Our visit to Spain had started out with two days in Madrid exploring the capital and meeting up with good friends, followed by a wonderful few days getting to see Cádiz and visiting with dear friends there as well. Now it was time to head to Granada with a brief stop in Gibraltar. We packed into our friends’ car and off we went on our little road adventure.

My husband Ben is a fanatic of geography and maps as well as a pilot, and having flown over Gibraltar in the past, he couldn’t pass this opportunity to set foot on it.

While Ben was crossing over to British overseas territory, we went shopping for some food for lunch. We had tickets for La Alhambra for that afternoon, so a quick picnic style lunch is what we would have before that visit. (La Alhambra is such a magical place that it deserves a post all by itself, click here to find out more about our visit.)

After our afternoon in La Alhambra we drove to our hotel in Granada, which was in a great location and surprisingly modern, very fitting for a city of such contrasts. Here imposing buildings coexist with colonial architecture and narrow busy alleys in an interesting kind of harmony.

Our approach to exploring Granada was relaxed and leisurely, wandering around the city, stopping here and there for a little break or an impromptu game on the street.

We visited the Catedral de Granada and the Capilla Real. We walked up Calle Calderería Nueva, a cobblestone street lined with shops and bright colors, and found a tetería where we tried a couple of different teas while our little guy dug into a chocolate tart and enjoyed the lively view from the window.

We walked up Carrera del Darro and Paseo de los Tristes, enjoying stunning views of La Alhambra.

We saw colorful displays of traditional Spanish dresses in all sizes and ornate Spanish hand fans.

We fully experienced the tapas scene in Granada, where for every drink you order you get a plate with a generous portion of delicious food for free. The drink glasses are small, so we were able to have a taste of two or three different tapas at every bar we visited. Some of these even had displays like this one below, showcasing their iberico ham, know also as ‘pata negra’ (black hoof).

We couldn’t leave Granada without heading to the Gran Café Bib-Rambla for some chocolate con churros. The square also gave our little guy an opportunity to chase pigeons at his leisure.

What a wonderful time we had visiting Granada, a city of contrasts and rich history we will not soon forget. Our next stop: Córdoba.