granada.

spain series │ episode two

hi & welcome back to my spain series! travel with me to spain through seven posts, launching on tuesdays. i hope you can experience a bit of the beauty of spain & the wonder of travel as i go day-by-day through my trip.

more pictures than words (click on the pictures to expand), i’m really excited to honor this opportunity as i share my adventure through my eyes, and of course, all my thoughts <3

soooo this post is about granada! next week is all about the alhambra, which is in granada, but i wanted to do separate posts because there is so much to tell & more importantly, LOTS of pictures.

so we got to granada on our first night. since we parked at a garage very (not) close to our airbnb, we dragged our suitcases across the cobblestone streets. that was an experience. it's one thing being a big white family who is obviously not from the area haha but another level when your suitcases make a whole lot of noise as you trek across the city. too good. i thought it was funny the looks people gave our big rental van. it makes sense because big families aren't too common, and neither are big cars. the airbnb entrance (left) was actually so pretty :).

when we finally went out to get dinner, it was after eight at night. the restaurant we went to was so picturesque. in an alley, with lights strung across between the buildings, live music, etc. (picture below) the tapas we ate were so good. i sat there, just soaking up the whole moment. it was the first time on the trip where it all hit me. like wow, i'm in a different country, it's so beautiful & dreamy & real.

the live music was just something else. why we don't have more of it in the states, i couldn't tell ya. it's a shame.

if you couldn't tell, i'm obsessed with this foundation. it was so pretty at night. one thing we got to see a lot on this trip was some of the night life. we saw little kids with their families out for dinner at nine or ten at night. scheduling runs different in spain, though. since the sun doesn't rise that early, everything is set later. you wake up later, each lunch at around two, and dinner after eight at least. it makes total sense because it would be seven at night and it would be totally bright out. it felt like four or five. our schedule was very different on this trip than any other. i love staying up, but i was just so tired the whole trip, so i was ready for bed haha.

the next day, after sleep (!) in a bed (!!), we went on a walk. aka a hike. because it was like three miles of walking up. up steep cobblestone alleys. we were going to see the view of the alhambra, a castle/fortress that we went to see later (that's next week's post tho). so we walked to a great view, but it was quite a walk. it was around eleven, so the sun was out and man it was hot. later that day it got up to 109* (i looked it up later). earlier, it wasn't that bad, but it was still bad haha we were very sweaty.

the alleyways were so awesome. we saw a geometric painting and cacti, and i just adored how the architecture has so much character. that's honestly what made spain so much more beautiful than any american city. it's not like there's none of that in the states, but not this level (in my opinion). the window boxes with flowers and plants, how the buildings are a mix of colors, the small markets, the cobblestone streets, how you can walk around everywhere, the street lamps, and more.

on our way up, someone warned us about pickpockets (fun). thankfully, we didn't get robbed at all on this trip. when we finally got to the top, the view was so pretty. you could see the alhambra and the city below. in the picture (below), the city is a little blocked, but still.

on the way down, we were all about to faint with hunger, heat, and exhaustion. not really, but it felt like it. but then, we discovered a little garden. i have no idea who owns it or why it's there or what, but it was open, and apparently public, so we checked it out. it was so dreamy!

we got lunch at two (the new normal), and i got a poke bowl. the food we had there was okay--it looked better than it tasted :). three of my siblings ate little jalapenos & it was very entertaining to watch. then, we walked back to the apartment. we crashed and napped, and then rushed to the alhambra.

so you have it: granada! part one! :) i'm super excited for next week, if you couldn't tell. granada was so gorgeous and it was definitely my favorite place. i loved being able to walk everywhere, staying in the same city for two days, and all the gardens!

thanks for reading <33 i hope you liked it, especially all the pictures :)

see you next tuesday!

xo, kate