Spain: Granada Glimpses

ARRIVING

The scenic drive from Cordoba to Granada took us past groves and groves of olive trees for miles and miles. And up and down and around the mountain’s curving roads. The entire time was not quite two and a half hours. And then, suddenly, we were in a big city again, more Barcelona-like than like Bilbao or Cordoba.

I don’t usually comment on the hotels we stay in; so far they all have been great. But this one is exceptional. A blending of a former convent from the 16th century and a grand house from the 17th century, Palacio de Santa Paula is an elegant piece of architecture. Our room is on what one might call the balcony level overlooking a courtyard, or patio as it would be called here, open to the sky. Comfy chairs around the perimeter invite you to read, relax, or nap, while images and icons are reminders of its past as a Catholic cloister.

Drinks and lunch or dinner are served on the open patio level outside or in the lovely El Claustro restaurant indoors. Tiles and arches are almost everywhere. On the patio floor are inset stones commemorating various sisters who lived here in the 1600s.

BOTANICAL GARDEN

The hotel is centrally located in the old town. We walked around the area just exploring what was what. We happened upon the university with a botanical garden and noted students enjoying a break in one of the many sidewalk cafes.

The botanical garden is small and obviously designed for study. I took note of some of the plants, including a large bamboo bush, thinking of my sister Ann, who would have fun seeing the variety. Most were not blooming except for a pink trumpet flower and one with small purple flowers. There are a few benches at one end, making it a quiet oasis apart from the city’s bustle.

DISH OF THE DAY

We opted for lunch at our hotel and tried local dishes new to us including a Spanish omelet or tortilla. It is actually more like a potato omelet, but shaped like a discus. Tasty! Lunch was so good that we decided to “push the easy button” as one of my friends would say, and have dinner here as well. We enjoyed some of the best food we have had this trip. It’s hard to decide what we liked the best from tomato and basil to marinated trout to cod confit to dessert.

In my opinion, the tomato with basil hummus was simply sublime! Chunks of tomato lightly dressed with micro greens and sitting atop an intense thick basil cream. I happen to love basil, and it was perfect late summer. But the prettiest dish was probably my pink trout in a yellow sauce with purple micro greens adorning it. So, I guess, two dishes of the day!

Next up, a visit to the Alhambra.

Note: Photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)