History is all about stories: successes and failures, heroes and villains, happiness and tragedy. Traveling is the best way to see how history affects present-day stories.

These photos are from La Alhambra in Granada, Spain. It is considered one of the most significant examples of Islamic architecture in Spain and has inspired various works of music and literature.

Yet instead of highlighting the palace’s incredible architecture, I’m presenting two split-second stories of other people who have traveled to Granada. I don’t know their pasts, their presents, or their futures, but we have something in common. We’ve come here to experience another culture. For even just a split-second, our stories are the same.