When the plane touched down in Rochester, NY, I immediately felt deflated and melancholy. Days after returning home from our trip to Granada, Spain, I still couldn’t shake the weighted-down feeling. My energy was at an all-time low. I felt that my “old” life had became predictable, burdensome and unsatisfying.
Perhaps it was the lack of sunshine I mourned (or lack of olives and wine). Or maybe I missed the bustle of activity with a group of people I came to love. Experts call the crash after a high, post-vacation depression, and there are all sorts of ways to help people like me overcome the melancholy feeling I was experiencing. Some ideas are complete rubbish (like manage your restlessness), while others are helpful (keep sharing). But I’m not looking for a cure, just a way to remember and get back to “happy.” One of my favorite ways of working through problems is to write about them.
Here are seven reasons why I love (and miss) Granada, Spain:
7. Coffee with Sierra Nevada and friends
Upon waking in Granada, my only desire was to drink a cup of strong, hot coffee and gaze out the window at the snow covered Sierra Nevada. Invariably our friends Antonio and Maca would join Rob and me in their kitchen. Gathered around the small table, we would discuss the day’s plans, or reflect on the previous days excursions. Lara and Tim would rap on the door and join us for some desayuna (breakfast) of toast with a touch of honey and olive oil. After Antonio and Maca readied their eight-year-old son Nacho for school, we’d head out on our daily adventure.
6. Olives and extra virgin olive oil!
One day as the boys visited school (much to their chagrin), the grown ups learned about the infamous olives and olive oil of the Andalusian region. A short drive from the city of Granada led us up a mountainous, muddy road to see, smell and touch the olive trees growing on the farm of Antonio’s family. Rows upon rows of olive trees greeted us, however, the fruit had already been plucked and carried off to Nuestra Señora de los Remedios – a cooperative olive processing facility dedicated to the making the very best extra virgin olive oil. More than 700 farmers send their annual harvests to the facility, which meticulously processes and bottles the oil – a pillar of the Mediterranean diet. Later, while I savored my olive expedition, the boys grumped that their visit to Spanish Secundaria or high school was boring.
5. Walking Granada’s stone and mosaic streets
There are many wonderful historic and interesting places to explore and fall in love with throughout the city of Granada. What better way to see the rich, pulsing culture than through the eyes of someone who has lived here for many years? One morning, Lara and I followed James’s host mother Ana as she guided us through the city center where we experienced a symphony of the senses. Ana pointed out the magnificent baroque Cathedrals built over an ancient mosque, the infamous Royal Chapel, which doubled as a Gothic mausoleum, many monuments and other diverse architectural delights.
As we strode by orange and lemon trees, which gave off a faint citrusy aroma, Ana took us uptown to the ancient quarters of Granada called the Albaicin. We knew we were entering a different part of the city as the pavement changed from cobblestones to the decorative “empedrado grenadino” – a mosaic technique of wheat-shaped patterns unique to the artisan-loving Moors.
4. Exploring the ancient Albaicin
Located at the foot of the Alhambra is the Albaicin (al-by-theen), which is a neighborhood of cobbled streets, steep walled inclines, and secret nooks that hint at the ancient Andalusian lifestyle. A feast of hidden and breathtaking views surrounded us. Tucked behind a facade in the street was El Banuelo, one of the oldest and best-conserved Arab baths to survive the destruction of Granada by the Catholic monarchs. Ana regaled us with the historic and artistic significance of the bath – an essential part of Muslim custom to bathe before prayer. I could feel the energy beneath the star-shaped windows in the roof that allowed in sunlight. Ana, a profesor of Fine Arts at the University of Granada, had curated a unique ephemoral and contemporary art celebration staged throughout the city of Granada in 2011. One of the places that artists came to create their work was the very bath we stood in.
3. Experiencing flamenco dancing by gypsies
Gypsies are not the wandering thieves many people conjure in their mind’s eye. In Granada, they are artists – and savvy business owners. Carved into the skirts of Valparaiso (paradise valley) hill are the whitewashed caves of Sacromonte where gypsies live and dance flamenco. Flamenco is a dance that unfolds a story with eye and facial movements. The dance we witnessed one evening made crazy-fast use of castanets – its rhythm is flamenco’s bedrock, which also involves intricate, percussive footwork reminding me of Riverdance and oddly, fútbol. There are few words to describe flamenco– watch the video.
