After having such a long second day, it wasn’t surprising that we both had another excellent sleep, we had awoken reasonably early again and fully refreshed, thankfully with no adverse effects in our legs. The sun was once again already high in the sky rapidly warming the cooler overnight mountain air, the ‘Works of Fiction’ had forecast yet another 27 degree(c) day, by mid-afternoon, and I have to say that it had been pretty much accurate with it’s predictions over the last couple of days, so fingers crossed that there are no blips on what was to be our last full day here in Granada.
When we had first arrived at the hotel, and had been given the tourist street map by the receptionists, I had enquired about what the area was like around the ‘Puerta Romano’ bridge over the river ‘Genil’, which I had seen photographs of when I was doing some pre-visit research, it looked quite a nice area with a tree lined riverside walk, however, they had been less than enthusiastic about that particular part of town, stating that it was quite a long walk to get to it, and intimating that there was little of interest there, so, in their personal opinions, it was not worth the effort. However, for us, it was now the only district that we had not visited, so we both agreed that we would still go and take a look and, if their was not much to maintain our interest, then we would just return to the Centro area, have another very pleasant lunch and then return to the hotel and perhaps finish the afternoon by the pool. We also agreed that after enjoying another buffet breakfast, and seeing as it may be a long walk to our intended destination, that on this occasion, instead of walking down into the city and then on into the ‘Realejo’ district, we would take the fifteen minute bus ride into the city centre and then walk from there. I had already checked out the route and memorised some landmarks but, to be quite honest it looked a pretty much straightforward route, or it would be unless of course we did our usual trick of deviating off it, to explore side streets and alleyways, which was always a possibility 🤔
Fortunately there was a bus already at the stop when we arrived outside the Alhambra, and it was pretty much devoid of passengers, so it made a nice change to be able to look out of the windows and see some different views over the city as we descended. On our journey down we discussed the fact that, even if we had have managed to obtained tickets to view the Alhambra Palaces and Gardens, which would have entailed us spending a lot more time at the Alhambra, we still both felt that three full days here was sufficient for us to see and do what we had wanted to do. Although, I should say that those who are much more into the historical, architectural or even the religious aspects of the city, then you could of course spend very much longer here, additionally, it was a good base to explore a lot more of the surrounding villages and towns, and tour around the beautiful landscapes that lay within the ‘Sierra Nevada National Park’.
We got off the bus, at the same stop in the city that we had been getting on it each evening to return to the hotel. This stop wasn’t at the actual central bus station, which funny enough, although they do have one, we had not actually come across it on any of our meanderings 🤔 We needed to head South down the Main Street, until we came to a large crossroads junction, at that point there should be a large Correos (Post Office) building on the corner, then from there we would bear left and head East onto a long pedestrianised tree lined walkway and then just follow it, until we came to a large fountain, across from that, the park, bridge and the riverside walk. It looked simple enough and as it happened, with no deviations taken, intended or otherwise, it was 👍
It had taken us no more than twenty-minutes from getting off the bus to getting to the river bridge, and it was a flat walk conducted at a leisurely pace, so we concluded that perhaps our two receptionists were not people who enjoyed walking very much. From the ‘Puerta Romana’ bridge we elected to turn left, away from the more built up areas of that part of the city, to just take a stroll along the very pleasant tree-lined riverside walk, although we could have opted to walk through the very nice park that ran adjacent to the riverside path. Their was a reasonable flow of water in the river but it was unusual, because it did not have the appearance of a natural river but more like a Canal, it had a concrete base and side walls, and every 100 metres or so their were, what we guessed were flood barriers. As we enjoyed the sunshine, and the views of the snow capped mountains, we could not understand why our receptionists didn’t think that their was anything of interest here, probably because it was not laden with retail outlets, cafe’s or restaurants, but to us it was so peaceful, the manicured park had various statues, mini water fountains, flower gardens and shaded benches under the trees, whilst the riverside walk provided both shade and colour too, with the gentle sound of running water that gave it such a tranquil feeling, a nice change from all the hustle and bustle of the city.
We continued walking for quite a while, but we started heading further and further out so we decided to turn back and to go and explore what was on the other side of the ‘Puerta Romano’ bridge, to be honest we were now ready for a late-morning coffee and their wasn’t very much on offer walking in our current direction. Once back at the bridge we crossed on to the opposite bank, along a much wider area that, on the map, looked as if it was another Plaza, but in reality it was just a large concreted area, with a few trees here and there, with a large open air sports area and beyond it a large Ferris Wheel, that wasn’t actually in operation, again we speculated and thought that this was perhaps the area that would house the Circus or Fairground attractions when they came to town 🤷♂️ Their were quite a few large Commercial type buildings, car dealerships etc but primarily it was a residential urbanisation comprising of mainly old style apartment blocks, it had the look and feel of being perhaps in the less affluent area of the city, although it wasn’t scruffy or dirty and we certainly didn’t feel unsafe, it was just an ordinary area were the local people lived which didn’t have nice flower lined roads or fountained Plaza’s. But we did find a small pavement Cafe so we stopped for a very much overdue ‘Cafe con Leche’ and you could tell immediately that this was outside the tourist enclave, the cost of two very nice coffee’s were half the price of anywhere else we had been during the last couple of days. But we probably had a better understanding now of why our receptionists had said that there was nothing of interest here, tourist wise that is, unless of course, like us, you enjoy the peacefulness and tranquility of walking in nice parks or along a riverside walk. So, suitably refreshed, we headed back in the direction we had come, towards the hustle and bustle, we were both beginning to look forward to getting home again now as we were all ‘citied’ out.
