Spain Part I: Granada

Thursday we embarked on our 15-day trip to Spain! After flying into Malaga (all the way in the south), we rented a car and decided we would drive to several small towns throughout Andalucia.  Just to include a little background, Andalucia is the region that consumes practically all of southern Spain and it's the most populous region of the country. When you think about dry heat, tapas and flamenco, you're mostly thinking of this region. Our plan is to visit Granada, then head west through a series of Pueblos Blancos (or "white villages") stopping over in Ronda. After that, we will head north to Sevilla and Cordoba before leaving Andalucia after the first week. Our second week will be split between Madrid and Barcelona in the north. Get ready for a lot of blog posts!

Our first stop was Granada, which is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains. We arrived on Thursday afternoon and immediately sought out a local tapas bar for lunch. The traditional tapas meal in Andalucia is very different from the tapas you see in the States. Here, it's common to receive one free tapas dish with each drink you order. The locals would normally eat several dishes over a few drinks, making the meal more social.

After a delicious first meal, we set out to explore the city. We strolled through the old town, which is the Moorish quarter of the city. The Moors ruled in many parts of the Iberian Peninsula between 700 and 1500, which leaves the area with an interesting combination of Muslim and Christian influence. The architecture has been especially interesting. It is really different from most of the other European cities we've visited.

Manchego, olives and sangria on a sunny afternoon!

                                  

                                  

The weather was amazing on both days so far!

                                  

                                  

You can see the Arabic inscription and tiles above the door.

                                  

The enormous altar in the Granada Cathedral ( it's take up an entire city block!)

                                  

For perspective, you can see Kristin standing under this organ...

                                  

The town itself has been gorgeous and we really enjoyed exploring the tiny streets and taking in the views; however, the main attraction that draws people to Granada is the Alhambra. We had the chance to visit this monstrous palace on Friday morning, but that's for another day...

For now, we'll close with a picture we took of the Alhambra from a distance. Everything about it is impressive, and the mountains set in the background really create a spectacular view.

And now we're off for more sangria and tapas!

Adios,

Matt and Kristin