Granada, Spain

I remember endless slideshows by my mother
of us as children,
family trips,
or places of interest.

I am sure that if blogging had existed in those days
then she would have been doing just as I am about to do....
share those memories through images.

So, as promised, here goes.... our trip to Spain arranged by locations.
Everywhere we stayed was either part of the airbnb system or in one location, part of vrbo.

Day 1/2/3: Madrid to Granada by car

Our daughter picked us up at the Madrid airport in a car that she had rented in Alicante where she is studying. My first impression unfortunately was established in the Madrid airport which is a somewhat frustrating location due to a lack of internet and the difficulty in finding somewhere to grab a bite to eat and a much needed coffee. Since she had issues with the car we had a few hours waiting there before her arrival.
BUT.... hey, I can usually shake those things off
and once out of there,
we were happy to get on to the right autoroute heading down to our first stop, GRANADA.

Our place in Granada was fabulous and perfectly situated.
The tiles in our first home away from home were stunning and different in all areas of the apartment.
I could not get over the detailing and time that would have been given to laying these tiles...beautiful.

We walked and walked and walked in this city.
The streets are beautiful, the architecture is stunning
and the people seem to have a  joie de vivre
that makes you envious of their lifestyle.

Since we were there at Easter we enjoyed countless processions every day and evening.
It is very hard to describe this experience.
The music, the dress, the sheer weight of the display being carried by people hidden beneath is somewhat mind boggling.
This was definitely a highlight for all of us.

Granada is one of those cities where things are happening all day long.
We spent our days exploring
the narrow streets of the the city
and our nights laughing about our adventures
while drinking wine and eating tapas in our favourite tapas bar.

Of course, prior to going, we searched out restaurant possibilities
which I strongly recommend you do when traveling on a short trip such as ours.

The streets are lined with tapas bars and restaurants
so you really need to know what you are looking for.

If you like to wander then you simply check out what others are eating....
if it looks good
then you just try hard to get a spot.
Don't be surprised if you are standing on most occasions.

Our favourite find in Granda was Taberna La Tana....
if you like wine, then this is the place for you.
They take great care in finding the wine that suits your taste.

There are over 400 wines to choose from and each glass comes with free tapas.
We ate here every night and were lucky to get a place inside as it is very small... two tables and the rest is seating only at the bar.
Many people were sitting outside in the street on the curbs or standing.
The wine was fabulous,
the tapas kept getting better
 and we all had plenty of wine and tapas for 10 euros each.
LOVED it!

And of course Granada is home to the Alhambra.... breath-taking and spectacular.
We got tickets for the 8 a.m. entrance.
It is so well-planned that you never actually feel like there are too many people walking through the site as the same time as you.
Definitely I would recommend the earliest time as it was quite hot by noon
and
be sure to get tickets that give you access to all areas.
The palace is a designated World Unesco Site so the entry is very controlled
but as you can see we were certainly not feeling crowded as we strolled through
this magnificent palace looking at the beautiful walls, ceilings, fountains and architecture.

Granada in general is a very lively city.
Shopping is great if that is your interest,
food is fabulous and the people are out....all the time....

I think that was something I found myself commenting on a lot.
Children were out with families later at night than the norm in North America
but they seemed so happy and such an important part of the family's evening.

The streets are filled with people socializing,
sharing a drink and food,
obviously within a much looser legal system
that allows them to spill out of the tapas bars
and on to the streets.

Definitely we left Granada wishing we could stay longer....
but,
we were on a road trip after all
so we packed up and headed off to the coast.

Little did we know when we left that morning that the drive we were about to experience
would be absolutely breath-taking...

Next stop....Nerja.