English
Granada, a city in the south of Spain, is one of my favourite Spanish cities to visit. Although, as usual for me, my visits are short because I am on a work trip, I always try to make the most of the time and visit the most emblematic places in each city.
On this occasion, as my training activity was only 4 hours during the 2 days I was in Granada, I was able to organise a quick visit to the Alhambra and the city centre in the morning, a Christmas walk in the evening and a visit to the biggest shopping centre in the city with a very nice Christmas decoration and a beautiful Bethlehem portal.
Alhambra
The Alhambra is one of the most visited monuments in Spain.
Its visit is a must for every tourist who visits the city, as you will have the pleasure of contemplating the beauty of its many palaces and gardens.
For a good visit to the Alhambra I recommend you to join a group with a specialised guide, because if you are lucky as I was, you will be able to enjoy the visit while they tell you the history of this fortification of the Spain of the Muslim period.
During the visit to this great historical complex at this time of the year when the sun is not too hot and the breeze that comes from the peaks of Sierra Nevada, makes the visit more pleasant than if we do it in summer.
Although if I had to choose an ideal time of year, I think it would be spring, as the gardens would be more beautiful, but with the current winter aspect it is still a pleasant place to visit.
After strolling through the gardens, my favourite places in the Alhambra are the Generalife and the area of the Nasrid palaces.
In the Generalife, one enjoys the smell of the lemon and orange trees with the murmur of the fountains in the various houses.
Water and fountains are also the main protagonist in the area of the Nasrid palaces, as in the case of the Comares Palace and the Partal.
And above all in the Palace of the Lions, a unique place of great beauty.
I recommend you to look at the walls and ceiling to discover the remains of Nasrid art.
Granada city centre
In the centre of Granada, if I have to highlight some places to visit, I recommend you to walk through the Albaicín. A classic quarter of Granada which is an ideal vantage point to see the Alhambra at sunset.
And very close to there, after passing through the Paseo de los Tristes, you can walk towards the centre, where you will find a statue in honour of Isabella the Catholic next to Christopher Columbus.
And if one walks about 300 metres along the Calle Isabel la Católica, one will arrive close to the cathedral of the city.
Close by is the Alcazar de los Reyes Catolicos. Although if you go a bit after hours it is easy to find it closed. This has already happened to me on my last two visits to the city.
Christmas Night Tour
After the first day of training, I went back to the hotel early and after a little rest I put on comfortable shoes with the aim of walking through the streets of the city centre to see the Christmas illumination.
In my case I had the hotel on Pedro Antonio de Alarcón street, and walking for about 5 minutes I arrived in the city centre at Puerta Real, where the Christmas decoration imitated a kind of wreath. The crown of Granada, since many years ago it was a kingdom, long before the foundation of present-day Spain.
There, in this square, I was delighted to meet street vendors selling roasted chestnuts.
I love the smell of chestnuts, but I can't eat them because they upset my stomach, so I could only enjoy their smell.
A Bethlehem portal made up of lights is also an attraction in this square, as many children and those who are not so young queued up to have their photo taken next to it.
From there, I continued my walk through the city centre with the aim of visiting the Plaza del Carmen with its peculiar illumination in which it looks like a spider's web with lights imitating lamps, which I found very attractive and original.
From there, after consulting Google, I could see that the Plaza Bib-Rambla, where there was a Christmas market, was not far away.
The market was full of handicrafts with figures from the nativity scene and other Christmas decorations.
But the biggest attraction was an original Christmas tree-shaped merry-go-round in the centre that changed colour over time.
After this visit, I stopped at a fast-food restaurant, because I was looking forward to discovering more Christmas surprises in the city and I was not disappointed because when I was returning to the Puerta Real square I found a sign indicating a toboggan run and a Christmas forest only 450 metres away.
In this 450 metres, the walk was actually quite pleasant with peculiar illuminations such as stars in the shape of an arch.
Or a Christmas projection on the facade of a building telling the story of two children searching in the metaverse for the Three Wise Men from the East. It was a very entertaining 10 minutes with this story projected on the façade.
After watching this story I continued my walk through the Bibataubín square.
Until I arrived at the Christmas Forest, where there were many Christmas attractions. But because it was already after 10 o'clock at night, the attractions were already closed.
I really liked to imagine these attractions in full operation with reindeer merry-go-rounds, ice rink and zip lines in the shape of a Christmas carriage.
With multiple eye-catching seats in the shape of polar bears.
And various snowmen and candy canes adorning the rides.
Nevada Shopping Centre
The next morning, and before the second day of training, I was able to visit the largest shopping centre in the city to do some Christmas shopping for the family.
This mall never disappoints me every time I go there, as it is a special place for hunting for reflection photos.
And on this occasion with the Christmas decorations, these reflection photos had a special touch.
Christmas trees abound in this mall with red balls and gold balls which are the magical colours of Christmas.
There are also two large trees in the two main halls of the mall with impressive baubles as decorations.
But what I liked the most was to visit a beautifully detailed Bethlehem portal.
