Adventures in Granada: Day 3 - Flamenco

After our visit to the enchanting Alhambra, Tom and I picked up a few gifts in the shops near Plaza Nueva for our families. We found gorgeous clay bowls, a pencil/pen holder for my brother with detailed wood inlay, and a musical instrument for Tom's dad.

We were hungry and stopped at a teteria (a Moorish tea house) for schwarmas. Only we ordered falafels instead. Oops! My taste buds weren't expecting the falafel when I took my first bite, especially since I had never tried one. We tried a mint limonada (lemonade) that I enjoyed, but Tom was hoping for something more traditional. 

By now it was siesta. Most stores were closed, but not El Corte Ingles. This gave us opportunity to buy more gifts: Damasco Jewelry for Tom's mom and a soccer beer glass for Tom's brother. Only we got the wrong team. D'oh! After Corte, we spent time at the new H&M of Granada and I swear that I could have spent my entire summer's wage in there.

And of course, we had to stop for Gelato #4. I ordered Ferrero Rocher and fruit of the forest. Best flavor combo EVER! Tom wasn't in the mood for any more ice cream but I forced him to try a bite. He immediately got up and ordered himself a cone. 

We had tickets to a Flamenco show later in the evening so we had plenty of time to kill. The next part of our journey took us westward in the city, back toward the train station. 

I fell in love with Tom's new hat from H&M

For the life of me I cannot remember the name to this park near the bull ring in Granada. We walked around a bit and turned back toward our hotel.

He was the only one that could understand Tom's English

The full moon was starting to rise behind the Spanish flag

Evidence from the days of Moorish rule can be seen all over the city. This was a puerta (gate) in the wall around the city.

I'm trying to figure out how to get an apartment in here....

A quick stop at the hotel was in store so we could get fancy for the Flamenco show

Our tickets included a bus ride to and from the cave in which the Flamenco show was being held. It also included a tour of the Albayzin. We met a woman who was traveling around Spain by herself for a month, and had already seen really good Flamenco in Sevilla.

Some of the houses in the Albayzin display the pottery that Granada is famous for

The Alahambra is gorgeous at night. This picture doesn't do justice

We ended up going to the same cave that I went to in 2008. However, this time we had to share it with a lot of unfamiliar people. Our tickets came with a "free" beverage of our choice so we both ordered wine.

.... and had some time to wait and take goofy photos together

If you are ever in Spain I highly recommend that you watch a Flamenco show. The Flamenco varies by region and some cities are more famous for the dance than other. On this particular evening many of the dancers were students, so the dancing was not the best.

We really enjoyed the show and our final day in Granada. It was sad to walk out of the cave after the show knowing I had to say goodbye to this city once more. 

The next stage of our journey was about to begin: Malaga

Need to catch up on our June 2011 vacation?

Madrid Day 1

Madrid Day 2

Granada Day 1

Granada Day 2, Part 1

Granada Day 2, Part 2

Granada Day 3, Part 1

Adventures in Granada: Day 3: The Alhambra

Alhambra /alˈhambrə/ 1. A fortified Moorish palace, the last stronghold of the Muslim kings of Granada, built between 1248 and 1354 near Granada in Spain (dictionary.com). 

Some may consider it the 8th wonder of the world.

Tom and I woke up early on June 13th. We had tickets for the Alhambra for 7:30am. 

An early morning hike up the hill certainly got our blood pumping. No need for a run today!

The air was cool and the city was quiet. I couldn't think of a better way to start a day than a stroll through the gardens of the Alhambra. 

We rented audio guides and began our tour of the beautiful palace.

Hard to believe that this wall used to be full of color hundreds of years ago

Beautiful architecture

You don't know how many years I had been waiting to bring Tom to this place!

Overlooking the Albyzin

I would give anything to live in the palace and wake up to this view every morning. Too bad I was born in the wrong country and at the wrong time. 

The famous lion fountain that used to be in the center of this section of the palace was moved to a new museum-type location. This areas was being restored when we visited, which was too bad. It's quite a magnificent area to visit.

The enchanting Albayzin

Tom on top of the tower. The Sierra Nevadas are off in the distance

We spotted our hotel from the tower. Its one of the pink ones!

I don't know if you can see how freakin' excited I was to be back here. Life couldn't have been better!

Que bonita! 

A quote on the side of the Alhambra reads, "Dale limosna mujer, que no hay en la vida nada, como la pena de ser, ciego en Granada"

English: Give him alms, woman, for in this life there is nothing so pitiable as to be blind in Granada

I totally agree.

Stopping to smell the roses

We spent the entire morning at the Alhambra, soaking in the sun and enjoying the gardens and the views. Our day was far from being complete....

To be continued....

Need to catch up on our June 2011 vacation?

Madrid Day 1

Madrid Day 2

Granada Day 1

Granada Day 2, Part 1

Granada Day 2, Part 2

Adventures in Granada: Day 2 - Exploring the City

Yesterday I told you about our morning and early afternoon adventures on Day 2 of our visit to Granada. Today I am here to tell you about the rest of our day. 

When we got back into the city from the Albaizín we were in desperate need of some cool air. The cathedral  was the perfect haven from the hot air, and provided us with more Spanish culture.

The architecture and art is just gorgeous in here. And compared to a lot of other cathedrals I've been to in Spain, this was just a baby one! It brought back memories of my days in Spanish Art History or the AIFS tour. I was so excited to be back but was a horrible tour guide. I don't think Tom felt the same excitement I did....

After the cathedral it as time for some shopping. We headed to a quieter plaza, close to the Cathedral and where I used to live. I swear, we must have gotten gelato #3 here, but I can't find a photo of it. You'll just have to take my word for it.

A cafe outside of the Catedral

We had already seen a lot by late afternoon: a run through the mountains, the Albaizín, and of course, everything listed above. Tom wanted to make sure we took some time to r-e-l-a-x on this vacation. Thank goodness he was there, otherwise I would have kept going. 

Tom's request for a relaxing afternoon: el Parque de Garcia Lorca. 

Tom was in the middle of Born to Run, and I was working on Life of Pi. Like always, the people watching was way more interesting than any book in front of me. 

It was so nice to sit on the bench, feel the warm breeze on my face, be able to smell that familiar smell of the city, and not have a single worry about my life back in America. Spain was simply wonderful.

A cat in the park! It made us miss Wilson 

Granadas! aka: pomegranites 

After the park we were both hungry and thirsty. Back in the day (heh) I frequenly visited a tapas bar called Bella y la Bestia (Beauty and the Beast). Tom and I tried to go on day one of our visit, but they were packed with people. 

Day 2 was more successful. We got a seat outside without any problem, but we also got way more tapas than we had anticipated. The bar had apparently smartened up over the years and began to offer a "deal" for customers in order to make more money. We could pay for our drink and pay a little extra for food and  they would in return give us a sampling of tapas. We didn't quite realize how much we were going to get, and unfortunately didn't like a lot of it. 

Two cervezas, potato chips and olives, a seafood salad, a variety of jamon and queso bocadillos, mushrooms,  croquetas, and some type of pepper/onion salad.

For the life of me I cannot remember what we did the rest of our evening, and that is exactly why I'm documenting our trip now (so I don't forget any more!). I do believe we hit the hay early, knowing that we were visiting the Alhambra bright and early the following morning. 

Our adventure of Granada will be continued...

Need to catch up with our vacation?

Madrid Day 1

Madrid Day 2

Granada Day 1

Granada Day 2, Part 1