Granada, Granada, Granada moya!
After a brief and comfortable ride from Madrid, we arrived in the magical city of Granada. Despite being far from the ocean, it proved to be our favorite spot in Spain.
Like the Ukranian soldier of the famous song, the refrain kept running through my mind the whole way. As soon as we stepped off the train, we were hit by the incredible aroma of orange blossoms. The trees, full of fruit, were everywhere. Masha, though, was less enthusiastic than I
Although we arrive early in the day, we were still jetlagged and didn’t do much other than grocery shopping.
But the next day, it was time for a proper breakfast of honest to goodness real churros and hot chocolate in the park! Through a complete coincidence, our apartment was right on top of a churreria widely acknowledged to be the best in the city, and we agreed
Although it took us a few days, by the time we left, we did discover the best ice cream place in Old Town Granada — also through a pure coincidence of someone’s off-hand recommendation. It is called Heladeria Los Italianos
There were some funky flavors here — like candied pumpkin and fruitcake ice cream? But it was goooood.
Granada has a very different feel from Madrid, not just because it’s much smaller, but because its Arabic influence is still strongly felt in the neighborhoods in and around Old Town
This is especially true in the narrow alleys of Albaicin neighborhood next to the Alhambra and the twisty streets of Sacromonte
Some of it looked like Madrid though —
Granada has several well known landmarks. Of course, by far the most famous is the UNESCO-recognized Alhambra, a Moors-era castle that deserves its own day, and its own post.
Beyond Alhambra, there are a number of interesting museums and remnants from the Moorish times, as well as gypsy caves, Spanish courtyards and more. There is, for example, this archaeological museum with a spectacular courtyard in the shadow of Alhambra
And this Ottoman bath house
The coolest historical attraction outside of Alhambra, though, is the Granada Cathedral and its masoleum. Impressive from the outside,
It is even more stunning from within — even after visiting some of the most grandiose churches of Italy
The real treasure of the cathedral, though, is in the crypt nextdoor: the tombs containing Ferdinand and Isabella. They chose to be entombed here because they considered the conquest of Granada and unification of Spain — in 1492! — their most important achievement. It marked the formation of modern Spain, unifying Isabelle’s Castile and Ferdinand’s Aragon kingdoms after the expulsion of the last Muslim dynasty from Spain. The audio guides here were stellar!
Unfortunately, they would not allow photos in the crypt… so here is a completely inaccurate AI rendition
Finally, Granada is one of the many places claiming to be the birthplace of some or other type of Flamenco. The legend goes that the tradition comes from the gypsies that occupied caves in the Sacromonte (sacred white mountain) neighborhood of Granada, though of course it pulls elements from many cultures. We made sure to sample one of the well regarded shows. And while we’ve seen flamenco before, this was a different breed.
The venue we picked showcased a darker and moodier version with a LOT of passion. First, it takes place in a striking cave
Flamenco in general is like a more percussive and angrier cousin of ballet; this one was furious, and despondent, full of emotion, though with the expected fabulous guitar
Feeling inspired by the show — brooding though it was — Masha and Alya went dancing afterwards through the dark and empty streets of Moors-era Granada
Finally, tonight, while we didn’t visit too many notable restaurants in Granada, our host told us about a tapas bar that was indeed super authentic (Café Bar El Dintel). So authentic they would only serve food as pairings to drinks, in true tapas style. That, and they poured sherry from massive casks like this:
(actual moment of pouring not captured)
Overall, our experience of Granada was magical. The fountains — like Jardins Del Triunfo next door to us —
the plazas, the views, the little streets filled with souvenirs, the tea shops, the ice cream, the twisty paths, the awesome escape room (yes we do those!), the daily churros and chocolate... and the magic of the people filling the streets. Ready with warmth and smiles, and extra churro... just because. This little place had us wishing so much that we could stay just one extra day. Mike literally had to drag us across the intersection next to the parking garage. We did not want to go!
And while Morocco called for us to be on our way towards its shores, Granada will forever be in our hearts — calling us to come back at least one more time.