There is even a space to the neighbouring Egypt with its corresponding pyramids.
With this visit to the shopping centre, I went to work and from there to the airport to return to my native Asturias.
Greetings, friends
Español
Granada, ciudad del sur de España, es una de las ciudades españolas que más me gusta visitar. Aunque como es costumbre en mí, las visitas son cortas por estar de pasada por motivos laborales, pero aun así siempre busco como poder aprovechar el tiempo y visitar los lugares más emblemáticos de cada ciudad.
En esta ocasión, como mi actividad formativa, era solo 4 horas durante los 2 días que estuve en Granada puede organizar una visita rápida a la Alhambra y al centro de la ciudad en la mañana, un paseo navideño en la noche y una visita al centro comercial más grande la ciudad con una muy grata decoración navideña y un portal de Belén hermoso.
Alhambra
La Alhambra es uno de los monumentos más visitados de España.
Su visita es obligada para todo turista que pise la ciudad, ya que tendrá el placer de contemplar la belleza de múltiples palacios y jardines.
Para realizar una buena visita a la Alhambra os recomiendo unirse a un grupo con un guía especializado, ya que si tienes suerte como la tuve yo podrás disfrutar de la visita mientras te cuentan la historia de esta fortificación de la España de la época musulmana.
Durante la visita a este gran complejo histórico en esta época del año en el que el sol no calienta mucho y la brisa que llega de las cumbres de sierra nevada, hace que la visita sea más agradable que si la realizamos en época estival.
Aunque si tuviese que escoger una época ideal, creo que sería la primavera, ya que los jardines estarían más bonitos, pero con el aspecto actual del invierno es igualmente un lugar agradable de visitar.
Tras pasear por los jardines, mis lugares favoritos de la Alhambra son el Generalife y la zona de los palacios nazaríes.
En el Generalife, uno disfruta del olor que desprenden los limoneros y naranjos con el murmullo de las fuentes que hay en las distintas casas.
El agua y las fuentes también es el gran protagonista en la zona de los palacios nazaríes, como es el caso del Palacio de Comares y en el Partal.
Y sobre todo en el Palacio de los Leones, lugar único y de gran belleza.
En el que os recomiendo mirar a las paredes y al techo para descubrir restos del arte Nazarí.
Centro de Granada
En el centro de granada si tengo que destacar algunos lugares que visitar os recomiendo caminar por el Albaicín. Barrio clásico de Granada que es un mirado ideal para ver en el atardecer la Alhambra.
Y muy cerca de allí, tras pasar por el paseo de los tristes, uno puede caminar hacia el centro, donde uno se encontrará con una estatua en honor a Isabel la Católica junto a Cristóbal Colon.
Y si uno camina unos 300 metros por la Calle Isabel la Católica, uno llegará cerca de la catedral de la ciudad.
Estando muy cerca de la misma el alcázar de los reyes católicos. Aunque si uno va un poco fuera de hora es fácil encontrárselo cerrado. Ya me ha pasado en las dos últimas visitas a la ciudad.
Visita Navideña Nocturna
Tras impartir el primer día de formación, regrese pronto al hotel y tras un poco de descanso me puse un calzado cómodo con el objetivo de recorrer las calles del centro de la ciudad para ver la iluminación Navideña.
En mi caso tenía el hotel en la calle Pedro Antonio de Alarcón, y caminando durante unos 5 minutos llegué al centro de la ciudad a la altura de Puerta Real, donde la decoración navideña imitaba una especie de corona. La corona de Granada, ya que hace muchos años fue un reino, mucho antes de la fundación de la actual España.
Allí, en esta plaza, me gustó mucho encontrarme con vendedores ambulantes de castañas asadas.
De este producto me encanta el olor, pero no puedo comerlas porque me sientan mal al estómago, por lo que solo pude disfrutar de su olor.
Un portal de Belén formado por luces también es un reclamo en esta plaza, ya que muchos niños y los que ya no son tan niños hacían cola para sacarse una foto al lado del mismo.
De allí, continué mi caminar por el centro de la ciudad con el objetivo de visitar la plaza del Carmen con su peculiar iluminación en la que parece una tela de araña con luces imitando lámparas que me resulto muy atractivo y original.
De allí, tras consultar en Google, puede ver que no estaba lejos la plaza Bib-Rambla, donde se concentra un mercadillo navideño.
En este mercadillo abundaba la artesanía con figuras de la porta del belén y otros adornos navideños.
Pero el mayor reclamo era un original tiovivo con forma de árbol de Navidad en el centro que iba cambiando de color con el paso del tiempo.
Tras esta visita, hice una parada en un fast-food, porque tenía ganas de descubrir más sorpresas navideñas en la ciudad y la verdad que no me defraudó porque cuando estaba regresando a la plaza Puerta Real me encontré con un indicador de una pista de trineos y un bosque de la Navidad a solo 450 metros de distancia.
