Wrapping up our travels in Spain, our last city to visit was Granada.
Set in Andalusia at the foot of the snow capped Sierra Nevada, this is a place where Moorish
influence is palpable.
From hilltop fortresses to Moroccan markets, and tranquil gardens to quaint teahouses,
in this travel guide we’re going to show you some of the things you can do in Granada:
Well well guys good morning.
Welcome to Granada.
Granada, Spain.
The temperatures have really dropped.
Yeah.
Since we left Valencia as you can see we are wearing all of our layers.
They sure have.
We're reaching what like daytime highs of 5 to 6 degrees but the feels like temperature
is even colder than that.
Yeah.
We probably didn't bring a wardrobe appropriate.
The real telltale sign of that was when this morning we went out to get pastries and there
was a little dog with a little sweater.
And it was shivering to the core.
Poor puppy.
Shivering to the absolute core.
But anyways we're going to make the most of our time here.
What is nice is that the sun has come out and we've got a lot to do.
So we're going to explore Granada in this travel guide.
Come join us.
Alright Sam tell us.
Where are we now?
So our first stop is Granada Cathedral (Catedral de Granada).
Mmmhmm.
The reason we're visiting this place first is it the closest to our airbnb.
So it is a logical choice.
Like gosh, what like a five minute walk from where we are staying.
Yeah not even.
Not even.
More like 2 or 3 minutes.
So we're going to go in and check it out.
If you’ve been following this Eurotrip you know that we’ve been visiting our fair share
of cathedrals, and this one was as grand as you’d expect.
The stark white interiors were a bit of a contrast to the ornate churches we had seen
in other cities, but that just made your eyes travel towards a glowing, golden altar.
Okay guys so we just finished visiting the cathedral.
That was 5 Euros per person for admission and you also get an audio guide for that.
Although Sam over here.
Hey.
In the background.
I was the videographer.
Always declines.
Busy doing something else.
Always declines.
Busy doing something else.
Declines the audio guides.
Um so now we are going to continue to a street called Calle Calderería Nueva which apparently
is a bit like a Moroccan Souk.
A market.
So we're going to do a little bit of browsing.
Who knows maybe we'll pick up some leather slippers.
And we've also heard that they have teahouses.
So I think we're going to have to warm up at some point because it is pretty chilly
over here.
The Moroccan souk turned out to be one of our favourite spots in the city, and a place
that we would revisit numerous times during our stay.
The street was packed with tiny shops standing shoulder to shoulder, all filled with leather
handbags, glass lamps, wool slippers, colourful scarves and pashminas, and just about every
souvenir you can imagine.
So we are currently shopping for slippers to stay warm in our apartment.
Sam and his Dad got a pair.
7 Euros a piece.
This is as much as it is about getting a souvenir.
This is also about survival.
Staying warm.
Survival people.
Winter in Granada.
Survival.
Okay so here we have the slippers that we just purchased.
And Sam also got a colorful pair.
Yes.
Oh la lah.
They look fire-y like his hair.
Hahaha.
Think we'll be able to tell the difference because these ones are red so the redhead
gets the red ones and the other guy gets the other pair.
Haha.
Pumpy gets the other ones.
Yeah not bad for 7 euros though.
Yeah.
It will keep you guys warm.
Reaching the end of the souk, we continued making our way up the hill into Albayzín.
This is one of the oldest centres of Muslim culture in Granada, and it’s THE place to
get lost on foot.
The neighbourhood is a maze of narrow cobbled streets, white-houses with tiled roofs, and
small courtyards sprinkled in between.
(Guitar playing)
Meowsers.
We've made a friend.
Alright guys so it was a bit of a climb.
Yeah.
But we finally made it to Mirador de San Nicolas which is a lookout point.
And these are the best views you can get of the Alhambra (الْحَمْرَاء).
More than worth coming here.
Like you kind of first see it and your jaw almost drops.
It is like woah.
It is so amazing.
Not only do you see the Alhambra (الْحَمْرَاء) you see snow capped mountains off in the background.
Yes.
And you also get great views of the city down below.
Mmmhmm.
Now the only mistake we made was it would have been nicer to come here in the morning
with the sun being in the right direction.
Yes.
Right now it is backlit but I mean still beautiful if you're not a photographer it really doesn't
matter.
Haha.
If you're a photographer you won't be thrilled about it though.
Making our way back down the hill, we made time to stop at one of the teterías, or teahouses.
This was the perfect place to rest on a cold winter day and enjoy some afternoon treats.
Okay so there are lots of tea shops right along the shopping street where we were earlier.
