The photo in top is just an example of how the shop in Alcaiceria look like. This street is so romantic and full of charm and you can easily spend all evening there. Once you finished your tea, climbing to El Mirador de San Nicolas is only a matter of time BUT you must arrive there in time to see the sunset with the Alhambra in the Sabica hill which is the best views in the world
From here, we will go to Calle Elvira which was the most important street during the muslim domination. Spread along such street there are many restaurants, pubs and tea shops. A perepndicular to Elvira is Caldereria ,which is now days, the best place to relax and have a nice tea in muslim style in any of the docens of "teterias" which are located in this lovely, ancient street
We stoppedd before in the emblematic Hospital Real. Built at the beginning of the XVI century, this impresive building is one of the most beutiful of the city with views from its balconies that will leave you astonished
Pretty, isn't it? The building is dsitrubuted in a cruciform plant in order to allow patiens to listen to mess which was celebrated in the middle of the build.
Leaving behind the impresive front door, we will walk down towards San Juan de Dios Street, (one of the oldest of the city along which we will be flabbergasted by the incredible amount of churches and monasteries (San Justo y Pastor, San Jeronimo Monastery...) but I will leave that bit for another occasion ;-) turning left in the roundabout with the biggest spanish flag in the province, leaving behind the beautiful El Triunfo Gardens, in order to carry on walking along Gran Via with the Normal building to our left. After one kilometre across buildings of neoclassic influence, we will be in Zacatín, where this first route finish.
today, I am going to describe a route from El monasterio de la Cartuja (Cartuja Monastery) to one of the most emblematic street in Granada, El Zacatín.
This building was started to be built in 1515 and its interior has works by Bocanegra and Sánchez Cotán. Along the road in which the monastery is based we will find many interesting buildings as the Hospital Real
Close to Hospital Real there are Puerta Elvira (which is the entrance to a great tapas bar area) and the Cathedral.Hello,
once again, a bit of history. And this time about something so quintessential of Granada as tapas are. In Granada (or "Graná" with the stroke in the last "a" as the name of the city is pronounced by her inhabitants) the tradition of "going tapas" is almost a religion for some of us. And they are free, ahhahaha.
Anyway, the historians tell us that this tradition started during the domain of the king Alfonso X The Wise: he imposed to the population to have a little amount of food with the wine as a incentive to carry on working after it and sustain them until the main meal. Such portion used to be a slice of sausague covering the top of the container in order to avoid contamination or insect to fall inside (that is the reason for the word "tapa" which in english means stopper/tape/lid)
Much as changed since and the tapas in my city are something quite different and a lot more enjoyable as you can appreciate by the photo ;-)
During the muslim domination this access to the Alhambra was where all the matters involving a Judge were dealt with (alas the name ;-) . Engraved in the inner arch there is a key (it is the one in the pic above) and in the arch facing the exterior, a hand. According to the legend, if the key in the inner arch touches the hand will mean the destruction of the Alhambra.