary recreational facility.
If we simply put Brookside Garden and Alhambra's plan side by side, we might suspect Alhambra's influence and Brookside Garden's geometrical clue borrowed from it. The trio garden (Mapple Terrace, Yew Garden, and Perennial Garden) leading to the Conservatories was similar to the garden sequence at Generalife. At Alhambra, after a theatrical performance, the Generalife audience passes a series of gardens and returns to the recreation castle. At Brookside Garden, followed by a ceremony at the wedding gazebo, Rose Gardens' visitors walk through the trio gardens and enjoy their reception at the Conservatory.
The fan shape of Brookside's Rose Garden is also similar to the Alhambra's Alcazaba. At Alcazaba, ancient Arabs used double walls to enclose the fortress, for defence; in Brookside Garden, the designer uses double walls to carve out another sunken landscape, for pleasure.
You often tease me for not following the news. As I am a slow reader and can only comprehend so much from the headlines, my understanding of the news is just skin-deep. On the other hand, I wonder what would happen if you and I only paraphrase the spatial quality down to a geometrical level. Will we be able to recreate similar sensations and experiences from the past? Or we can build our own interpretation of the era that belongs to us.
Sitting at the garden bench, a sense of gratitude and comfort arises. I still feel awe when reflecting on my experience at the Alhambra, and feel lucky that we no longer need a defensive fortress alongside each significant garden and building. We can enjoy the beauty of nature and our creation without worrying much about unpredictable attacks.
Your affectionate friend,
Hepburn