On arrival to Grenada, we were greeted by the first rains for our time in Spain. With all of the hills in the city, we discovered that, contrary to popular belief, the precipitation in this country does not fall predominately on the flatter countryside.
Our accommodations arranged via Airbnb were two apartments on adjacent floors conveniently located off of an alley in the central part of town. From the small balconies of our rooms, we could see down the long, narrow streets of this ancient town.
We were all pretty hungry, so we picked a nearby restaurant called La Cueva de 1900 for a bite to eat. The vast majority of the food were variations on a ham sandwich with different degrees of ham or types of bread.
After our late breakfast, we wandered around the historic Albacin and Sacromonte neighborhoods of the city. Granada has the distinction of having been the last bastion of Islamic rulership on the Iberian peninsula. The Reconquista was completed once the Emir of Granda was defeated in 1492. Hence, there is a strong Muslim influence in the architecture and composition of the city.
As we made our way back to the town's center, we came upon bridge that traversed a small stream. Down below we could see several large rats foraging below.
At the main intersection in the old part of the city is a large monument dedicated to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella.
While The Kids and The In-Laws rested back at our apartment, The Wife and I wandered through the Alcaiceria--what was once the grand bazaar for Grenada. Most of the stuff was just a bunch of cheap, colorful knick-knacks. But there were some oddities as well.
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| There were Nativity scenes representing different countries around the world. |
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| I guess it makes sense as Jesus was Jewish. |
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| It's ironic that the anti- Catholic Ku Klux Klan... |
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| ...copied the pointed capirote hood worn by Catholic brotherhood organizations. |
While we didn't purchase any souvenirs to take home with us, we did snag a couple of pinonos. These are small pastries that originate from Santa Fe, a small town outside of Grenada. The delicacy consists of a pastry drenched in sweet syrup that is topped with toasted cream.
After a long day of traversing narrow winding streets, climbing inclined pathways, and plenty of window shopping, we settled on a Moroccan restaurant named La Mancha Chica Chaoen for dinner. It was a pretty small restaurant with only a few tables, but it really didn't matter as we were practically the only diners there.
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| Assorted olives |
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| Mint tea |
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| Pita bread |
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| Baba ganoush |
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| Morroccan salad (roasted peppers, onions, and tomatoes) |
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| Veal tagine with peach, plums, and almonds |
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| Lamb tangine with vegetables and olives |
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| Chicken couscous with raisins, onions, honey, and almonds |
*****
December 27, 2017
*****
It was dark and rainy early the next morning. Therefore, we decided to use public transportation (i.e. the bus) to reach the Alhambra, the fortress and palace that is the main tourist attraction in Grenada. I was definitely glad that The Wife had the foresight to make reservations in advance because the line to purchase admission stretched for 30 minutes out into the rain.
We were with the first group that shuffled through when the gates were opened. All that we could see of the Alhambra through the darkness and mist were large, unimpressive shapes. We shuffled along until we reached the Nasrid Palaces. These connected areas include the Mexuar, the public area where the Sultan attended to state affairs, the Comares Palace, the private quarters of the Sultan, and the Palace of the Lions where his harem lived. Since they are distinct entities, each palace has different architectural styles. The Mexuar has more Islamic characteristics while the Palace of the Lions has more Christian influences.
It was amazing how many man-hours of labor went towards carving the intricate wood panels that decorated the walls and ceilings of the palace.
We were lucky to get in when we did because it began pouring rain the entire time we toured the inside quarters of the complex. However, as soon as we made it to the outside areas, the rain and the overcast skies vanished.
Once the sun came out, the cats did too. The palace was teeming with friendly felines presumably to eliminate the large rodents like the one we had seen the day before. While we were taking a break, a cat just crawled up into The Girls lap and proceeded to take a nap. If The Girl had her way, she would have just ignored the rest of the Alhambra and played with all of the cats.
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| With the hoards of cats at the Alhambra, it seems a little unfair that they had this sign. |
Our next stop was the nearby Palace of Carlos V. It was commissioned by the Holy Roman Emperor in 1527 but took 430 years to finish due to delays from financing, revolts, and disinterest. Although the entire building is square, it has a two story round patio built in the Renaissance style. There is a fine arts museum located inside, but we were too cheap to pay the small nominal fee.
Since it was now a pretty nice day outside, we went to scale the Alcazaba, the watchtowers and fortifications that provided security to the Alhambra. There were several sets of stairs to climb, but it was worth it as the views of the surrounding city and country side were fantastic.
The last major area that we wanted to visit in the Alhambra is the Generalife, a separate recreational area consisting of a villa and agricultural gardens. A walkway used to span the deep ravine that separates the palaces from the Generallife, but it no longer exists. Therefore we had a bit of walking to do.
As we backtracked towards the Alhambra entrance and Generalife, we made quick stops at the Church of St. Mary, mosque hammams, and the gardens of St. Francis, barren from the winter season.
The Generalife is a spacious area with a large outdoor amphitheater and a maze of green hedges.
Since it was used more as a summer residence, the attached villa had areas more open to the outdoors, in contrast to the palace areas. The Generalife definitely would have been a great place to relax and enjoy the scenic views, if not for the throngs of tourists crammed into every available space.
It was a long morning, but we felt good that we saw everything that the Alhambra had to offer. Since the road back to Grenada was all downhill, we took a leisurely stroll back to town.
For lunch, we stopped at the Bar Los Diamantes just a little after they opened. The restaurant was already packed, which is a good sign of how good their food is. Once we were seated and had ordered, we were bombarded back to back with sumptuous seafood dishes. The food was delicious. And given how manically busy they were, the service was quick and efficient. Despite the long lines of people waiting for empty tables, customers really didn't have to wait too long.
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| Surtido de pescado (assortment of fried fish) |
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| Gambas fritas (fried shrimp) |
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| Navajas (razor clams) |
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| Boquerones (fried anchovies) |
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| Pulpo (sauteed octopus) |
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| Gambas pil-pil (shrimp sauteed with garlic and peppers) |
After lunch, we visited the Royal Chapel of Grenada, the resting place of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand. Photography is prohibited inside the building. It resembled most other European churches with the exception that it had royal inhabitants.
We still had awhile until our flight, so we just relaxed across the street at the Puerta and Bernina Pasterlerias until it was time to take the bus to get to the airport.
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| Dulce de leche cake |
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| Strawberry cheesecake |
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| Chocolate covered waffles |
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| Piononos |
While we waited for our flight, The Wife broke out a box of a local specialty candy called yemas that she had purchased earlier in town. Basically, it's a candied egg yolk. Although they sound bizarre and disgusting, they are actually really good. They are also very messy as the sticky, sugary juice dribbled all over our hands.
Our flight to Barcelona went as planned. The streets of the city still had their festive Christmas decorations.
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| I'm pretty sure "Ding Dang Dong" is Spanish for "Jingle Bells." |
Our apartment was pretty roomy, especially given its prime location near the bustling Passeig de Gràcia street. Unfortunately, we were on the 5th floor so it was a bit of a pain to go up and down as the tiny elevator in the building only fit four people.
By the time was had arrived, it was already getting late for dinner, even by Spanish standards. We walked to a nearby Chinese restaurant called Mian that got decent reviews. The food was fine, but not especially inspiring. It was very convenient given how tired we all were.
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| Fried noodles with shrimp and vegetables |
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| Beef noodle soup |
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| Zha Jiang Mian style noodles |
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| Mango sorbet |
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| Coconut ice cream |
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| Matcha green tea tiramisu |
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| Mango panna cotta |
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