After my excellent bike tour it was time for an equally excellent nap. My schedule was open for the rest of the day, so I took the opportunity to arrange the next travel leg. Having learned a thing or two from my ticket purchasing experience in Barcelona, I arrived at the station prepared: exactly this train at this time going from here to there, not the more obvious option of the faster AND cheaper train with arrival times incompatible with my Ronda and Gibraltar plans. My Spanish must have been improving, because I managed to talk the sales-guy out of giving me the simpler ticket.
Back to the hostel area for the usual tapas. Ridiculous portions of meat. I really think these are meant to be shared. A little slower than I'd hoped but I know you don't rush these things. So I'm a little late to the Fútbol game: Rayo Vallecano (Madrid, but not the good team from Madrid. US equivalent = NY Mets?) at Granada CF. Neither are particularly good teams, and it did not end up being a particularly good game. Rayo scored the only goal, and that was in the overtime shootouts. Oh well. Still, the seats were excellent, and the quality of this matchup was probably instrumental in making it possible to get those tickets at the last minute. And I still had a fun time. I was surprised to find no beer available for sale in the stadium - wonder what the story is there? That seems to be such a big part of sporting events elsewhere.
The taxi rides to and from the stadium brought me through (modern) parts of the city I hadn't seen yet. Beautiful public squares full of life. Fountains, rivers, and people enjoying the evening. Worth a bit of exploration later!
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Monday, November 17, 2014
Granada II: Electric Bike-a-Loo
One of the reasons I learned to ride a bike last year is so I'd be able to do tours when I travel. I'd heard wonderful stories of friends' experiences and realized that it's the sort of thing I'd really enjoy - if only I had the ability. I wasn't going to let this trip go by without taking the opportunity.
Granada's awfully hilly. That's why it became important: a river junction surrounded by good sites for fortifications. They worked well too: this was the last kingdom of Al-Andalus to fall to the Reconquista, in 1492. More relevant to this story is that it's not a great place to ride a conventional bike. But what about one with a boost? Play Granada offers electric bike tours, so I jumped on the opportunity to try one! A little hard to get used to at first, pedaling as normal but with a push. Hold on! The hills still required plenty of effort and gear shifting but the boost made a big difference.
We started by going up into the Sacromonte neighborhood - an area I expect I wouldn't have seen otherwise. This is where the Roma* settled in caves. Many "houses" were simply façades on cave openings, and many of these now host Flamenco shows. The road up was so steep and narrow in parts that half of us (raises hand) had to walk our bikes for parts anyway. Amazing views of the Alhambra from here too. I hadn't realized it was so close. Maybe I would just walk there tomorrow? (Spoiler: nope)
On to the Albayzín, where I got a completely different impression. City walls and portals, little squares lined with bars/cafes/restaurants. I'll certainly come back here! This led to the Mirador (viewpoint) San Nicolás, probably the best site for Alhambra views, or at least the best known. This is the site of the only picture of me from the whole trip, taken by our excellent tour guide Joaquín. (Due to the high-intensity way I travel, I'm basically a scruffy, poorly dressed sweatmonster the whole time, not very photogenic. On this tour I'm dressed in athletic gear appropriate for the occasion.)
From the hilltop the only way down is... down. Barreling down a steep cobblestoned path in a foreign city (sometimes with cars and scooters) on a bike whose brakes I have only just met may be exciting, but it's frightening too. (Spoiler: I survived) I made note of a kebab place on our travels and returned there posthaste. Now you may be scolding me for not eating local-appropriate food, but remember the history of the Albayzín! Moorish cuisine, sucka. Also, it was AMAZING.
* My choice of term. Spain clearly never got the We Don't Call Them Gypsies Anymore memo. ↩
Granada's awfully hilly. That's why it became important: a river junction surrounded by good sites for fortifications. They worked well too: this was the last kingdom of Al-Andalus to fall to the Reconquista, in 1492. More relevant to this story is that it's not a great place to ride a conventional bike. But what about one with a boost? Play Granada offers electric bike tours, so I jumped on the opportunity to try one! A little hard to get used to at first, pedaling as normal but with a push. Hold on! The hills still required plenty of effort and gear shifting but the boost made a big difference.
