This was the third Christmas that we had spent away from our home, the first being in Majorca and last year in Seville. This year we were travelling to Granada, leaving home on the morning of Monday 22nd and returning on Saturday 27th, spending five nights away.
So, on that Monday we showed our dog and house sitters the town of Antas, had a coffee in Leo´s, then transferred Luca´s car seat to their car, and they went off down to the coast, to give the dogs a walk, and we returned to our house, to load the car with our case etc.
Then we drove to Vera Pueblo, and parked at the bus station, which is opposite the police station, so we figured that our car would be safe enough there!
Walking down the road a bit we stopped in our favourite tapas bar, Latin Wolf. Colombians run this bar, and we often stop for a beer or wine and a tapa after doing the weekly shop. However, that day we opted to have the menu del dia, and very nice it was too. Then it was time to collect our bags from the car and wait for the bus to arrive.
The bus was a four-hour journey, about twice the time it takes by car but, as parking in Granada is expensive at about €20 per night, we thought we would take the bus. On most of our holidays anyway, when we have arrived at a town or city, we park the car and do not use it again until we are off to the next destination.
Arriving in Granada, we had intended to buy a bus pass, a very economical way to move around the city. The bus fare within Granada on any bus is €1.60, and a bus pass costs €5 plus €2 for the card. Each pass gives you 9 journeys, which would cost €14.40, and when you have used all 9 you just renew the card for €5. However we had intended catching a taxi, but the queue was very long, and we saw the bus that would take us to the hotel arriving. So, we caught the bus and bought our bus pass.
That evening we ventured out to find some tapas, and that is how we spent most of our lunchtimes and evenings. The next day, after breakfast, we found the tourist train, and had a journey around the town, taking more than an hour. Unfortunately, it was very cold, so we did not enjoy it as much as we normally enjoy them. I always think it is a great way to see the town and even discover places you want to take time to explore further.
However, as I mentioned it was cold on the tourist train, in fact it was cold everywhere in Granada. On our journey in the bus, we saw the temperature slowly going down to 4 degrees. I was glad we had brought nice thick clothing and scarves.
Christmas Eve is the most important mealtime for the Spanish and most shops, bars and restaurants close late afternoon, so we had booked an Indian restaurant for Wednesday 24th. Unfortunately, it was not the best Indian meal we have had, but as we were unsure about the availability of buses or taxis, this Indian restaurant was just a five-minute walk away.
Christmas Day dawned and once again we wondered how well we would be able to eat. Our “local” bars were all shutting for Noche Buena (Christmas Eve night) and Christmas Day. However, our local bars were also those the locals used, not in the tourist area. We therefore headed in the general direction of the most Christmassy decorated square and there was a cafeteria serving breakfast. After that, we walked and found we were doing what most of Granada was doing, just strolling around.
With joy I found that we were exploring an area I had seen from the train and wanted to go back to, Albaicín, but thought it was too far, Granada is a small city, and very friendly.
The next day, Friday 26th we caught a bus and went to the science museum, Parque de las Ciencias. This place is marvellous, and I would thoroughly recommend anybody spending time in Granada to go there. There are several different areas, the Museum, the Biodome and the Planetarium, and we visited the first two. The biodome was in fact a two-part exhibit, firstly a video explaining how life started, then there was a walk around zoo, specializing in tropical regions.
The museum itself was dedicated to showing how science has shaped and developed our world, and there were many exhibits where you could take part. It was a truly memorable visit, and I can imagine returning as I felt, although we were there about four hours, there was a lot more to see and do.
Our visit to Granada seemed like just eating and drinking, but when we really thought about it, we saw many interesting and beautiful things and met some wonderful people.
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