Farewell Tour of Granada

We were only in Granada for three days but in that short time we really liked what we saw of the old town and the vibe of the people.  Very friendly and relaxed.  Perhaps that was due to the Fiesta de las Cruces (Feast of the Crosses) that was going on during our time here.  But whatever the reason, it was one of our favorite places we have visited in Spain so far.  

 Rita at our lunch table on the deck of our lovely apartment

This crazy little street is very close to where our apartment is located and we go by it every day.  It is packed with Moroccan shops selling spices, pastries, leather, lamps and hookah pipes as well as restaurants and cafes.  It seems to be humming every time we go by the place. 

San Nicolas Viewpoint is a wonderful location to take in the spectacular views of the Alhambra, the city and the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  It also has a very vibrant atmosphere with lots of hippy types playing music for the tourists

   

Its' a steep 20 minute walk up to the very quaint and pretty Moorish district of Albayzin, which is rated as Spain's' best Moorish quarter and one of the oldest neighborhoods in Granada.   

 The small and very steep district of Sacromonte is home to Granada's Roma community.  Most of the houses here are buried into the walls of cliffs and seem to be sitting on top of one another.

On the way back to our apartment we ran into literally hundreds of people singing, dancing and drinking.  We stopped these three young ladies who were in local Andalusian dress to ask what was happening.  Today was one of Granada's most popular festivals, Fiesta de las Cruces (Feast of the Crosses).  Dating back to 1625, this annual festival has competitions between neighborhoods that have a public square to create the best display that includes a red cross adorned with carnations. Also, there seems to always be a beer garden next to the display.  People walk between the squares drinking, chatting, comparing, dancing, singing and just having a good time.  Rita and I were amazed at the amount of people that had come out for this event.  Everywhere we went there were throngs of people.  It was crushing and overwhelming, so Rita and I headed back to our apartment to enjoy a drink on our roof top balcony one last time.