I woke up early from a great night's sleep in the world's cleanest, nicest, and most comfortable hostel - the Oasis Backpacker's Hostel in Granada. Yes, I'm endorsing it. I had some of the free breakfast they provided (toast and jelly, waffles, and coffee) and headed out the door to explore. I started out towards the cathedral and university. I took my time. Then I walked up to the Albayzin (old Arabic) neighborhood and the well-known Mirador de San Nicolas and got my first look at the Alhambra. It was a definite "wow" moment seeing the snow-capped Sierra Nevadas set back behind the palace. I found a small public garden that belonged to a mosque nearby and sat in the sun, enjoying my view for a bit.
I strolled over to the Sacromonte neighborhood known for the white-washed houses covering the hillside. I stopped at a local restaurant that was family-run and had quite a view of the Alhambra. The food was a lot heavier than in Barcelona, which I would attribute to the strong Arabic influence and that in poorer places they try to make food as filling as possible. Filling it was, and good, and I enjoyed the sun and relaxation.
I walked back down throught the heavily-graffitied streets and into some of the Arabic-influenced shops. They had hukkahs, tea, spices, lamps - a hippie paradise. (There are a lot of hippies in Granada.) The shopkeepers were incredibly friendly. I had at least 5 full-length conversations by the time I got down the hill. I think it may have had to do with the fact that they were all of some kind of Middle Eastern decent and all thought that I was Middle Eastern, but never-the-less, I got to practice my Spanish and also got some good discounts! Sometimes it's nice being a girl...
After that I headed to the Arabic bath house I booked online before I left. It was decorated as I would imagine a Arabic bath house to be decorated. There were arches and repeating tiles and a cave-like ceiling in one of the rooms. They served tea, which was the most delicious tea I've ever tasted. It was very sweet at first but then ended with a sharp mint that you could feel in your nose. I had about 5 cups. There was a cold room and a hot room. I spent most of the time in the hot room, but the cold room was really the best part. Getting into the water was difficult to do, but after I was all the way in I just felt refreshed, simply put. The hot water was soothing, but the cold was like a breath of fresh air. I also got a 15-minute massage, in a word: fantastic. When I stepped back out on to the street, it was like my second day in Granada. I felt new.
I strolled over to the Sacromonte neighborhood known for the white-washed houses covering the hillside. I stopped at a local restaurant that was family-run and had quite a view of the Alhambra. The food was a lot heavier than in Barcelona, which I would attribute to the strong Arabic influence and that in poorer places they try to make food as filling as possible. Filling it was, and good, and I enjoyed the sun and relaxation.
I walked back down throught the heavily-graffitied streets and into some of the Arabic-influenced shops. They had hukkahs, tea, spices, lamps - a hippie paradise. (There are a lot of hippies in Granada.) The shopkeepers were incredibly friendly. I had at least 5 full-length conversations by the time I got down the hill. I think it may have had to do with the fact that they were all of some kind of Middle Eastern decent and all thought that I was Middle Eastern, but never-the-less, I got to practice my Spanish and also got some good discounts! Sometimes it's nice being a girl...
After that I headed to the Arabic bath house I booked online before I left. It was decorated as I would imagine a Arabic bath house to be decorated. There were arches and repeating tiles and a cave-like ceiling in one of the rooms. They served tea, which was the most delicious tea I've ever tasted. It was very sweet at first but then ended with a sharp mint that you could feel in your nose. I had about 5 cups. There was a cold room and a hot room. I spent most of the time in the hot room, but the cold room was really the best part. Getting into the water was difficult to do, but after I was all the way in I just felt refreshed, simply put. The hot water was soothing, but the cold was like a breath of fresh air. I also got a 15-minute massage, in a word: fantastic. When I stepped back out on to the street, it was like my second day in Granada. I felt new.
I walked around the streets a little longer and then headed back to the hostel for a much-needed nap. I woke up for the hostel's 3.50 Euro all-you-can-eat dinner at 9pm. They served mushroom soup, cucumber salad, and paella. I ate all I could, and had some nice conversations with strangers. Being around all the people made me feel lonely all of a sudden, but I brushed it off, had some dessert, and went back to my room to read before bed.
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