When we got back to the junction with the ‘Correos’ building on the corner, instead of just following it straight up, we crossed the road and did our usual thing, we disappeared into a labyrinth of narrow alleyways, for no particular reason other than we could, and knowing that we would be in the shade and out of the now stifling heat of the sun. When we had first arrived in Granada centre on our first afternoon, it had looked quite vast, the tourist map also made it look as if the different districts were much farther apart, however, as with most cities, once you have familiarised yourself with them, they actually become quite small really, it is mainly only the residential buildings that make them appear to be a sprawling metropolis. So it wasn’t long before our back street wanderings through maze like alleyways started to become familiar to us and we soon found ourselves back in the long and cobbled, pedestrianised street which, on both sides were full of the more familiar International branded stores that you find in every single city throughout the world. We now knew which alleyways to take to get towards the many small central Plazas which were adorned with Cafe/Bars and Restaurants.
We found a Cafe that we had not used before, and at first we thought that it was a new Plaza that we had just fallen across, we sat and enjoyed the traditional Spanish pre-lunch aperitif of ‘Vermut’, which is basically very similar to Martini Rosso, and enjoyed another period of people watching, well it would have been rude not to. However, once we had finished our drinks it was time to try and seek out a preferred establishment in which to partake of our final lunch here in Granada, which is when we actually discovered that the Plaza we were in was not actually a new one, but just the opposite end of one where we had previously enjoyed a ‘Menu del Dia’ lunch 🤷♂️
On one of our previous days explorations, we had fallen across another row of pavement Cafe’s/Restaurants, there were probably four or five next to each other, where we had enjoyed a couple of cooling drinks, whilst being serenade by a young lad playing a tune, first on a Saxophone and then another on a Clarinet, which made a change from the more usual guitar players or those with a microphone and Karaoke music box. We had both commented on how good he was, confirmed by the huge applause he had received from the patrons of all the Cafe’s when he finished, needless to say he was well rewarded for his musical talent. What we began to realise was that each ‘Busker’ only gave a maximum of two renditions before packing up and quickly moving on, this was probably because they didn’t have a street licence and if caught ‘in the act’ so to speak, could be arrested, or more likely to be formally cautioned, by the Police, we had actually witnessed a couple of entertainers stopped mid-flow by uniformed officers, whilst we were having lunch on our first day.
The thing about these particular establishments was that they were up more of a side side street than being in a Plaza, which made it more peaceful, apart from them being on the route where the actual ‘Tourist Train’ stopped to drop off and pick up passengers, but that ended up being entertainment in its own right. So this is where we decided we would try to get a table and partake of another leisurely lunch, if we could remember which side street it was on that is 🤔 Fortunately we did, but this time we selected a different establishment to honour our presence with, only because we preferred the menu selections, although this time our selection would not be one from the ‘Menu del Dia’ options. The young male waiter was very friendly and chatty, we said that we would be eating ‘Almuerzo’ (Lunch), but first we wanted to enjoy a drink and just look at the menu, “No problem, take your time, 15 minutes, 30 minutes an hour, no problem” he said, with a smile on his face. We ordered two ‘Vermut’s’ and with them came two Tapas on a plate, consisting of a slice of Baguette with a tomato paste spread on it and topped with a quite a sizeable piece of grilled pork fillet 😋 Sharon obviously declined her portion and said that I could have them both, “Are you sure, I could take the meat off the top and let you have the bread and tomato” I offered, “No that’s all right, you have them both” she said, well I didn’t need to be told twice 😁
After looking at the menu options, and there was loads that we could have both selected to suit our individual preferences, but we decided that we would order two mains dishes and share them between ourselves, but we delayed ordering as we wanted to stretch out our leisurely afternoon, enjoying being serenaded by the ‘Buskers’, we ended up with three or four during the lunch time period that we were there. Our friendly waiter was quite observant, seeing that our glasses were empty he looked across and gestured as to wether we wanted two more, with a nod of my head he came across to confirm what we wanted, this time we ordered two cold beers and when he returned with them, this time he brought a large bowl of ‘Patatas Bravas’ (Small roasted potatoes covered in a spicy sauce), Shazza was the fortunate recipient this time as I don’t like the spicy sauce, so this Tapas would be all hers this time. We did consider not ordering lunch off the menu and just keep ordering more drinks, if they kept being served with various Tapas, but as we couldn’t guarantee what sort of Tapas food items would come out, there was a strong possibility that as well as ending up very inebriated, one of us could quite possibly end up hungry, because the Spanish tend to like their meat products, so I wonder who on earth that would have been 🤔 I don’t actually drink a lot of beer so, when we did finally order our lunch I switched to my more normal Anti-Covid Vaccine 🍷 whilst Shazza