We planned to take the train from Malaga to Granada, but the night before we left we received an email, all in Spanish, regarding our trip. So, Natalie speaks some Spanish, but this was too complicated so we had to find someone to translate it. Turned out that something was wrong with part of the train line, so we were going to have to start off on the train, then transfer to a bus. Well, by this time we have both purchased additional luggage to hold all the things we have purchased, so the idea of handling those bags multiple times was a bit overwhelming. We were able to get our train tickets refunded and we opted to take a taxi to Granada. It wasn’t too expensive and was worth it not having to deal with a four-hour train/bus trip.
We stayed at the Hotel Five Senses right in the middle of Granada. The location was perfect for exploring beautiful Granada. Plus, it had several other perks, including a spa and laundry service. Yay!
Of all the places we visited, Granada was our favorite city. It has all the history and beautiful architecture we saw in other cities, yet it feels more vibrant and cosmopolitan. There was just an air of positivity permeating the city. It just made us feel good.
Pomegranates
One of the first things you notice in Granada is that pomegranates are everywhere. In art, in sculpture, in tilework on buildings. This isn’t too surprising as Granada means pomegranate in Spanish. Natalie was able to fill me in on some of the history of the pomegranate as she is an avid student of all things Catherine of Aragon.
For those of you who don’t know, the pomegranate is an ancient symbol of fertility, death, and rebirth. There are cultural references to pomegranates in Ancient Greece and Rome, Jewish lore, Eastern histories, and the Caribbean Island of Bermuda. After the Spanish soldiers defeated the Moors at Granada in 1492, the Christian monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella took the pomegranate as their symbol. To this day, the pomegranate is still incorporated in the Spanish flag.
Flamenco
You can’t go to Spain without seeing a Flamenco show, and we were lucky enough to score tickets our first night in Granada. Flamenco in Spain is entwined with the Gypsy culture and developed in the Sacromonte district where the Roma people settled the caves high above the city beginning around 1492.
Today, these caves are still used as private homes and businesses, many of them now serving as restaurants and bars. We were lucky enough to attend a dinner and show in a cave restaurant, which was pretty surreal. And getting there was an adventure all by itself!
A tour van picked us up in front of the hotel at 9:40 p.m. and drove us up the mountain on the east side of Granada to the Sacromonte neighborhood. The views of the city during the drive were spectacular!
After disembarking the bus, our guide led us through a warren of streets and alleyways, providing a history of the structures. Everything was so old, yet still vibrated with life, as if the mountain and caves had their own heartbeat. We are walking around, fascinated by the history and culture, then suddenly the narrow lane opens up to a stunning view of the Alhambra, a fortress and palace built by Moorish monarchs over the course of 100 plus years beginning in 1238.
Once again, words escaped us as we gazed at yet another testament to the vision, as well as engineering and construction abilities, of these people who lived so long ago.
After 30 minutes or so of walking, we made it to our destination and settled in to see the show.
Pure enjoyment! We were presented with drinks and an appetizer as the dulcet tones of a Spanish guitar begin to fill the cave. As the beat begins to pick up, a lone voice begins to sing as the dancers start to immerse themselves in the rhythm. Suddenly, one dancer felt moved to MOVE, and the show was on!
It was incredible watching these dancers snap and stomp out their passion in such an intimate setting. The dancers were less than four feet away from us, so we really felt like we were part of the show. A definite must-see for sure! The only aggravation of the evening was the lady across the cave who insisted on recording the dancers with her cellphone light blinding everyone. So rude.
Although it was well after midnight by the time the bus dropped us back at the hotel, we were still buzzing with adrenalin from the show so we wandered through the maze of pedestrian alleyways around the hotel, following the sound of music and laughter. We ended up at a fun little bar for a nightcap before turning in for the night.
Spa Day
The next morning we decided to take advantage of the hotel spa and treat ourselves to a massage. This is another place we had a slight mishap due to our lack of fluent Spanish. When we booked our massage, we explained we both wanted a massage and facial. Much to our surprise, the staff interpreted our request as a request for a COUPLES massage. Oops! We just laughed about it and enjoyed our massages. Just another funny story to share about our trip.
Since this was our last day in Granada, we set out to do some more exploring after our spa morning, and ended up once again following our ears, this time a lively drum beat. Natalie and I ended up stumbling on a festival celebrating International Women’s Day. We hung around a bit to watch the dancers and drummers perform, then strolled the stalls offering a variety of goods made by area women. There was a fantastic artist, who we chatted with for a few minutes, and Natalie and I each ended up buying one of her beautiful watercolors.
We ended up in the main plaza near our hotel for dinner that evening, but decided to have an early night since our ride back to Seville was scheduled to pick us up early the next morning. Too bad we couldn’t linger in Granada a few more days.