Granada is dominated by the
Alhambra Palace, the last Moorish stronghold in Spain, and is one of the
few remaining places where tapas are still handed out "free" with drinks.
It's also a spiritual home of flamenco music, and cited by the
great classical guitarist Segovia as his inspiration -
particularly the Moorish palace on a hill overlooking the city.
Suggested places to stay:
The Alhambra Parador is a government-run hotel in the grounds of the
palace. It's expensive and heavily subscribed - you
need to book months ahead.
We stayed in the Casa Federico, an independent hotel
in the centre of town. 90 Euros a night buys a double room with
private balcony and rooftop - you can look over the magnificent
cathedral towards the Alhambra. Drinks and coffees can be served to you on
your terrace. When we went in October, it rained for
the first time in two years, so no drinks!. The staff were fantastic,
and the decor very stylish and original.
The Alhambra
The Alhambra Palace
towers above the city on a mountainside, a testament to the Moorish
occupation of Spain. We can't begin to describe the intricacy and
beauty of the Alhambra here: suffice it to say that it's one of the most
stirring places you could wish to visit. A Google search will give you
dozens of links to find out more. Remember - we're in Granada for the
grub!
From the battlements of the
Alhambra, you can see a quaint square - the Plaza Nueva. At one end is a
church with a green minaret; at the other, in the labyrinth of
backstreets, you'll find a place of wonder for tapas bar lovers. We
checked out quite a few bars in the area around the
Calle Elvira and Calle
Almireceros.(it's
a hard job but somebody has to do it!), armed with a wad of euros and a
determination to eat for free.
The Tapas Bars of
Granada
First stop on the Calle
Almireceros was a little place on the right (heading away
from Plaza Nueva) called Bar Casa Julio. Oddly enough, iIt
felt more like an English pub inside
than a Spanish bar. We ordered two glasses of the local ale -
the excellent Alhambra, served from a microbrewery-style pump
complete with interesting dials to monitor the ale's vital
signs. Five minutes later, a plate of spicy pork stew arrived
with a couple of forks and a bit of bread. It was tasty
and excellent, the sauce thin but infused with chilli and
flavour. A couple more beers brought another stew of
unidentified meat on the bone (possibly oxtail), long cooked
until tender in a garlicky gravy. Course, but again, very tasty
and very Hispanic.
Second stop, just opposite, was
the famous Bodegas Castaņeda, a classic bodega-style
venue complete with hams hanging above the bar. It gets
very busy here - which is a good sign. Two beers brought a plate
of olives and tortilla squares. The olives were tasty - the
tortilla was a bit like blancmange in consistency and fairly
bland. Two more beers brought nothing at all. The specialities
here are ham and cheese, but I reckon you have to pay to get
anything decent, at least if you're a tourist.
Next up
on the Calle Almireceros
was Salinas
II.
The speciality here is "tapas nuevo", a reinvention of the tapas
concept. We perched on the bar stools in this quiet,
contemporary watering-hole and ordered a couple of Alhambra
ales, which came with a ramekin of spicy mushrooms - hot and
delicious. The second round brought a plate decorated
nouvelle cuisine style starring two kebabs of prawn, leek
and melon on wooden skewers. Tasty and original, if not for the
purist.
En route to the next target, we stopped into a small and
charmless (and empty!) bar for a beer and were surprised with a
plate of chips laced with mayonnaise - a combination that works
surprisingly well. We consumed those and made a hasty exit.
The last bar we went to
was a large and busy bodega and restaurant specialising in
wines. We ordered glasses of Rioja, and with them came a plate
of olives, bread and a fatty, tasteless sausage. Despite
ordering more drinks, that was it on the tapas front. The
highlight of the night was the appearance of a classical /
flamenco guitarist, who sat on a sherry barrel and played
Granada by Albeniz and some other fiery compositions. During one
flamenco number, he spun the guitar and then played it behind
his head, Hendrix-style! It was in the same area as the
other bars, but the name of the venue escapes me. If you think
you know, get in touch!
For more about Granada and its bars and
restaurants, check out the excellent
Granadainfo site.