2. Tapas.
While tapas is a widespread custom throughout Spain, in Granada these small servings of local dishes are served free of charge whenever we ordered a beer or glass of wine. This tradition involves an unspoken understanding between the bartender, who selects the tapa for you. While in Spain, I became a flexitarian, opting in for the tasty multicultural cuisine, which involves a lot of ham (jamón).
1. Churros and chocolate.
Churros are long, spiraly, deep fried dough. They are golden on the outside with a slight crunch that gives way to a soft middle. And are best eaten with hot chocolate. We met our Spanish friends one evening in the Bib Rambla square at a churrería or café that specially prepares fresh churros. The Spanish hot chocolate I had was as thick as pudding and ideal for dipping the churro, (rather than drinking) and savoring it in all of its fried glory. You haven’t lived if you haven’t tried this Spanish delicacy.
Although I listed seven reasons why I miss Granada, I would be a bit remiss if I did not at least mention fútbol (soccer) since it is the most popular sport in Spain and near religion to some fans. I’m not in that category, but after experiencing Spain, I can understand the fascination and fanaticism. Fútbol is more than a sport, it is a culture. While my son played fútbol, I discovered commonalities with other parents around work-life balance, cooperation, diplomacy, patience, and respect. Before, during and after fútbol became a celebration – preparing meals, trying new food, meeting friends at a teteria (Arab tea house), rooting around Moorish craft shops and stalls, visiting the Science Park, and climbing from rooftop to rooftop to enjoy various views of the city.
Everyone, I realized, sees the world differently, or through their “mind’s eye.” The way we see things as an individual is neither good nor bad – just different. A glass is either half full or half empty. While it’s not easy, it is possible to teach ourselves to change how we see the world. We can start by not making assumptions about anything and enjoy the moment.
Hey, I really enjoyed your articles about your trip to Spain with your family. I found them very interesting and I learned some very cool things about Granada, Spain. One thing that I found really interesting was your Alhambra Adventure when I learned that Spain still has buildings and landmarks from the medieval age, especially since the medieval age was about 6 centuries ago. Another thing that I found cool was the roads from one of your seven reasons why you like Granada, Spain, I like how detailed they looked and I found it really cool. Now I have some questions for you about your articles. One is your seven reasons why you love Granada, Spain what made the olives infamous, because if they make the best virgin olive oil than what makes them infamous? My other question was what types of tapas were there in the bar? Were they good? This is what I found really cool about your trip to Granada, Spain and some questions about it.
My favorite blog of yours that I have read definitely would have to be the Spanish-Style Soccer article. As I am a big soccer fan and soccer player, I found it very intriguing. In your Adios Granada, Spain there was a picture of a soccer field in the mountains, it was absolutely beautiful. Was the air different up on the field since it’s in the mountains? It must have been such a great experience to witness everything you did in Granada, Spain. Some of your descriptions made me feel like I was experiencing it myself. One question I had was in your Come Along With Me To Granada, Spain article, you said the kids stayed with host families, why was that? All of your blogs that I read I found very interesting and I would love to read more.
Hello, I loved your article about Granada Spain. It was very interesting learning about coffee with Sierra Nevada and friends. Did you ever get a cup of strong, hot coffee you wanted? The picture of Sierra Nevada covered in snow is very beautiful. Would you ever go back to Spain again if you could? The churros and chocolate look sooooooo delicious! I hope you had a very great time in Granada Spain and I hope you and your family could go again. 🙂
I really enjoyed reading about your trip to Spain! I never thought that going to see a soccer game would be about the equivalent to seeing a football game. Many of the sights you saw looked interesting in the pictures you took and many of the snacks that you ate sounded delicious(especially the churros). Flamenco dancing sounds like fun especially because it has the usage of many facial expressions which could be funny with friends. Did you like most of the snacks you ate or were they not as appetizing? Out of all the reasons you loved Granada, Spain, what was your absolute favorite? I hope to learn more about Spanish culture and countries (along with more Spanish vocabulary).
