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Souks, Churros & Alleyways : Exploring Granada

May 4, 2015

Granada surprised me. Whereas the rest of our stops in Spain (Barcelona, Madrid and Sevilla) felt very European, Granada felt very Middle Eastern in nature. From the food to the architecture to the languages spoken on the streets, Granada is very much in close relation to it’s near neighbors, Morocco and Northern Africa. Being so far South, you can definitely see the Moorish influence here and I thoroughly enjoyed this unique Spanish/Moorish combination. We spent much of our time in Granada just wandering, buying lanterns and Moroccan tile and silver jewelry at the many souk-like shops that scatter the streets of the city. We explored the alleyways and steep steps of the ancient whitewashed neighborhood of the Albaicin and tasted some of the best churros of our entire trip at a cafe in the Plaza Bib-Rambla. We wandered down empty streets, took in the buildings that were in much rougher shape than the other spots in Spain we visited and meandered back to our hotel after our dinner of churros and chocolate (it was vacation after all!), finishing off our time in Granada with the sun setting over the Albaicin and the Alhambra high on the hill from our balcony. As the light fell on our time in Granada and our trip through Spain, we knew that it wasn’t goodbye, but an invitation to return again and see more of this insanely amazing country.

Don’t Miss while in Granada:

-Take the chance to enjoy lots of Arab food while here! We feasted on Chicken Bastilla (a favorite Moroccan dish) and schwarmas (an Arab staple that I grew up on).

-Don’t miss a visit to the Alhambra!

-Set aside time to just wander.

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Morning at the Alhambra

May 1, 2015

When we added Granada to our Spain itinerary, there was no question that one of the main draws to this ancient Southern Spanish city is the incredible Alhambra fortress high above the landscape. We found out quickly, that while the Alhambra is definitely the top draw for people coming to Granada, this area has a lot more to offer as well and we’d love to go back, take in more of the area and the countryside. Alas, this trip though, with only 2 days in Granada, we spent a large majority of our time at the incredible Alhambra.

We headed out of our hotel bright and early to make our entrance time of 8:30. We bought tickets ahead of time (which you need to…read below in tips for more information) and wandered from our Hotel Casa 1800, down little alleyways in the freezing cold morning air towards Plaza Nueva (wear layers, it gets cold at night!) to grab a cab up the hill to the Alhambra. You can walk up, but we chose the 5 euro cab ride over a 40 minute trek first thing in the morning. Upon arrival at the top of the hill, we headed to the kiosks at the entrance to get our tickets and made our way through the entrance gates. I had read before hand that while most of the grounds you are free to wander at your own leisure, the Palacios Nazaries can only be entered at your ticket time. So for us, that was 8:30, and immediately after entering the grounds we made the 5-7 minute walk to this famous building on the grounds to make sure we could see it. They let groups in every 30 minutes, so make you sure you head here first whatever time your tickets are. This building is the one you always see photos of, intricate details, incredible architecture and insane views over Granada.

We spent the next few hours just wandering the grounds, taking in each building complex, admiring the ruins and admiring the insane views over Southern Spain. From the white washed buildings of the Albaicin, to the incredible snow capped Sierra Nevada mountains to the South, you could spend hours up there on the hilly fortress that is the Alhambra just admiring one of the most spectacular places I’ve ever seen. The views, the details, the history, our morning at the Alhambra was truly one to remember and after spending about 4 hours wandering the grounds, through orange groves and ruins, through old palaces and colosseum type rotundas, we meandered back through the gardens and water features toward the main gates and grabbed a cab back down the hill. Needless to say, this post is pretty picture heavy because the Alhambra is just too beautiful not to see every corner of it. Our morning there, especially being there at the first ticketed time with so few other people, made the experience all the more special. Standing at the top of the Alhambra’s oldest section, on top of a massive hill over Granada, looking out in the distance for miles over the breathtaking landscaping of Southern Spain, will always be a memory I’ll never forget.

