Mel : Everyone knows that the Alhambra is the must-see attraction in Granada but the city has so much more! We were lucky to have three full days to explore the very walkable city and we stumbled upon so many other interesting sites, both Christian and Muslim. Kate : Another thing that's super awesome about the city is that you get a free tapas with.every.drink. Sadly a lot of them were meat-heavy so I couldn't have those, but I will never complain about free food.
Mel: And let's not forget the churros!
Los Banos Arabes
Mel : The Arabic Baths are one of the best preserved of their kind in Spain. You can go inside for free and see the beautiful cutouts in the ceiling.
Kate : It was also completely empty - seriously, we had the place to ourselves which was really cool. Which made our Solange-style photo shoots much easier.
Mel : It's easy to miss since the exterior is unremarkable so be sure to look for it on Carrera del Darro (just a few blocks from Plaza Nueva). BTW, Carrera del Darro is a great area to drink an entire bottle of wine outdoors while admiring views of the Alhambra. Kate : I love how when we "accidentally" ordered a whole bottle of wine, we were like "oh god, we'll never finish this!" and then two hours later, we were trying to get every last drop into our glasses.
Museo San Juan de Dios
Kate: God, this place took us an embarrassingly long time to find considering it was literally around the corner from our hostel. But I'm really glad we did because it was such a cool museum. And by tour only, which makes me feel like we're Kimye.
Other than that, I thought it was a great find and really felt off the beaten path since once again we were the only people there. Mel : So true! The only downside to it being by tour only was that we couldn't do it at our own pace. Our docent took us through a lot of rooms filled with exquisite artifacts and artwork related to the life of the saint Juan De Dios (and into the room where he actually died!) but at such a brisk pace that there was no way to really take it all in. I'm also sad that I couldn't take photos in most of it.
Los Diamantes
Other than that, I thought it was a great find and really felt off the beaten path since once again we were the only people there. Mel : So true! The only downside to it being by tour only was that we couldn't do it at our own pace. Our docent took us through a lot of rooms filled with exquisite artifacts and artwork related to the life of the saint Juan De Dios (and into the room where he actually died!) but at such a brisk pace that there was no way to really take it all in. I'm also sad that I couldn't take photos in most of it.
Los Diamantes
Mel : If you want good, no-frills local food, this is the place. It was packed for lunch and we were very clearly the only tourists. Kate : But make sure you go to the original on Calle Navas. There's a swankier/more touristy one off Plaza Nueva which I'm sure is great but doesn't have the same character that the original does. Fried food, cold beer, standing room only - best lunch ever.
Mel : One tip is to translate the menu on your phone before ordering. I'm an adventurous eater but I don't do brains. I was super psyched by the seafood selection though. I've seen razor clams on the beach in the US but never to order. Like most shellfish, they didn't look very appetizing but were delicious.
Madrasah of Granada
Mel: The Madrasah was the Koranic school for the Moors and can be visited on a docent-led tour. My favorite thing about it is that the colors of the plasterwork are very vibrant compared with those in the Alhambra. It can easily be combined with a visit to the Cathedral of Granada next door.
Kate : They also do the tours in just about every language, which is crazy impressive.
Monasterio de San Jeronimo
Mel : Visiting this place made me really want to have citrus trees in my yard someday. The courtyards are filled with orange and lemon trees and we probably spent 15 minutes just walking around taking photos of them from every angle. The combination of the trees, the sunlight, and the monastery architecture - beautiful!
Kate : They also do the tours in just about every language, which is crazy impressive.
Monasterio de San Jeronimo
Mel : Visiting this place made me really want to have citrus trees in my yard someday. The courtyards are filled with orange and lemon trees and we probably spent 15 minutes just walking around taking photos of them from every angle. The combination of the trees, the sunlight, and the monastery architecture - beautiful!
Mel: That would have been such a CBA fail! It has to be one of the most ornate chapels I've ever seen. I think our jaws dropped as we walked into it. Ka te : And how about us almost walking out of there and totally missing the chapel, which is pretty much the most impressive part?
Kate: It was one of my favorite things we saw in Granada. Going in the morning was good too because the sun was just coming up and we had the place to ourselves.
Cafeteria Marisol
Mel: I have to admit that I had completely forgotten about churros before our trip to Spain; I was thinking more about sangria. But the abundance of churros turned out to be one of the best surprises of the trip! We took a lot of churros con chocolate breaks, tried a few different places, but kept coming back to Marisol on Calle Navas.
Kate: Oh man, that churro place! I swear that woman must have thought we were stalking her. Seriously, she must have seen us coming and been like, really, these bitches again??
Mel: Especially because she had like no other customers.
Kate: I know. It was such a rando place but those were the best churros I've ever had.
Mel : Definitely... and if there is one thing I've eaten a lot of, it's any type of fried bread with sugar. Fried dough, funnel cake, beignets, churros - a sampler platter would probably be my last meal. If science doesn't work out, I could always be a carnie.
: Kate#mybffisacarniewithheartdisease