Your trip to Granada, Spain sounded like a blast! I’m sure losing those two Iphones gave you quite the scare but the fact that you discovered both is very lucky! And it sounds like that luck just stayed with you through out your trip! I also enjoy soccer like your son, so your tour of Ciudad del Futbol sounded awesome! The view from your window of the sierra Nevada sounds like it would be nice and relaxing. on the not so relaxing side the gypsies flamenco dancing sounds very fun and entertaining! All the food you mention sounded delicious especially those churros with the chocolate yummy! Oh and guess what me and my other friend from class, Maddy recognized someone in one of your photos! David Garcia from your Adios Granda, Spain article used to coach our soccer team her in Brockport! I noticed you arrived on Valentines day, I was wondering if you and your husband did any cool Spanish thing for it. Ultimately, your trip to Granada sounded like something I would love! So I was wondering about how long it took you to plan the whole trip because who knows maybe one day I’ll go!
Granada, Spain sure sounds like a great place!
Some parts of Granada that sound very nice are the historical locations! “…a symphony of the senses.” makes the locations sound like they are magnificent, and slightly awe inspiring. Another part of Granada, and possibly just Spain in general, that makes it sound amazing is “Experiencing flamenco dancing by gypsies”. My mother is a flamenco teacher/dancer, and I’ve seen her preform many times. But, I have never seen a Gypsy dance flamenco. It sounds very nice! “The dance we witnessed one evening made crazy-fast use of castanets…” That is definitely something I want to see! A third part of Granada, Spain that sounds fun is “Churros and chocolate”. I love chocolate and pastries, especially ones from different cultures (mainly because I think it is cool to see the differences between American and other cultures food). “The Spanish hot chocolate I had was as thick as pudding and ideal for dipping the churro…and savoring it in all of its fried glory.” I haven’t had Spanish Hot Chocolate or Churros before, but I certainly would like to. Honestly I think you are very lucky to have been able to go to Spain. I went there to visit my grandparents when I was very young, but I dont remember much. This definitely makes me want to visit there sometime in the future.
Some questions for you:
1. Why were the olives infamous?
2. What was it like to visit historical locations?
3. What was one of your favorite places to go?
and
5. Would you like to go back to Granada anytime soon, or visit other places in Spain or Europe?
Hello! I really enjoyed your article, it makes me want to visit Granada! The Albaicin looks like a very interesting neighborhood. The churros also look delicious! The mosiac streets look beautiful and i would love to know how they were made. What was your favorite meal there? What type of music did you listen to? Where did you stay?
I see that you truly loved your trip to Granada Spain. Sra. Monroe told us about your trip and wanted us to comment on many of blogs that you have posted. I like this one because it gave me 7 reasons to why I should want to come to Granada Spain. the Churros and chocolate sounds very tasty and I’m planning on trying it for myself. Granada Spain sounds lovey and very interesting. I found that your son was very lucky to meet his favorite futball (soccer) team. im sorry to say that I don’t really watch soccer but my friend and I enjoy playing.
I can see that you enjoyed your trip to Spain. After reading your articles, I thought it was interesting that you got to eat churros and chocolate. I also thought it was cool when you got to see what a real olive tree looks like and how they grow them. liked it when you gave lots of details on your 7 favorite things you liked in Spain. Especilly when you got to see flamigo dancing done by gypises. I found it very cool that your son got to meet his favorite fotbal (soccer) team, and get a tour of their (hangout zone) stadium.
that tapas looked good
How well of a view did you have of the mountains? Did you ever get to go on the mountains, or explore them?
my favorite article is 7 reasons why I love Granada for many reasons. one of them being Granada Spain sounds and looks very interesting! I like how you explained in deep detail your experience in Granada. in number 7, the view of snow covered sierra Nevada sounds amazing. it sounds like it would be an amazing view to see when your relaxing and drinking coffee. in number 6, I find it very unique that you got to go see and touch the olive trees of Antonio’s family. in number 5, my favorite one, the streets look beautiful! I would definitely love to have roads like that here. they are so unique with design its amazing. I think its very cool for people there to come up with the idea of “empedrado grenadino” instead of paved roads. in number 4, the detailing of the baths and steep inclines the way you described them, very interesting. in number 3, the dancing is very cool. in number 2, tapas I would love to try them and also in number 1, the churros sound amazing!!
I was wondering, how did you like the food there?
Hi my name is Shadow. I would like to comment and ask a few questions about your trip to Granada, Spain. The first comment is the pictures you posted on the wall were beautiful. The first question is how long were you there. The second question is how long was the soccer game.
Hello! i really enjoyed this article. Your trip to Granada Spain sounded amazing! I really enjoyed hearing about the churros and tapas. I really want to try the churros and chocolate. Were they as good as I imagine? The waiters really decided on a tapa for you? They must’ve been really good judges of character. I’d hope to visit Spain one day and have as much fun as you did!
