Granada was everything I could have hoped for, and then some. Set beneath the purple and white Sierra Nevadas, it is a far cry from bustling Madrid, a sort of indulgently-cultural utopia that harbors colliding and yet co-existing Muslim and Christian influences. The first day we walked up through the Albaicín--Muslim neighborhoods and markets--tall, beautiful buildings separated by narrow, cobblestone alleyways and adorned with truly artistic graffiti pieces. We ate dinner on the roof of a restaurant at the top of the hill overlooking the city and witnessed the sunset from that location which Clinton himself has called "the most beautiful sunset in the world."
The next day we awoke early and went to tour the Alhambra, the last palace ruled by the Nazariths before the last sultan surrendered to the Christians only then, according to legend, to be scolded by his mother: "You cry like a woman but you did not defend like a real man." It is all stucco, marble, and brick, full of water-features, gardens, and orange trees, and almost every surface is adorned with intricate, patterned engravings and the Muslim phrase, "God is the only winner." Windows called "jealousy windows" were grated so that the Sultan's wives could look out but no men could see in them. Although Napolean destroyed the majority of the city surrounding the Alhambra, the palace itself was left intact, if somewhat altered, by the Chrisitans because of it's beauty. From the Alhambra we could see the hills with the caves that Gypsies still live in. You can actually buy a cave here.
We also had a chance to go to the Féria de Corpus Christi while in Granada, which is one of the biggest festival of the year. The entryway looked much like a fairy-palace built of Christmas lights, and a canopy of lights crowned a walkway framed by treat stands offering sweet wine, sweet corn, indulgently-topped Belgian waffles, and baked potatoes baked in makeshift ovens in upright aluminum barrels. Colonial tents housing the food and music of Costa-Rican-Spanish, Puerto-Rican-Spanish, Mexican-Spanish, and other immigrant communities. Women young and old were donning their best Flamenco dresses, and we witnessed a genuine, fiery and passionate Flamenco show. Not to mention all the theme park rides.
I had a chance to shop at the Muslim markets in the Albaicín after touring the Alhambra. The markets themselves are a like a vibrant quilt of colorful scarves, dresses, gaucho-like pants, Turkish tea sets, evil-eye trinkets and silver jewelry. I bought some wonderfully-unique souvenirs, including a coin-laden belly-dancing scarf and powdered black eyeliner worn by Muslim women and applied with a thin wooden stick.
Finally, the hostel we stayed in the second night there, (the Oasis hostel) was one amazing experience in itself. The staff was friendly, almost familial, and we were given a free welcome drink at the bar along with a plate at the "dinner party" for a modest 4 euros. The dinner was at 9:00, and consisted of a huge plate of seafood paella that they cooked for several hours, and tasted ten times better than the 15 euro-paella we had eaten at a restaurant in Madrid. There were backpackers from all over at this hostel, and it had the truly charming--if a bit cliché--vibe of "backpacking through Europe"-vibe.
Granada literally means "pomegranate" in English, and it really seems like it is one. It seems like a fertile, dense cluster of plump, sweet, and exciting seeds, cultural gems just waiting to be tasted. I tasted it only briefly this time around, but it was de-licious!
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