Home » Spain » Its Tuesday so it must be Granada

Woke up early on Tuesday morning and headed off to have desayuno at Bar Europa (same place as i had dinner last night). Despite being told they opened at 8am the kitchen wasn´t and so I was greeted with "lo siento" when i asked for eggs. The waiter could tell from my expression that I was a little disapppointed and so they decided that they would open it for me, which was a very nice gesture.<br />

Its Tuesday so it must be Granada

Chris Jack
2006-02-28 19:01:59

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wanted to try and then had a main meal of suckling lamb in a honey sauce which was truly magnificent.

My meal was interrupted several times by gypsys begging for money (strangely allowed by the restaurant owner) and African´s trying to sell me some cheap dvds.

If you ever visit Granada, you definetly should include Las Tinajas in your list of places to eat.

WEDNESDAY
Awoke early and went to another place recommended by Time Out´s guide to Andalucia, Cafe Bar Sancho for a couple of quick cafe con lechés and at 1 euro each, they were very good. I ventured back up towards the Cathedral and Plaza Trinidad to a fantastic bread stall called Kiosco Enriqueta and had a brioche for only 60c, so all up my breakfast was 2.60 (hmm this keyboard is lacking the euro sign.)

I truly beleive that if you are willing to stay away from restaurants and bars near the tourist areas and frequest those places visited by locals you will have a much more enjoyable experiece and probably save yourself nearly 30% on the cost as well.

After breakfast it was up to the Alhambra and although I´d heard a fair amount about the place I didn´t really know what to expect but what I found was the most remarkable place I have ever come across.

Originally designed as a military area, the Alhambra became the residence of royalty and of the court of Granada in the middle of the thirteenth century, after the establishment of the Nasrid kingdom and the construction of the first palace, by the founder king Mohammed ibn Yusuf ben Nasr, better known as Alhamar.

Throughout the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the fortress became a citadel with high ramparts and defensive towers, which house two main areas: the military area, or Alcazaba, the barracks of the royal guard, and the medina or court city, the location of the famous Nasrid Palaces and the remains of the houses of well-to-do who lived there.

The Charles V Palace (which was built after the city was taken by the Catholic Monarchs in 1492) is also in the medina.

The complex of monuments also has an independent palace opposite the Alhambra, surrounded by beautiful gardens, which was where the Granadine kings enjoyed their time, this place is called Generalife, or Garden of the Architect.

If you do come to Granada and want to visit the Alhambra make sure you book in advance otherwise you could be waiting for hours to get in and in some cases, due to its popularity ,you may not be able to gain entry at all.

I´d also recommend you hire the audioguide,a digitally recorded audio guide (hmm that makes sense!) of the Alhambra and at only 3
Alhambra way to learn more about the place.