So we are back here warming up.
Oh yeah.
We got some tea.
That was a priority.
We got some coffee.
For sure.
Mmhmm.
Yeah.
So I'm just going to read straight off of the menu because we have a lot of ingredients
here.
We do.
So I went for the arabian coffee which has cardamon, ginger and cinnamon.
It smells wonderful.
Yes.
And Sam over here I got the fancy pants coffee.
More decadent.
Oh yeah.
This is the specialty at this teahouse.
It is called a cafe Divan with chocolate, cream and cinnamon.
That looks devine.
I haven't even tried it.
And then we got a goody plate.
Oh wait and Dadeo.
George.
Dadeo.
Got mango tea.
Yeah.
And they've poured that all nice and fancy.
Look at all of that food.
Everything looks so good.
Mmmhmm.
And while we’re on the topic of food, aside from Moroccan tea houses, you can also find
numerous Moroccan restaurants in this part of the city.
One place we ate at on more than once occasion was Al-Faguara.
They offered set menus for lunch featuring hummus, falafel, couscous, tajine, and of
course, lots of baklava.
And now let’s take a moment to talk about Granada’s main tourist attraction: the Alhambra!
Today we are visiting the Alhambra here in Granada so we are up bright and early.
We sure are.
We have tickets for 10 am.
to visit the Nazareth Palaces.
Yeah.
But we've come in early.
The Alhambra (الْحَمْرَاء) is a massive complex of palaces, gardens and fortresses
that once formed the citadel of the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada, which was the last Muslim
dynasty to rule along the Iberian Peninsula from the years 1230 to 1492.
This is the one attraction you can’t miss when you visit Granada, and you’ll want
to book your tickets well in advance as they can sell out during high season.
We spent half a day touring the grounds during which time we visited the Nasrid Palaces,
the Palace of Charles the Fifth, the Alcazaba, and the Generalife.
Then on a particularly chilly morning, we decided to find a cafe where we could indulge
in a delicious Spanish breakfast.
Okay so Sam found a great little spot for us not too far from the apartment.
This place is called ViaColon and it is a beautiful coffee house (cafe).
Like it is classy inside.
Woah.
We are really excited.
Yeah.
We ordered three different things.
Oh and there are the churros.
Gracias.
Oh my gosh the churros just arrived.
Going in for the churros.
The churros dunk.
In a hot chocolate.
I just love the thickness of the chocolate.
I just can't get over it.
When have you seen hot chocolate so thick.
And it is like dunking it in chocolate sauce.
Sludge.
Chocolate sludge.
Look at this.
It is just a wonderful richness to it.
Mmmmm.
It is amazing.
It is the kind of thing you could eat anytime of day huh?
Mmmhmm.
You know what?
We ate a lot of churros when we were in Madrid.
Yeah.
But these are like even more dense.
They have less air in them.
So yeah you're just getting more dough.
It is more filling.
Would you say these are the best churros you've tried in Spain so far?
Yeah.
I may have to say that.
Wow.
They are so good.
So good that you almost gobbled a whole churro and I haven't even tried mine.
I only get 3.
Hahaha.
That is the sad part.
Well you've almost ate half of yours.
Mmmm.
Time for me to go in for the Spanish Tortilla (tortilla española).
Anyways uh it is very simple ingredients.
Just potato and egg.
Yeah.
And it is thick.
It is a lot denser than what it may look like.
I think it is meant to be filling.
Yeah, it is meant to be filling.
It is hearty.
Another spot we explored in Granada is Carrera del Darro, a small lane that runs along the
Darro River at the base of the Alhambra.
This street is lined with arched-stone bridges and historic buildings, and it’s especially
peaceful if you go in the early morning.
So tonight we are watching a Flamenco Show.
We've come to a place called Le Chien Andalou.
It is 10 Euros if you want any seat in the house.
12 Euros if you want to sit right up front.
And we got it.
We're sitting up front so yeah it is going to be fun.
Flamenco.
(Flamenco Music)
(Clapping)
Alright you two.
So we just came out of the Flamenco Show.
What were your thoughts?
So much passion and energy.
Haha.
And it makes me want to actually no I could never do that.
Hahaha.
I just really enjoyed it.
I don't think I've ever seen a male Flamenco dancer.
Haha.
Sam.
And to finish off this video, we’ll leave you with a few scenes of Granada at night
and one last glimpse of the Alhambra lit up against the evening sky.
As always, we hope you enjoyed this video and that you got a few ideas of things do
in Granada on your own visit.
Wishing you happy travels and we’ll see you in the next video as we continue our travels
across Europe.