I really liked 7 Reasons Why I Love Granada, Spain. I really enjoyed how you described the churros and chocolate because it made me really want to try it. I also enjoyed reading about the roads in Spain because they fascinated me how detailed they are and how they helped show the daily culture in Spain. One last thing I liked was how you told about different kinds of food and drink you had tried while in Spain. I also have a couple of questions for you, if you don’t mind answering them. I was wondering, how do the tapas taste? also, how did you enjoy Spain?
Hello
It sounds like you had a very good time in Spain. You had very many details that were very interesting and that I loved to read because I have never heard of some of these things before so its very interesting, One thing that I found very interesting that I did not know already is the Churros and the Hot Chocolate. They look very delicious and I want to try that one day because I love chocolate and I love what you made the Churros sounds to be. Also, the coffee that you had when you got there to Spain was very interesting to hear about because that’s all you wanted to do when you did there was drink that coffee and you said it was strong and good. That was very good, I really want to go to Spain because it seems like a very interesting place. Spain seems to be a very interesting place and im glad to here that you had a good time there. And lastly, I love hearing that you had many memories that you will remember.
hello my name is nick
after reading your article I have learned so many new things it was so helpful because I had so many questions
looks like you had so much fun! those are good reasons why you love Granada Spain and miss it. i would love to have seen what you have seen. i never knew that the roads there were so beautiful until i saw the picture you had put in this blog, that must have taken a long time o make all the roads looks like that. are you going to go again and blog more pictures? i would love to see more of the wonderful things in Granada Spain.
Kristine I can tell that you are a very passionate blogger/writer.There are many ways that show how passionate you are about what you are doing.To begin with,you use very deep and powerful words to describe your feelings like when you talked about how you felt when you had gotten back to New York.In addition, you actually take the time to fix your website up and write your blogs with no errors and they are very lengthy which is good because it just goes to tell how descriptive you want your blogs to be so that your readers can understand how you felt at that time.As you can see I love your blogs and I hope to read the ones that are later to come, keep up the good work!
There are many reasons why I enjoyed reading these articles. To begin with, I find this topic extremely fascinating. I would someday like to go to Spain myself, and it was interesting to hear someone else’s experiences about how they liked the trip. In addition, I learned things about Spain that I had not known before. For instance in “A Night of Futbol and tapas” I learned that age does not matter in Spanish bars like it does in American ones. Also, in “7 Reasons Why I love Granada, Spain” I saw places that I would visit and foods I would try! You have convinced me Spain is a beautiful place that I hope to see someday.
I really enjoyed reading about your trip to Granada Spain! My favorite one was about your favorite things about Spain. In summer 2014 I had a foreign exchange student from Madrid Spain! And she taught me a lot about Spanish culture. I have a few questions… Is futbol in Spain more intense than American futbol? Also, if you had the chance, would you ever flamenco dance? btw you’re a very good writer!
I think this would have been a great experience. I love soccer and i thought the soccer stadium in the mountains was cool. I really enjoyed reading your blogs about Spain. It seems that the culture there is very different and that soccer is really important as it is to me. Some of the food there looks great!
I really enjoyed reading your articles, I found them all to be very interesting. All of the tapas (snacks) you ate in Granada sound very delicious the only one I have had is churros. I’ve had them twice before and I agree they are very good, especially with the chocolate. I like how in many of your articles there was a little bit about soccer, soccer is one of my many interests and my favorite sport. I would really like to know more about there philosophy of soccer in Spain tiki-taka, that sounded very interesting.
I enjoyed this article very much because of how much I learned about Granada, Spain! I have to say that my favorite part of this article was learning about the flamenco dance. I enjoyed it because it amazes me how different two cultures can be and I absolutely love learning about the Spanish culture. I also liked the part of the article explaining the mosaic parts of the street. i found it interesting because the thought of how cool the streets would look with the mosaic in them. This is why I enjoyed the article!
Dear Kristine Brueau,
I read your articles about Grenada, Spain and found them very interesting. The olive farm sounds very cool, along with the cathedrals. Now that I read your articles, I want to go to the Arab Baths, along with the Ciudad del Futbol. I also want to see the Spanish soccer style in action. But I would not be able to resist the smell of cured Serrano Ham and other food, and along with going to tapas bars, I would gain a lot of weight. Now I really want to go to Grenada!