Granada, España

When I went on my class trip to Spain, we traveled around the country for 10 days exploring some of the major cities like Madrid, Seville and Barcelona. We got to see so many famous sites like La Sagrada Familia, Plaza de Toros, the Prado Museum and of course I had to go to Parc Guell to get a picture sitting on the balcony from the Cheetah Girls 2 movie. But my favorite city that we visited was Granada since it reminded me of a beautifully architectured clean version of New York City with cobblestone roads and marble sidewalks.

Fun fact: “Granada” in English means pomegranate. In the central part of the city, you will find many miniature pomegranate statues all over. It’s fun to grab your friends and see how many of them you all can spot! There are so many shopping opportunities in center city and many delicious restaurants to choose from. I highly recommend finding time to stop at a café for some classic “churros y chocolate.” This delicacy involves dipping churros in a delicious cup of chocolate that I have yet to be able to find an equivalent for in the US.

To fully immerse yourself in the Spanish culture, you have to check out a tapas bar. Instead of going to a restaurant and ordering one big meal for yourself, tapas bars invite you to dive into a more social eating experience. You and your family or friends order a bunch of different tapas, which are basically big appetizers that are meant to be shared with everyone. It’s a great way to try a lot of different food, and it’s fun to all decide on what plates to share! There are also a lot of Moroccan tea houses in this area that house some of the most gorgeous interior decorating I’ve ever seen. It was also fun to partake in a different style of eating: sitting on decorative pillows on the floor around a table with my friends!

Your first stop must be la Alhambra, an old military fortress with a strategic view of the entire city that eventually became a royal residence. It received its named due to its reddish glow under the bright sun, since “Alhambra” roughly translates to “red castle” in Arabic. This building has been through many tragedies such as the Peninsular War and earthquakes, but has also been added onto over time for the many different important figures it has housed over the years. It is a beautiful representation of the long history of Granada and is an absolute must-see [1].

[1] Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Alhambra.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 8 May 2018, http://www.britannica.com/topic/Alhambra-fortress-Granada-Spain.