3 Things You Should Love About Granada | Spain

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If you’ve been reading this blog for a while or know me at all, you’ll know that I am in love with Granada, a soulful city deep in the heart of Andalusia, Spain, that was my first home away from home in Spain. I lived there for four months when I was studying abroad back in college, and there hasn’t been a day since when a single thought of Granada hasn’t crossed my mind. The city has so much to offer, and there are many reasons to fall in love with it from the obvious to the obscure which fits in well with its mixed cultural past of Moorish and Christian influence. Here are some of the reasons that not a day passes that Granada doesn’t come to mind, even almost five years to the day since moving there.

1. The Alhambra

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I would venture to guess that anyone who visits Granada would list this as one of their favorite things about the city, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that this absolutely stunning and impressive piece of architecture and history sits atop my list the way it sits upon a hill overlooking the rest of Granada. The fortress/palace/place of worship/city was built between the 9th and 19th centuries and combines architectural styles, religions, and plenty of history. To me, the Alhambra represents the city of Granada well, as a mixing pot of many cultures, religions, and types of people that have co-existed and lived together for quite some time, although, that doesn’t mean there wasn’t some turmoil over the last 1,00 or so years.

Whether you’re walking around Granada or actually visiting the Alhambra, you are always aware of its presence. It’s always there. Maybe it’s just a small glimpse of a tower that catches your eye between two buildings while you’re out shopping, or it’s the ornately carved arabic script on the walls while you are taking a tour of the Alhambra itself. Either way, the building won’t allow itself to be forgotten, especially when you are in Granada, but even after you have left too.

2. Free tapas

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First off, you can’t beat tapas. The social gathering of having a small drink(s) accompanied by a savory, delicious snack that whets your appetite is truly something special to behold and a custom I wish other places would adapt. Oh but wait! There’s more. In Granada, the tapas are free! You heard that right: FREE! And nothing beats free.

Aside from being free, they are delicious too. It could be a small, traditional jamón y queso bocadillo or a larger dish of patatas bravas to split with your friends. There are a near endless selection of tapas and because going to tapear, the Spanish verb for going to go get tapas–yes, they have their own verb for that–is so popular you won’t have to look far to explore a new tapas bar.

3. Albayzín

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A medieval Moorish neighborhood and an UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with the Alhambra, is a sight to behold as historic neighborhoods don’t exist in just any city. The Albayzín blends right into the rest of Granada, just a few short steps from other distinct neighborhoods of the eclectic city, but is unique in its own right. It’s compromised of narrow, winding streets lined the white washed houses that date back as far as the 11th century.

I could spend a whole day just wandering around the Albayzín exploring the maze of streets, starring up at each individual house, feeling the uneven pavement through my feet, and smelling the culinary wonders escaping from its inhabitants kitchens. This is just one of the many wonderful ways you can spend a sunny Andalusian afternoon in Granada, and that goes without mentioning the best part of the Albayzín: the Mirador de San Nicolás.

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The mirador is considered to be one of the best views in the world, and I can’t necessarily disagree. After working your way through the maze-like, labyrinth that is the Albayzín, you pop out onto a large terrace at a truly remarkable sight. You are now at eye-level with the Alhambra in all its majesty and the romantic backdrop of the Sierra Nevada mountains. It’s a view that I always have trouble pulling myself away from, even when my stomach starts to growl for more tapas. I suppose the classical Spanish flamenco music in the background doesn’t hurt the ambiance either. The Mirador de San Nicolás always tops my list whenever I return home to Granada.

Credit: Mapless Mike

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