Granada, Spain

Except for a part of the day yesterday (which I’ll write about tomorrow), I spent the last four days in Granada. Granada is a beautiful city built hugging a mountain. Many of the residences (I don’t want to say houses) are built in actual caves that were dug into the side of the mountain. During a tour, we were invited into one (by a jolly old man whose story-telling and hoarding reminded me too much of my father), and it was very impressive:

These caves are equiped with electricity and running water and are deathly silent.

I was joined by Sarah and Neto, a couple who followed me from Barcelona through Valencia: Well, actually, they’re the ones who convinced me to go this way, and I’m definitely glad they did.

Granada has a rich religious history (that I don’t quite remember) that involves Christianity, Islam and Judaism. In fact, there’s even an old Jewish quarter:
 
Granada was one of the cities that was evacuated during the Spanish inquisition with Morocco so close by. Probably contributed to many of the sephardic (spanish) population there.

Today, the city has a surprisingly large hippy population. No, seriously, hippies. Their presence is felt everywhere, from teterias (tea shops) to the street shops selling saris and hacky sacks, to the elaborate street art:

Even an elementary school had commissioned to be decorated by graffiti:Some of the art was pretty clever, too. Take a look at this giraffe, for one:

The main tourist attraction in the area is La Alhambra:It was described to us as Spain’s cash cow, apparently earning more money than any other tourist attraction in the country, including the Segrada Familia and the Guggenheim. (Not surprising at 15 euros a ticket…) It was worth almost every penny, though. In La Alhambra are many palaces and castles and gardens and stuff. Read on!

The first area is Charles V’s palace (or the Palacio de Carlos V):

The garden outside (the Generalife) is absolutely stunning, adorned with lilacs and fountains: 

The main attraction is the main palace, the Palacios nazaríes, which you have to pay extra to get into. I find it truly unique – the walls, arches, doorways and pillars are all… carved out of stone. It’s actually very pretty, one of the nicest things I’ve ever gone to see:

Granadisms

A. Food

- I had churros, again. Man, these were the best I’ve ever had, fresh out of the fryer:

-In Spain, traditionally, if you order a beer you’re given what’s called a “tapa". This is usually a small appetiser, either a piece of bread with  or a few meatballs with french fries or mini sandwiches. Few places I’ve been to actually did this properly. In Granada, however, they say that the food is free, that is, just buy beer and your meal is always covered.

-I had really delicious falafel, of all things. Neto’s actually never had a falafel before Granada, and from the sounds of it, he really liked it:

Ok, on to other stuff:

-Siestas: Stores. Are. Always. Closed. When the hell is siesta supposed to be? It just feels like things are closed all day long. I don’t get it, when do they make all of their money?

-Weird foosball table (where the players actually have feet):

-Dude in an Nordiques shirt:He said he doesn’t care about hockey, but a friend of his gave it to him, and he knew where it was from.

-One of the only English street signs in Granada:

-Mysteriously crooked bench:

-Oh, a good one – the little red lights on the street turn white if the light is green and red when it’s red. Very cool!

Now in Bilbao. Will tell you about Feria de Abril tomorrow! Don’t google it, please, I don’t want the surprise to be spoiled. I walked into it without knowing what to expect too!