Hi friends!
Every January or February, we get itchy feet. I’ve been noticing patterns in my life, and this is one of them. It must be the January slump—or the fact that winter without Christmas lights is just meh. So, we decided to spend a few days in a city that’s special to us: Granada.
It’s special because it’s the city where Kevin and I fell in love around seven or eight years ago. A 26-year-old me jumped on a bus to visit the American guy who was studying Spanish in Granada, and the rest is history—a history I’ll share through the captions of our travels. It’s also why he says grasia instead of gracias.
The city has a calm, friendly vibe, with 320 days of sunshine per year and an average temperature of 20 degrees. There are terraces in every square and the occasional Spanish guitar playing in the background as you look at the Alhambra or the cathedral. This city is bohemian at heart—the kind of place where people come to write their novels.
In the historic old town, you’ll find the Alhambra, the former rural residence of the emirs who ruled this part of Spain in the 13th and 14th centuries. It has long been debated whether it should be one of the Seven Wonders of the World—and when you see it in person, you’ll understand why. The Nasrid Palaces were hand-sculpted with a level of devotion that only blind faith in a god could bring out in people. They were created as a stepping garden before paradise—an alchemy of art, science, and beauty, filled with religious symbolism from the Nasrid dynasty.
Something to know about the old town: if you’re not going up, then you’re going down. The entire area is built on hills, which proved to be a challenge with a pram that we barely used.
Granada has many bookstores and coffee shops, so it’s worth slowing down in this city—do some browsing, drink some coffee, sit in squares, and people-watch, rather than packing your schedule too tightly.
The city is quite small, so I’d recommend staying in the old town to have everything within walking distance. We stayed in an Airbnb near Puerta de las Tres Granadas, one of the entrances to the gardens of the Alhambra.
The real question is: where not to eat? In classic Spanish fashion, every corner has a restaurant. There’s a significant Syrian food scene if you want something outside of traditional Spanish cuisine. I must confess that on this trip, my favourite restaurant was Utopía Ramen—the best ramen I’ve had in a while. We also enjoyed a drink at Plaza de la Universidad.
I’d recommend visiting in mid-January, as we did. Granada gets extremely hot in summer and, due to its historical landmarks, can also become overcrowded with tourists.
Have you been to Granada? Do you have any recommendations?
Hope you’re having a great week!
Ana.
No posts
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.