stuck to beer. We ordered a ‘Tropical Salad’ (Rocket, Tomatoes, Avocado, Orange, sliced Strawberries and Feta) and Tuna Skewers on a bed of Potatoes (which actually turned out to be French Fries). We expected the two dishes to be served together, however, a huge bowl of Tropical Salad came out first, accompanied by another round of requested drinks 🍷🍺😲 well it was a very hot day and they just seemed to be evaporating ever so quickly 😳 Then out came the Tuna Skewers and French Fries, there were six ‘fully loaded’ skewers and piles of chips and to be honest, I just couldn’t manage more than two of the skewers and a few chips, well I had also devoured two grilled pork fillets beforehand, so I left the rest to Shazza to polish off which she did. I needed another Anti-Covid Vaccine to assist in washing it all down but Shazza opted for a bottle of water on this occasion, and considering that normally she rarely drinks alcohol these days, but when she does, she rarely has more than two beers, but today she had already had two large ‘Vermut’s’ and three ‘Beers’ 😲 So I am not sure wether it was as a result of the heat of the sun, or just that Shazza had enjoyed her day so much that she was in an usually over friendly mood, but for some reason she had begun to give a ‘Royal Wave’ to all the passengers on the tourist trains that passed by, and she accompanied her wave with a bout of churlish laughter and then sat with a rather inane grin on her face. I quickly gave the waiter an urgent glance, “La Cuenta, Por Favor” (Bill Please !!) before it got too messy 😲
Now we don’t generally eat more than one proper full meal per day and, when at home, that would usually be dinner in the evening, but here we had been having breakfasts in the hotel and then lunches out, but by early evening we still generally just needed a snack, a bag of crisps or some biscuits to have with our evening cuppa’s, probably due to all the calories we had been burning off. However, on this our last day, when we were enjoying our first ‘Vermut’, prior to lunch, in the Plaza, I couldn’t help but notice two small artisan stores, one that sold a variety of ‘Empanadas’ (Similar shape to the British Cornish Pastie) and a ‘Pasteleria’ that was advertising slices of ‘Baileys’ flavoured cheesecake, so when we left our lunchtime restaurant, we made our way back to that Plaza and purchased some tasty treats for later that evening, that was if either of us were to actually awake from our alcohol induced late afternoon siestas 😂😴
How, I do not know, but we did manage to maintain a dignified stature back through the town, to the bus stop and through the hotel lobby, well we didn’t want to get categorised as being typical ‘Brits Abroad’ now did we, or worse, have the locals protesting outside the hotel with Placards saying ‘Tourists Go Home’ 😲
I should just confirm that actually we did enjoy a rather extended ‘Siesta’ that particular afternoon and we never actually made it to the hotel’s swimming pool, no surprise there then. However, I can also confirm that later that evening our ‘snacks’ were absolutely delicious but, after this trip, we may both delay our getting on the bathroom scales for perhaps a week or two when we return home 🤭
The following morning we packed our cases before going for our final buffet breakfast. I was pleased that we had agreed beforehand that I did the driving on the outward journey, and that Shazza would do the driving on this return trip, so that I could enjoy the scenery. Initially though we had entertained the idea that we would do a stop on the way back at a small village, about an hour South East of Granada, called ‘Soportújar’, better known as the ‘Witches Village’, however, whilst it was a good idea at the time, now we just wanted to get back home and agreed that we could do that visit as a day trip visit at some point in the future.
It is nice to get away sometimes and see different places and landscapes, wether that be for just a day or, like this trip, just a little longer, but it is always nice to return home again, not just to the comforts of our own bricks ‘n’ mortar, but to the familiarity of our own territory. National Parks with their mountains and forests are absolutely wonderful but for us, well there is nothing better than descending back down to sea level, looking out upon the sparkling blueness.
It wasn’t long before we reached those sea views, as we turned off the A44 from Granada and on to the A7 towards Malaga, and then beyond to our home, but we still had around a two hour drive ahead of us.
We had both enjoyed our short trip to Granada, I had certainly enjoyed it more than I had initially expected to, and sometimes you do just need to get away, to explore new areas, those right on your doorstep and other’s further afield. However, going away also serves another purpose as it makes you appreciate the area where you already live. I often said in my earlier rambles that I wondered just how long it would take, now that we had moved here permanently, before the ‘pinch me’ and the ‘WOW’ moments would stop. Well after almost one year of living here I think I can say that the ‘Pinch Me’ moments have stopped, although occasionally we do still have those ‘WOW’ moments. I guess we are now at the stage where we have fallen into the trap of just taking for granted where we live, and what we have on our doorstep, it had become our normal and so, whilst going away and visiting new places, new regions and even new countries, is a good experience, it also takes going away, even if just for a couple of days, to then returning, to make us appreciate once again this wonderful location, and the lifestyle that we are now very fortunate to be able to enjoy.
Until the next ramble…………….
Hasta Luego mi Amigos (La Vida Es Buena)
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