April 13th, 2003 | The lowdown by William Sherman

El Ojo de Granada.

If you want a dazzling view of Granada and a taste of low-tech espionage, El Ojo de Granada (The Eye of Granada) is the place to go.

Open every day from 9:30a.m. till sunset, the Eye offers a magnified, 360-degree view of the countryside, the city and even the cobblestone street three stories below. How? It�s called �camera obscura.� Leonardo Da Vinci used it, and today tourists ogle at the simple science: a tilted mirror takes surrounding images, reflects them down through two lenses and onto a horizontal screen below. The wide retinal projection renders austere cathedrals and snowcapped mountain views, but also satisfies a hungry tourist�s voyeurism.

�It�s like a periscope,� the guide explained as I entered the dark room and began the tour, �the images you see are live.� And to demonstrate she pulled hard on a joystick-SCHJOOOOT!-whined the gears overhead, and the Eye zoomed in on a private terrace five blocks away. A man stood in the bright sun, smoking cigarette and pacing back and forth. Enchanted by my newfound powers of espionage, I let out a gasp. But the best part had yet to come.

The guide then shifted the camera�s gaze down a side street off the Gran V�a (main drag). As pedestrians passed by, she scooped them up and dropped them with a white envelope held inches above the screen. I got my turn as well, but before my god-like powers became too much to handle, the tour resumed.

The Eye scanned the Realejo district, the Alhambra, the Sierra Nevada, the Sacramonte and the old city wall, the hilltop church of San Miguel, and thus the 40-minute visual visit came to a close. While the view was sometimes blocked by trees or nearby buildings, the important sites still remained visible. At each vista, the guide gave pertinent historical and contextual information. As requested, she spoke in Spanish, but could have easily led the tour in English, French or German.

The second part of the visit, a 20-minute film, was scant of facts or context. It did show pretty pictures of the Granada province, but was more promotional than informative-you might find the time better spent outside in the sun. Even so, at just under five bucks for a student ticket, the Eye is well worth looking through.