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Granada a wonderful blend of Moorish Charm and Spanish Tradition

Written By The Travelling Postcard on 17 February 2014 | 18:39

To the north of Malaga and about 3 hours form my hometown lies the beautiful city of Granada, Spain. It's quaint little streets, abundance of history and incredible selection of tapas this place is absolutely perfect for a short weekend getaway. I can see why its a popular excursion for those staying up on the Costa del Sol.


My first impression of Granada was that its a small, quiet, adorable little town. You have the typical breakfast locals where we enjoyed a traditional Spanish bread with tomato and olive oil spread with a standard glass of tea, rather than my typical mug of tea.

Everyone seems to go about their business in an orderly fashion making it a really relaxed morning. Once we had breakfast and energized we strolled through the streets, cobbled and brown. The sunlight in the mornings created a warm, relaxed, cosy ambiance hitting the brown walls and streets.

Granada's Architecture and Moorish Influence 

We came across an old church, I'm always fascinated by them as I can never quite figure out how they were built, kind of like the pyramids. Tall ceilings, mosaic windows and intricately detailed statues made the church a delight to witness.   




The main square around the church was full of people and tourists, it brought the area to life. Sadly, there are a lot of middle aged women trying to sell you oddly shaped leaves with well wishes in exchange for cash, stay away from them, if you can! If it wasn't that they come right up to your face and shove the leaves in your face, they too would add to the ambiance nicely to the city.  In any case, right next to the church you also have small shops and stands, selling from candy and sweets to tea leaves. 


Markets, Tapas & more!

Making our way through the town, we finally got to a market our colleague was telling us about but we couldn't find. Very narrow streets created this little market, once you stepped into it, it felt like you had left Granada and stepped foot in the souks of Morocco.

Granada's Arabic influence is really prominent throughout the town, from stores to buildings, Granada was beautiful because of it.



While the boys ordered brunch tapas (which one round of beers brings you a free plate of tapas!) the girls visited the shops. Don't know who got the better deal!

For lunch we sat in one of the tapas bars in the main square, the food was absolutely delicious. Such a delight. Revueltos (chips, ham and egg all scrambled in a pan), Spanish ham, prawns, chicken kebabs, typical Spanish Ensaladilla Rusa (literally translated to Russian Salad), everything was exquisite and again for every drink you ordered, you got a free tapa! Well worth the money and most locals do this in this city!

Sightseeing and the Alhambra 

In the afternoon, we decided we were too full to walk around the town, so we purchased the Hop On Hop Off sightseeing bus. It was 19.00 Euros pp for two days, perfect for our weekend long trip. We joined the tour group and followed the routes all the way through until we reached La Alhambra.


 



A beautiful city created by the Moors, hence the Arabic influence that seemed to resonate throughout Granada. Make sure you get tickets for this in advance, we went there under the impression there would be hundreds of tickets for us to choose from, but unfortunately, there is a cap on the amount of tickets sold daily for entrances into the Alhambra and their gardens. 



Thankfully, we managed to get tickets only for the exterior of the La Alhambra and could walk through their grounds seeing some of the architectural features created. Its a pleasant walk through this place with wonderful views of Granada. If you get the chance to visit, don't forget to stroll by La Alhambra, it is the most popular visitor attraction on the Costa del Sol! 


Have any of you ever visited Granada?! If so, what where your trip highlights? Send us an email to info@thetravelpostbox.com to get featured on the blog!


Happy Travelling
Shereen 


Visit Spain's most incredible towns and cities with G Adventures! Find out more below: 



Moorish Spain Moorish Spain
Al-Andalus was a Muslim state that ignited Europe for centuries. It's now more commonly known as Spain. Discover the romance and intrigue for yourself on an 8-day tour that offers expert guidance but leaves plenty of free time to unravel the mysteries on your own. You'll explore Madrid's museums, walk Toledo's streets, and embrace Andalucia's Moorish spirit in converted mosques, Seville's cathedral and the Alhambra of Granada. From gypsy culture to flamenco passion, encounter a culture a thousand years in the making.

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5 comments :

  1. El Gran Lorca deberia ser mencionado.... se merece un blog el mismo! Gracias por su comentario Sean

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  2. The architecture really IS stunning. Enjoyed this :)

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  3. Hi Erin, many thanks! Seville and Granada are my favourite places in Spain! I checked out The Caffeinated Day Tripper! Love your writing! Look forward to more posts :) Shereen

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  4. If you love to eat different food items then you should travel to different countries where you will get a lot of food items to eat.I have found some of the Best Vacation packages which provides the traveling facility to the people who want to travel and eat so much outside food as well.

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