Granada
Bueno, Bonito y Barato
Granada is a city located 2.5 hours from my town, in the region of Andalucía, the South of Spain. Granada has come highly recommended from my students and teachers. After traveling to Granada three times I have discovered my love for it just like them. It is known for its Moorish architecture, the Albaicín neighborhood, free tapas and glorious skiing at the Sierra Nevada mountain. The city encompasses the three B’s, bueno, bonito y barato.
Alhambra
Each time I went to Granada I have discovered something new while also going back to the things that I love. The first time I went to Granada I went to the Alhambra, a fortress and palace located on a hilltop that contains majestic Moorish architecture and breathtaking gardens. We purchased tickets for a time slot one hour before closing which wasn’t nearly enough time to explore, but just enough to make it to the last slot to enter the Nasrid Palaces. But this wasn’t the only time I went to the Alhambra, every visit I came back to it. Even going three times I don’t know if I have seen all of it but I find myself spending all my time getting lost in the gardens. The gardens are filled with bursting colors, fruit trees as well as fountains, ponds and water fall that reflect all the beauty.
Albaicín Neighborhood
On my second visit I got to know the Albaicín Neighborhood. This neighborhood is the place to get lost in with its cobblestone streets and charming old town white houses. In the Albaicín you will find the miradors of your dreams, overlooking the Alhambra, city center and offering you beautiful sunsets to take in. The most popular but most lively is the Mirador de San Nicolas. Every time I went here someone was strumming an instrument while others were clapping along. But my favorite hidden outlook is Mirador de los Carvajales. In the Albaicín you can also stumble upon the Monastery de Santa Isabel La Real to buy delicious cookies from the cloistered sisters who live here.
Close to the Albaicín is the Sacramento Neighborhood where you can find caves lining the street offering Flamenco performances. The sounds echo off the walls and fill the caves and streets. Throughout the whole flamenco show I caught people stopping in the street and poking their head into the cave to witness what they were hearing.
Tapas
Granada knows how to do tapas. Through my second and third visits I discovered the tapa experience of Granada. All you have to buy are drinks and you walk away with a happy stomach. There aren’t just Spanish tapas but other cuisines as well, including sushi tapas. Potemkin, a small Japanese restaurant serves you a variety of rolls and sashimi with your drinks, you are given something new each time. Los Diamantes, a chaotic seafood restaurant, slides you a full plate of different seafoods with your drink. Bodegas Castañeda, a traditional tapas bar with barrels of vermouth behind the bar and legs of jamón hanging above your head, is known for their vermouth and more traditional Spanish tapas.
Sierra Nevada
Sierra Nevada is the mountain range located just outside of the city and has the highest peak in Spain. By car the drive is about 45 minutes. The road twists and turns through the mountain as you climb higher and higher. We were only stopped by the local cow traffic until we arrived at the resort town at the top of the mountain. I grabbed my ski rentals for the day, clanked through the town with my ski boots on to the gondola that took me up to the base of the mountain.
I had the best experience the whole day. It was the first time I have skied where I wasn’t freezing my bum off and I was more worried about a sunburn. We started skiing around 10 am and did not stop until the mountain closed at 5 pm. We stopped at midday for lunch. Sitting out in the sun and devouring our bocadillos. At the top of the mountain we took an upside down T shaped sling to reach the very top. Then skied all the way to the bottom just to go back on the gondola and up again. They even had a bathroom on the side of the mountains that offered a little spot to park your skis and beautiful sights from the toilet. One day on the mountain wasn’t enough for me but I was so glad to have this experience.
