Chitraroff Family Blog: Granada, Spain

Spanish Trip Family Blog

Granada, Spain

The Narrow, walled city.

Granada was just a short, two hour drive,from Barcelona. Traveling through the Spanish countryside was very rewarding as we laid eyes on the rolling hills, the olive groves, the farm animals and the white villages.

[Driving Side Note]: We have noticed how courteous the drivers are here who always give plenty of space, wide berths for cyclists, who move over immediately to the right to allow passing and who never run yellow or red lights. It is such a refreshing experience to drive amidst other drivers who are patient and looking out for your best interest.

We arrived in Granada around 8 at night and it was very challenging circumstances for navigation. Luckily, with Leslie as chief copilot and navigator extraordinaire we executed the rapid succession of turns on very narrow, cobblestone streets with only a few mishaps. The streets are so narrow that there are sometimes only 1-2" of space on either side of the car.

Granada is an ancient city originally inhabited by the Moorish people who were of Arabic descent. The Moors and Nasrid peoples built the amazing Alhambra palace and maintained control of Granada for 250 years until 1485 when the Catholics conquered the town and Queen Isabell moved into the new town she loved an took over the palace. She soon divided the city, isolating the Arabic people to the ancient region known as the Albayzin and pushed the Jewish people to Realejo.

With a combination of Moorish ancestry, Jewish, Catholic, Gypsy and Spanish influences Granada is a rich environment that has much to offer travelers who dare to explore this unique city. Gypsy influences have made Granada the focal point of Flamenco style music, dance and dress. There are a number of guitar specialty shops and schools that develop Flamenco-style skills early on for those who embrace the challenge of this fast strumming guitar and quick stepping dance.

On the last day, we hiked up to Sacramonte "Sacred Mountain" which is a region where the Gypsies inhabited and where they built expansive and unique cave enclaves into the hillsides. We toured the area where they still inhabit to this day. The gypsies had caves for all aspects of their lives including clothesmaking, blacksmithing, gardening, cooking, sleeping, potterymaking, and storage of animals.

The streets of Granada were very lively with artisans, cafes, pasterlerias (bakeries) bars, Arabic tea houses and lots and lots of restaurants. The narrow passageways and catacomb-like mazework of streets helps getting lost much easier. But then again, when we're lost we sometimes find the best gems while traveling.