We started by going up into the Sacromonte neighborhood - an area I expect I wouldn't have seen otherwise. This is where the Roma* settled in caves. Many "houses" were simply façades on cave openings, and many of these now host Flamenco shows. The road up was so steep and narrow in parts that half of us (raises hand) had to walk our bikes for parts anyway. Amazing views of the Alhambra from here too. I hadn't realized it was so close. Maybe I would just walk there tomorrow? (Spoiler: nope)
On to the Albayzín, where I got a completely different impression. City walls and portals, little squares lined with bars/cafes/restaurants. I'll certainly come back here! This led to the Mirador (viewpoint) San Nicolás, probably the best site for Alhambra views, or at least the best known. This is the site of the only picture of me from the whole trip, taken by our excellent tour guide Joaquín. (Due to the high-intensity way I travel, I'm basically a scruffy, poorly dressed sweatmonster the whole time, not very photogenic. On this tour I'm dressed in athletic gear appropriate for the occasion.)
 |
| Your narrator |
* My choice of term. Spain clearly never got the We Don't Call Them Gypsies Anymore memo. ↩
Granada: Not Too Large, Not Too Small
"Everyone in Spain travels by bus", the guidebooks say, because they're usually a good deal cheaper, and sometimes they're actually faster. But they're certainly not as enjoyable. Seats are cramped and the frequent high speed roundabouts are hard on the stomach. Unfortunately, there's not really a good train from Córdoba to Granada. They do appear to be building AVE tracks to fix that. Yay!
Aside: we saw snow up in the mountains from this ride!
My hostel is close to the main tourist nexus of Granada, Plaza Nueva, for easy access to the good stuff. And boy is it hopping! Tour buses, street Flamenco, artisans, Policía, bars and restaurants, and confused tourists like me. Eventually I manage to find the right kiosk to pick up my Bono Turístico (for bus rides and Alhambra admission, pre-ordering an absolute must).
Ok. Great. Now the hostel. This is an adventure in itself. I'm staying in the Albayzín*, the old fortified Muslim hill town, one of the main things I'm here to see. From what I've read, this is about the only area in Andalucía that retained its Moorish character, and there are plenty of new arrivals from Morocco, Tunisia, and the like, and Arabic is often heard. It's a level up in difficulty from the Barri Gòtic even before you consider that it's mainly steep hills. Oh and this particular section is essentially a bazaar. Spices for sale! Scarves, rugs, bags! Your Name in Arabic, 1 Euro! Henna! Tea houses (euphemism for hookah/shisha room)! The tourist maps are inadequate, so it's a good thing it's only a few blocks. Hostel This Way signs at strategic points saved me, but I'm realizing I have this to look forward to every time I go home.
After settling in, I roam the area slightly away from Plaza Nueva in a successful search of the legendary FREE tapas. I'm hungry, so I order some food I pay for too. Also more wine. Apparently in Spain I drink wine instead of beer. The options are generally a lot better. I've been really enjoying fino, a dry white sherry (Jerez) which is quite different from the sweet sherry stereotype. I'll have to look for Tio Pepe or Manzanilla when I get home. A short walk along the lovely bank of the river Darro (not to be confused with the Douro) and I'm ready for bed.
* often spelled Albaicín: not clear what the significance there is. ↩
My hostel is close to the main tourist nexus of Granada, Plaza Nueva, for easy access to the good stuff. And boy is it hopping! Tour buses, street Flamenco, artisans, Policía, bars and restaurants, and confused tourists like me. Eventually I manage to find the right kiosk to pick up my Bono Turístico (for bus rides and Alhambra admission, pre-ordering an absolute must).
Ok. Great. Now the hostel. This is an adventure in itself. I'm staying in the Albayzín*, the old fortified Muslim hill town, one of the main things I'm here to see. From what I've read, this is about the only area in Andalucía that retained its Moorish character, and there are plenty of new arrivals from Morocco, Tunisia, and the like, and Arabic is often heard. It's a level up in difficulty from the Barri Gòtic even before you consider that it's mainly steep hills. Oh and this particular section is essentially a bazaar. Spices for sale! Scarves, rugs, bags! Your Name in Arabic, 1 Euro! Henna! Tea houses (euphemism for hookah/shisha room)! The tourist maps are inadequate, so it's a good thing it's only a few blocks. Hostel This Way signs at strategic points saved me, but I'm realizing I have this to look forward to every time I go home.
After settling in, I roam the area slightly away from Plaza Nueva in a successful search of the legendary FREE tapas. I'm hungry, so I order some food I pay for too. Also more wine. Apparently in Spain I drink wine instead of beer. The options are generally a lot better. I've been really enjoying fino, a dry white sherry (Jerez) which is quite different from the sweet sherry stereotype. I'll have to look for Tio Pepe or Manzanilla when I get home. A short walk along the lovely bank of the river Darro (not to be confused with the Douro) and I'm ready for bed.
* often spelled Albaicín: not clear what the significance there is. ↩
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