(Photos by © Brandon Elijah Scott / Eye & Pen)
To be honest, I knew very little about Granada. But I heard great things from everyone I met throughout my prior travels in Spain. I didn’t look at a map and I didn’t know what to do or where to go, but the moment I jumped off the bus, I knew that I was going to have a great time. The bus ride from Madrid was absolutely breathtaking! The roads wound in between and around, and sometimes through beautiful, picturesque white-tipped mountains. At the bottom of the mountains were tiny farms and the endless vineyard, accompanied by various fruit tree fields. What a spectacular experience, I thought to myself – I looked around at everyone else on the bus, and sleepy, unimpressed eyes looked out at the beautiful expanse around us. I was amazed at this, and a little stunned that others didn’t see the same beauty as me. The many landscapes of our world are wonderful, and beautiful, and while some are perhaps, wicked and unmanned, the world we live in is truly amazing.
I took the inner-city bus to the cathedral and then walked around the corner of Gran Via, and I began to see the mountainous Alhambra overhead. I took a left and started toward where my map directed me – I was heading to where my hostel would be found. Wonderful Arabic stores and little hookah and tea shops met me at every step. I walked past the Plaza Nueva and continued forward on the ever changing street, which narrowed and everything was made of stone. Old stone walls and crooked, haphazard buildings lined my left and a river was on my right, down below the old walls. Various bridges crossed to inlets of houses and small patio restaurants. A small 4”x6” sign read the name of my hostel and I turned up the rising narrow alley to their front doors.
A buzz rang and I was inside of bright colored, unorthodox room, where the receptionists sat behind a desk. The words “White Nest Hostel” were scrolled largely across the wall, with vibrant splotches of color and graphics on either side. I was greeted with a warm smile. She checked me into my room and gave me a map, where she scribbled away at all of the highlights of Granada, the attractions and fantastic tapas restaurants. I walked through the two bright pink and neon orange common areas and glanced into the kitchen, before I took the winding steps to the top floor, where I found my room. It was orange with a white ceiling spotted with brown beams, which indicated that I was staying under the roof of the building. I locked my bags in my locker and took to wandering the streets.
A buzz rang and I was inside of bright colored, unorthodox room, where the receptionists sat behind a desk. The words “White Nest Hostel” were scrolled largely across the wall, with vibrant splotches of color and graphics on either side. I was greeted with a warm smile. She checked me into my room and gave me a map, where she scribbled away at all of the highlights of Granada, the attractions and fantastic tapas restaurants. I walked through the two bright pink and neon orange common areas and glanced into the kitchen, before I took the winding steps to the top floor, where I found my room. It was orange with a white ceiling spotted with brown beams, which indicated that I was staying under the roof of the building. I locked my bags in my locker and took to wandering the streets.
I met a friend that I had met online while I lived in Minnesota. We found it odd that things consistently hadn’t worked out to meet in person prior, but now that I was traveling in Granada and she was stationed here for a few months with learning abroad, we finally were able to make time. For hours, we wandered around through the Albaicín neighborhood of Granada, which was known as the ‘old town.’ It was picturesque in the parts nearest the stream, with views of the Alhambra overhead and stone walls and bridges, but also had amazing views toward the top areas of the mounting neighborhood, which rose and rose, higher and higher, via various alleyways and steps, which made little to no sense at most times. We stopped at a few little Arabic shops and then sat down for a drink at a local watering hole, which was famous for its free plate of food with every drink. We had toasted bagel sandwiches with ham and cheese, fries and slaw – entirely, we spent maybe four euro on two drinks and a light meal.
She told me some of the history of the region and told of her own wanderings and learnings from her time in Granada already. It was unfortunate that we didn’t have more time to hang out, as she was heading off to Portugal the next afternoon, and would return the day after I left. But sometimes, some short meetings happen for a reason, and are forever remembered with fondness.
She told me some of the history of the region and told of her own wanderings and learnings from her time in Granada already. It was unfortunate that we didn’t have more time to hang out, as she was heading off to Portugal the next afternoon, and would return the day after I left. But sometimes, some short meetings happen for a reason, and are forever remembered with fondness.
I had been traveling too fast, sometimes walking around for four to six hours a day and then jumping on a bus or train to the next interesting place. My illness from Barcelona had faded, but I was sore and tired. I retired for the night and slept over 14 hours with ease – it was a blessing that no one else was in my six-bed dorm this night. The next morning I felt fully rested and ready to take in all that Granada had to offer. I roamed and roamed, experiencing the atmosphere and the last mostly tourist-free day of the city (which was luck, I presume). I studied each shop and tried the different foods, and I found hidden lookout points to see out over the city and to where the Alhambra stood atop the cliffside near my hostel.
For the following days, I wrote in the mornings, cooked foods from the local market and continued my wanderings. I didn’t take the initiative to meet many others in the hostel this time. I took to myself, to learn and to think and to grow. One of the most enlightening moments in Granada was when I sat in the tourist-filled square that was located at the furthest end of Carrera del Darro, where a gypsy sat playing her guitar – I wrote a narrative story about this experience here.
Looking back, there are more parts of the city that I wished to have visited – some of which were unknown to me at the time, but I will forever cherish my experience in Granada and I still have plenty of reason to return!
Other travel updates:
Travel update I – Barcelona, Spain
Travel update II – Madrid, Spain
Travel update IV – Ronda & Sevilla, Spain
Travel update V – Marrakech, Morocco
Travel update VI – Marseille & Nice, France
For the following days, I wrote in the mornings, cooked foods from the local market and continued my wanderings. I didn’t take the initiative to meet many others in the hostel this time. I took to myself, to learn and to think and to grow. One of the most enlightening moments in Granada was when I sat in the tourist-filled square that was located at the furthest end of Carrera del Darro, where a gypsy sat playing her guitar – I wrote a narrative story about this experience here.
Looking back, there are more parts of the city that I wished to have visited – some of which were unknown to me at the time, but I will forever cherish my experience in Granada and I still have plenty of reason to return!
Other travel updates:
Travel update I – Barcelona, Spain
Travel update II – Madrid, Spain
Travel update IV – Ronda & Sevilla, Spain
Travel update V – Marrakech, Morocco
Travel update VI – Marseille & Nice, France
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