En esto 450 metros, la verdad que el paseo fue agradable con iluminaciones peculiares como estrellas en forma de arco.
O una proyección sobre la Navidad sobre la fachada de un edificio contando la historia de dos niños buscando en el metaverso a los Reyes Magos de oriente. La verdad que fueron unos 10 minutos muy entretenidos con esta historia proyectada sobre la fachada.
Tras la visualización de esta historia continué mi camino por la plaza de Bibataubín.
Hasta que llegue al Bosque de la Navidad, donde había muchas atracciones navideñas. Pero debido a que ya eran más de las 10 de la noche, las atracciones estaban ya cerradas.
Me gusto mucho imaginarme estas atracciones en pleno funcionamiento con tiovivos en forma de renos, pista de hielo y tirolinas en forma de carro navideño.
Con múltiples asientos llamativos en forma osos polares.
Y varios muñecos de nieve y bastones de caramelo adornando las atracciones.
Centro comercial Nevada
A la mañana siguiente, y antes de impartir el segundo día de formación, pude visitar el centro comercial más grande la ciudad para hacer unas compras navideñas a la familia.
Este centro comercial cada vez que voy no me defrauda, ya que es un sitio especial para la caza de fotos de reflejos.
Y en esta ocasión con la decoración navideña, estas fotos de reflejos tenían un toque especial.
Los árboles de Navidad abundan en este centro comercial con bolas rojas y bolas doradas que son los colores mágicos de la Navidad.
También hay dos grandes árboles en los dos halls principales del centro comercial con impresionantes bolas como adorno.
Pero lo que más me gusto fue visitar un hermoso portal de Belén con todo lujo de detalles.
Incluso con un espacio al vecino Egipto con sus correspondientes pirámides.
Con esta visita al centro comercial, me fui a trabajar y de allí al aeropuerto para regresar a mi Asturias natal.
Un saludo, amigos
Awesome. Granada seems to be a very special place to go. When we visited Andalusia, we skipped it sadly - I always regretted it but now I feel I have seen some of it joining in your adventure @castri-ja! Thanks for that. For a work trip and not much time you really made the most out of it! - You even kept some of the winter /Christmas spirits for us and the winter challenge. Well done and well deserved 1st place 😎
Thank you.
The truth is that in Andalucia there are many impressive places (Seville, Cordoba with its cathedral-mosque, the coast of Cadiz, Malaga and Almeria). It would take several months to visit them all.
On my business trips I try to make time to visit the cities, and as I usually visit these cities again and again over the months I get to know them all.
Thanks for your comment.
Best regards
Thats very cool, that you can find the trip to actually see something when you are travelling there.
When we went to Andalucia we also went to Sevilla, Cordoba and then to the coastal side. It was nice but not enough time for sure!
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Your post is awesome brother, you have left nothing to the imagination of that visit you have made to Granada. I had the pleasure of visiting the city in March and I also visited the Alhambra. I think my visit was for two days just like yours, but I think you dedicated yourself to capturing wonderful moments in your photographs. It's a great entry, congratulations, I hope you do well in the #winterchallenge...
Gracias por el comentario.
El post me ha quedado un poco largo y he obviado un lugar donde almorcé unas tapas andaluzas exquisitas al lado de la catedral.
Espero que lo pasases bien por Granada y tengas la posibilidad de volver.
Un saludo
I can't believe that you managed to visit ALL that during only 2 days (+ your work)! We were in Alhambra during the winter too, and I remember well that we kept heating in the apartment all the time, as I was freezing... 😃 I suppose your idea of visiting in the Spring is much better, especially because of all those beautiful gardens!
Thanks for sharing and your post revives old memories!! Maybe it's time to visit Alhambra again? 🙂
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Hello
The work was on the first day 3h in a conference near the centre which allowed me to organise myself.
The next day I gave another 2h talk.
So two days "worked" with a lot of free time.
At other times the opposite happens to me, I want to see things and I don't have time or they are closed due to opening hours.
In spring with the gardens in bloom it must be a good experience. I am also looking forward to the night tour which I think is only available in summer.
Best regards
saw Alhambra from a kdrama, now see it in more detail from your photos. Amazing.
Thanks for your comment
!PIZZ
Good evening my brother
I am really excited about some of the pictures you have shared, they are amazing.
Thanks my friend
!PIZZA
Your photos are too lovely, and I'd love the chance to travel to Spain some day. Thank you for sharing your experience. I feel like I've seen Granada too. Your work is so cool. Great that you find time for travel on the side. That makes it more fun I think. Happy weekend!
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Granada es realmente un lugar encantador para visitar, especialmente durante la época navideña.
Me alegra que hayas podido aprovechar tu tiempo allí para explorar la Alhambra y disfrutar del ambiente festivo en el centro de la ciudad.
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Thank you for taking us to see this amazing place, I love the architecture of the place and the Christmas decorations are beautiful.
Amazing post, @castri-ja your adventure is great and your photos show us the beauty of Granada City. Nice to read a post and see the photos. greetings:)
Thanks😀