Ten Weeks in Spain: October 2011

The drive to Granada was pretty straightforward with beautiful scenery, especially when we got into Andalucía. We stopped for groceries at the Al Campo supermarket (which is enormous) and then found our way to our rental house on Cuesta de Alhacaba in the Albaicín. Driving into the Albaicín is like going back in time – wonderful white houses and courtyards, incredibly narrow cobblestone streets, sharp corners and rather steep hills. It's also an easy place to get very lost, especially at first. No two maps seem to be exactly the same. We spent three weeks here, which gave us time to explore a lot of Granada, and gave me a lot of opportunity to take a ton of photos. Around every corner there is another surprise! Of the five cities we visited Granada was my favourite, and although we spent three weeks there, I still felt like I hadn't explored it enough.

The next day I needed to return our rental car, and was hopelessly lost numerous times. If you plan to drive in Granada, make sure you have a good map and a navigator! I asked quite a few people for directions, and they were all very friendly and helpful. Eventually the car was returned, and I returned home by taxi. If you're ever trying to find the National/Atesa office in Granada, even though the street address is Calle Arabial, the actual entrance is on Calle Neptuno. Now you know.

What we saw and did

Alhambra and Generalife: Obviously this is the huge attraction in Granada, and worth the hype. Absolutely incredible. It's been said before, but get your tickets in advance because it will be sold out. Get there early enough to pick up your tickets and to have a good look around before your timed entrance to the Nasrid Palaces.

The Cathedral: Impressive. It's right downtown, and definitely worth a visit.

Capella Real (aka Royal Chapel): this is beside the Cathedral and also interesting. It's smaller, and contains the tomb (and the actual coffins) of Ferdinand and Isabella, which are tiny and humble looking, a big contrast with the rather grand tomb above.

If you're by the cathedral there's a cool spice shop called Medievo where you can get some interesting spice mixtures.

The Alcacería: a somewhat touristy shopping area in the downtown area. Lots of fun Moroccan stuff there, although many of the shops seem to have that same merchandise. It is fun to look around. You can also get to Plaza Bibrambla from here and enjoy Churros con Chocolate at Chocolatería Alhambra.

San Juan de Dios: on Calle San Juan de Dios. We were lucky enough to be nearby when mass ended on a Sunday and had a look inside It's an incredibly impressive and beautiful baroque church.

Monastario Jeronimo: Also in this area, and pretty interesting. There is a small fee to get in.

The Albaicín: I loved staying in this area, and never got tired of exploring. I did get tired of walking up and down hill though. We had heard stories of some crime in the area, but had no problems of any kind.
• Alhambra from Mirador San Nicolás: A great view. Get there early in the evening if you want to watch the sunset, as it gets pretty crowded.
• Mirador San Cristóbal: climb up here for a great view of the area
• Palacio de Dar al Horra: it's been described as a "mini-Alhambra". A bit tricky to find, and only open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm, but it's worth checking out if you have the time, and it's free. Go along Cuesta de Alhacaba to Plaza Larga, turn right through Puerta Nueva gate, turn right and follow the wall on your right. Eventually you'll come to a simple door with the name on it.
• Panadería Hnos Solana on Calle Panaderos has great rosquillos – yummy little doughnuts
• Casa Pasteles in Plaza Larga has great piononos – hard to describe these little pastries, but try them – they're delicious!
• Carrera del Darro is a very picturesque walk. Watch out for many unexpected kinds of vehicles on this rather narrow road. We had a good meal at Tetería Restaurante Marrakech, and our daughter liked the Moroccan atmosphere.
• El Banuelos: Down from Paseo de los Tristes are the thousand-year-old Moorish baths. Open from 10:00 am– 2:00 pm Tuesday through Saturday (I think). Entrance is free.
• A couple of Albaicín websites that had interesting information for those interested in exploring the area:
albaicin-granada.com
vivagranada.com/albaicin/index.htm (this link seems to no longer work, which is too bad!)

Sacromonte: The caves area beyond the Albaicín. There is a "caves museum" that is somewhat touristy, but still interesting. We had perfect weather, and there are some incredible views of the area from here, so I'd recommend it just for the scenery. You can have an Alhambra beer with a great view of Alhambra!

Kid Stuff

Parque de las Ciencias: An easy bus trip from where we were, and our daughter loved it. We had to go back a second time. There are many activities and displays for kids of all ages. Highly recommended.

Playgrounds: The only playground we found in the Albaicín was on Calle de Santa Isabel la Real, up the stairs near Pilar Seco. There was also one close by on Avenida del Capitán Morena, in front of Iglesia de san Idelfonso. However, a 5€ taxi ride will get you to Parque Federico García Lorca on Calle Arabial. The north end of the park has a really great playground with lots of pretty cool stuff for a range of ages. It's a lovely park just to take a walk through as well.

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After three amazing weeks in Granada we were off to the the train station for the next leg of our travels – Sevilla.