Tips for your Visit to the Alhambra:

-Buy your tickets online in advance. Go to the Alhambra website and it will forward you to a link to buy tickets. We chose the first ones of the day (8:30am) which I would highly recommend to miss most of the crowds, plus the light for photos was amazing!

-Give yourself at least 15-20 minutes to arrive at the Alhambra entrance early to collect your tickets from the kiosks. We were running a bit behind and were hurrying to get tickets and make it to the Palacios Nazaries at our ticket time. The kiosks are next to the gift shop near the entrance.

-Head first to the Palacios Nazaries at your ticket time. We got there about 8:35 and they had just started letting our time slot in, but since that was the first of the day, I would make sure you get there before your start date during the later times. There will be a special line for this one building and they will need to scan your tickets so keep them handy.

-Keep your tickets handy throughout, as in most of the buildings throughout the grounds they will scan them again.

-Take your time. We spent about 4 hours wandering through, but if we hadn’t been really tired and the crowds were getting big, we could have spent a couple more easily. It’s a huge complex so take your time and just wander.

-No real food inside the gates, so bring your own. Since our ticket time was early, we didn’t have breakfast before thinking we’d grab something up there. Half way through we were starving, and other than a little coffee shop with small food and coffee, there is no real food up there. So eat before or bring snacks.

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Travel Tips : How to Get Along if You Don’t Know the Language

April 29, 2015

There are often times traveling when Nick and I don’t know the local language. Whether we know a little bit or none, sometimes it’s really hard to get along and figure things out. And while we might think everyone is going to speak English, the more places we visit, the more I realize that really isn’t true in lots of places, so it’s good to have a backup plan in mind on how to deal with language barriers. The last thing you want is to have a trip ruined because you don’t understand. Here’s some ways to help break that language barrier and get along if you don’t know the local language.

Google what you will need to say and take a screenshot.

I do this a lot and it works really well. It helps if I can speak a little bit of the language or know how to pronounce things, but either way, if you google a phrase you know you’ll be using a lot when you have wifi, take a screenshot so you can pull it up easily when you need to. For example, I do this a lot with directions or phrases that I know I’ll be using a lot on our trip and it’s really handy.

Carry a map at all times.

Even though we travel with service on our phones internationally, I never leave home with a map for each city we’re visiting. I personally love the Streetwise maps and I mark in sharpie on each one where our hotel is and where the major spots we’re most likely going to be heading are, that way in a bind we always have a map. If our phones die or we don’t want to use all our data, make sure you have a map in your language to navigate.

Keep addresses of hotels and other lesser known spots to show taxi drivers or ask directions.

Before we leave on a trip, I take a screenshot of every address we’ll need while gone. Whether it’s an apartment address or a hotel or restaurant, any place you know for sure you’ll be going and will need to get back and forth to, take a screenshot. This is particularly helpful in countries that might not speak English but at least share an alphabet, they will still be able to read it even if you can’t pronounce it. It’s harder in countries where the written language has its own alphabet, but still helpful all the same.

Try local ethnic restaurants at home to figure out what you like and remember the names.

We do this a lot before we head somewhere a little more exotic so we know what to expect from the food. Have dinner at a local ethnic restaurant and look over the menu, try a few things and remember the names of what you liked. Then, when you’re traveling in those countries, you won’t be lost reading the menu, you’ll have some idea of what they items are.

Download apps like Word Lense that translates on the spot from an image.

Word Lense is an amazing app that basically hovers over an image and shows you the translation. We used it a lot in Spain when we weren’t sure of things on menus and such and it’s super easy and works so well. There are a lot of translation apps out there, but that’s my favorite.

Sevilla : An Ancient Paradise

April 20, 2015

Ahh Sevilla… we’re finally talking about this incredible city that I’ve been waiting to share with you! You know those moments somewhere in a foreign place when you completely fall in love with your surroundings? When you are immediately picturing yourself living there, wandering around with a basket on your arm, collecting fruit from the local market and enjoying long dinners at your local bodega? Yea, that was Sevilla for me.

