Granada, Spain
Early October 2019
Here we are in Spain, a country we have somehow not been able to visit during any of our trips to Europe. Intentionally avoiding the island and resort scene, we made way for Andalucía, the southern coast of Spain, famed for its historical mix of Catholic, Jewish, and Islamic cuisine, architecture, and culture. Our first stop was Granada, which I was amused to discover translates literally to Pomegranate.
Flying in to Malaga, we caught a bus direct from the airport to Granada. I was somewhat surprised at how southern Spain looked. Barren, wheat-coloured landscapes ran as far as the eye could see. The only things that seemed to break up the monotony of the landscape were olive groves, a few small white towns with skylines dominated by bell towers and crucifixes, or the occasional jagged mountain. Like central Australia, there really wasn’t much green at all and almost nothing but open space.
Unbeknown to us, our first day in Granada happened to be on the city’s patron saint day, so the entire town was abuzz with well-dressed church goers – all with candles in hand on their way to church.
We gawked at the spectacle as we weaved through the crowds on the way to our accommodation. After meeting our lovely host, Pedro, we grabbed an ice cream to help with the heat and wandered around the south of town, along the Genil river. It was a balmy, autumn evening and the town seemed to be bathed in a golden sunset. It didn’t take long for us to be hungry enough to feel the need to take part in Spain’s beloved culinary tradition – Tapas.
Tapas, as I’m sure you know, amounts to small plates of food, which are intended to be shared amongst friends and certainly eaten with alcohol. Granada and a few other Andalusian cities go one better and as a matter of principle, offer a free tapa with every drink ordered.
To be clear, this isn’t just peanuts or slices of bread, house specialty dishes are given to anyone who orders any drink – no questions asked. It makes for an exciting, convivial atmosphere across the city, with people wandering about to different bars to see what’s on offer. With each drink you curiously look to see what you’ll be given, hoping perhaps you’ll get what the person next to you is eating if it looks good. Don’t like what you’re being served? Move on to the next bar. Rinse and repeat.
Hot tip: order a Caña , a small draft beer. You get the same amount of food no matter which drink you order, so ordering several small drinks will take you very far. Don’t stress about looking too skint – the locals do it all the same.
Our first night in town began at La Botillería, a well-known place where we were well taken care of. The waitress was patient with our broken Spanish and sat us down, quickly taking our orders – wine and vermouth. Sure enough we were quickly given mondaditos (small sandwiches) and olives. Quickly easing in to the way of things, we ordered more drinks, another white wine and a biera clara - basically a shandy. Sure enough two plates of salted cod, tomato puree and Russian salad slid on to our table. Finally, I couldn’t help but notice people drinking the local alternative to sangria, tinto de verano, so ordered one for myself since I had outpaced Amy. Promptly, a sweet beef casserole with potatoes appeared at the table. The bill was just absurd: 9 euros.
Grenadinos do things differently and it’s impossible not to like it.
Moving on down the road, we had a few more drinks and tapas at Rosario Varela, where we ate seafood salad tostadas and beef cous cous, before we moved around the corner to Taberna La Tana, where we finished the night with chilled Pedro Ximenez (for a miserly 1.50 euro) and a few more tostadas. At one point fireworks erupted overhead for a few minutes – I’m not sure why.
The next day began with a quick coffee in the town square and a tour of the Granada Cathedral. Although the tour laid it on a bit thick in regards to the Glory of God etc., the cathedral was nonetheless beautiful – complete with stunning organs, walls of art work and a spectacular dome. It all just seemed so … Spanish.
We then briefly climbed through the Albaicín neighbourhood and its white terraces to reach Mirador de San Cristobal for a view of the city.
Then came the main feature of the day, the Alhambra; the famous, spectacular, and incomprehensibly aesthetic jewel of Granada.
It is quite simply one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen and something you must see for yourself. No photo will ever do it justice.
As our guide explained, the whole complex was designed to please all the senses; intricate, geometrical patterns, bouquets of flowers offering different scents throughout the complex, water seemingly running everywhere, deft changes from light to dark between rooms. The Alhambra proved to be everything that I expected: regal, stunning, otherworldly, and beautiful – in the most grand and small ways.
After a siesta at home, we gathered ourselves and headed out for dinner, stopping at Diamantes to begin with. A tiny hole-in-the wall joint made up of porcelain tiles, metal tables and several stools. Four beers and four seafood tapas later, we moved on to Bodegas Castañeda for Calicasas (a strong wine cocktail) and some local vermouth, followed by more tapas of course. Feeling very at ease in the warm evening air, we finished the evening by walking again through the Albaicín district to the to the Mirador San Nicolás, which looked out to the illuminated Alhambra complex. There was a lovely mix of couples, locals, tourists, and buskers - guitarists played and everyone seemed to be so relaxed and at peace with the world. We sat for a time and just enjoyed it.
We caught the bus to Cordoba the next day - perhaps too soon, as Granada very much took me by surprise.
I’d wholeheartedly recommend Granada to anyone thinking of heading to Andalucía, or Spain for that matter. Come for the Alhambra, stay for the tapas and the atmosphere.
JC
“I do not know what to call this land upon which I stand. If what is beneath my feet is paradise, then what is the Alhambra? Heaven?”
Lope de Vega.
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