Written by Clara the Exploradora

We did our workaway in Almería, which is a short BlaBlaCar ride away from Granada, so on our day off we hitched a ride after work and went to Granada. (It was only 8 euros each way. A HUGE money saver)

We arrived at our hostal a tad bit late, but luckily, Spain eats dinner later than most places, making it easy for us to go out and get some tapas. Upon recommendation, we went to a tapas bar called Bar Avila II. I got the order of Alitas de Pollo…. FUA!!! That was good stuff. Go there and order that.

 

At this bar, we met another American couple and were able to trade our various travel secrets, like their’s for New York, that we will share with you once we hit New York in this travel blog. ‘Twas a pleasure meeting some other people from our home country. 

The next day we woke up bright and early to go see the famous WORLD WONDER La Alhambra. Please note that you NEED without a doubt to purchase your tickets before hand to enter. Depending on the time of year, you may need to purchase your tickets way before hand. We bought our tickets two days in advance for 32 Euros each for a guided tour.

You must go to see this place. It truly is a wonder. Patrick and I went on a guided tour because we like the extra bit of learning you get from the guide. Our guide, Oscar, was a lively fellow who gave the tour in both English and French and did an excellent job pointing out things that guide-less tourists wouldn’t have seen. Like random blood stains from a beheaded man in a fountain used as an air conditioner. Or the tree that overlooked the adulterous couple in the gardens… you know… fun stuff like that. So we both greatly appreciated that aspect (plus the fact that we got to skip some big lines).  I loved imagining the Muslim women wandering behind the obscure viewing windows where they were able to look through, or the curved hallways to ensure privacy, as well as looking at the elaborate details in the gardens and the walls of every building…. no detail was left to be forgotten. 

Patrick pointed out that he appreciated the art. In the Catholic based European structures you see just tons and tons of realist paintings that, inevitably blend together and all become the same thing. But in La Alhambra, it’s intricate carvings and Arabic verses written on all the walls stand out as unique. Oscar explained to us that it was because of the Islamic restrictions on painting people or animals… I’m not sure if that’s the case but that’s what I took away from that. 

Oh, and the cats! There were so many cats all over the place! Oscar joked that the royals left but the cats stayed. Oh they were a cute addition to the city/palace. 

The tour lasted about 3 hours. At the end we were both pretty tired and walked down a beautiful path into the outlying area of Granada in search of food. Again, upon recommendation, we headed towards El Paseo de los Tristes (yes, it is an utterly beautiful walk with glorious views of La Alhambra) in search of food. And food we found. We found many foods. Lots of various foods. We picked a place with food in the sun with an epic view. Lots of the restaurants have first course, second course, desert, and coffee for 10 Euros total. And the food is usually delicious. One thing you need to watch out for is those pan handling street performers.

While we were eating a man sat down in the outdoor eating area and played a few parts of a few songs on his guitar and then got up and asked everyone for money. I refused him money and he went on to the next table. Lo and behold that rather large weasel stalked our table. He approached us and said, in English “you did not like my music?” And I responded, in English, “I did. But paying for unsolicited music is not part of my travel budget.” Then he said to me (in Spanish), “you are in Spain. Speak Spanish”. So I told him  the same thing in Spanish. He did not like my answer and told me that he thought I was a nice person and that this was his work and that I should give him money. To which I replied “I worked really hard to be here too” and “I did not plan on paying everyone who asked me for money”. He didn’t like that and left.

You may be asking yourself, “Clara, what is the moral of the story?” to which I would respond “Well, my friend, this is normal in Spain. If you want people to like you, plan on giving away a euro or two to everyone who asks for it. If not, then you have to tell them no and be okay with it.” Which is what I did. Frequently. BUT if I do chose to stop and listen to someone play I will give them something because that was my choice. Comprende?

Anyways…. Patrick and I ended up walking and turning up random roads and found ourselves in a neighborhood that was completely white and tucked into the hill side that would open up to epic views. It was inspiring! AND there were those Spanish water fountain things intermittently on the roads so we could stop for a nice drink of water.

We eventually found ourselves at the Mirador de San Nicolas. It’s a famous outlook with one of the best views of La Alhambra. It is chock full of weed smoking, dread lock wielding hippies and tourists, sitting on the wall appreciating the sun and views. Below are a few restaurants and one little place that sells lovely homemade ice cream (and free WiFi). After we sat there for a bit we meandered our way down through the streets till we got to the main road again so we could go pick up our bags from the hostal and wander towards where we would, once again meet a BlaBlaCar to get a ride back to Almería.

There is a lot more to do in Granada but if you are there for a day and don’t want to pack to much in, I’d suggest this agenda. We loved our experience and were super very happy with what we chose to do. Happy Travels!

Some of the intricate ceiling art.

More intricate carvings of La Alhambra