I can’t tell you how much charm and magic exists in this ancient city, from the windy cobblestone streets to the white and yellow buildings surrounding by orange trees bursting with fruit. From the Moorish influence to the ornate balconies, from the incredible food and bustling cafes at every corner to the hours spent drinking sangria and cafe con leche. Sevilla is one of those places in the world that seems way too good to be true. The ancient buildings should be falling apart, the white washed walls should be dirty…but they’re not. The orange trees should only show a couple pieces of fruit, but they are full to the brim. The sky shouldn’t be that shade of blue, but it is. The people shouldn’t be so nice and cheerful, but they are. Sevilla is in essence an ancient paradise, a place that just exudes a calmness, a serenity, a very specific kind of charm. When I used to imagine what it must be like to live in a small town on the Mediterranean, I imagined exactly what it felt like in Sevilla and it’s not even on the Med.

Some places just stick with us; Sevilla will stick with me for a long time. As we wandered the streets Nick and I spoke many times about someday having a little apartment here on a windy cobblestone street, with an iron balcony overlooking the surrounding area. We could wake up late, wander to the market, ride a Vespa through the tiny streets, spend our evenings drinking sangria and eating tapas for hours. It’s a place that seems like the perfect place to escape the craziness of normal life, the perfect city to long for when you need a bit of sunshine and rest. And I know in the years to come, it will definitely become that place for us. I can’t wait to share more of this magical city with you in the days to come! We fell hard for Sevilla and it will always be an ancient paradise we will long to escape to.

Traveling to Spain?

See all of my posts on the country!

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Tapas at Tickets : A Restaurant Review

April 8, 2015

Sometime months ago, Nick saw something about a restaurant called Tickets in Barcelona. It was a world renowned chef who gave up his popular restaurant for something different, a fresh start. He then opened a new tapas bar in Barcelona called Tickets, themed like a circus and as it turns out, one of the hardest restaurants to get into in Spain and honestly in Europe as well. Reservations open a month before and within 10 minutes of them opening, usually every spot is taken.

Long story short, Nick really wanted to see if we could try Tickets while in Barcelona, famous for their unique take on modern tapas. He logged on their website at exactly the moment of the reservations opening for the day we had in mind and had no luck. They were all gone by the time he got the website going. We were disappointed for sure, after all Nick had been talking about it for months. But here’s where this little blog becomes much more than just a blog; I emailed the restaurant, not expecting to hear back, but mentioning my travel blog, mentioning our time in Barcelona and the date were were looking at and after not hearing a reply for a couple weeks, I figured they get so many emails they just can’t answer them. But, low and behold, about three weeks after I sent the email, I received a reply with a reservation for us on the date we had requested. Granted it was at 7pm, which in Spain is basically the early bird special, but we didn’t care, we were in!

Anyways, fast forward a month and we had our dinner at the famous Tickets in Barcelona, complete with their famous “olives” (which aren’t really olives at all but delicious all the same), the spicy lobster (my fave of the evening), their tomato bread which was divine, their incredible sangria and their chicken skewers which were to die for, served on sugarcane over a small barbecue. The food itself was a story, each of the tapas meant to evoke a certain taste, for you to linger on each bite, to eat everything in a precise order as to get the best version of the food experience.

All in all, we enjoyed the theatrical evening, the feeling of exclusivity by being able to experience the remarkable tastes of the tapas at Tickets. Would I go back? Yes. Would I recommend the experience? Yes. So whenever you might find yourself in Barcelona in the future, see if you can get into Tickets and don’t forget to try the spicy lobster!l

This post is in no way sponsored by the restaurant and in their reservation they didn’t mention any need for a review, so as always, all opinions are totally my own.