In Granada (a photo gallery)

April 4, 2024

After reading the post of our ride to Granada, my friend Frank sent me a link to the song Granada, sung by Frank Sinatra. It’s another song I remember from my youth and had forgotten I knew. Ever since hearing it again it’s been an earworm running through my head. It wasn’t Sinatra’s, but I wonder who’s popularized version I heard growing up.

No offence to Frank and Frank but here’s another version I like, in case you need to be reminded of this song too.

I’m almost embarrassed to admit that I hadn’t really planned to look around the city this evening. We’ve been here twice in the past as I mentioned before, and I more or less felt like we’d ‘done’ Granada, as stupid as that sounds. I was due for a break, and pictured mostly spending the afternoon sitting around our room catching up on the blog.

What saved me from my stupidity was our last mile biking through the park along the Genil River on our way to lunch and the hotel. The park was lovely, but what caught my attention was all the bird life. I haven’t seen a new bird for several days, so I decided to take a quick foray into the park and see if anything turned up.

It didn’t take long. Just a few minutes from the hotel I looked down at the river and saw a small bird working the water’s edge.

I still hadn’t even made it to the park, so I kept going. I didn’t identify any new species, although I’m pretty sure there were a few I haven’t listed yet too high up in the trees for me to zoom in on. I did see some variety though: a magpie, wood pigeons, rock doves, Spanish sparrows, Eurasian blackbirds, white wagtails, mallards, jackdaws, maybe a few others.

Once I tired of looking up into the trees though I lowered my sights and was completely charmed by what I was seeing at the street level. Long, open green spaces lined with colonnades of trees and flowers, elegant fountains, and people. The park along the river and the branch up Carrera de la Virgin felt so satisfyingly full of life, and reminded me of some of the great parks and public spaces of Paris.

It was an accident and a stroke of pure luck that led us to book ourselves next to the river and close to these parks, in a part of the city we’ve never seen before. It really changed my feelings about Grenada, one of the most famously romantic cities of Europe. It made me think it would be a fine place to come back to for a prolonged stay some year.

There’s a lot of water running through the Genil today. I wonder if this is about as full as it tends to get.

Looking up the Genil toward the Sierra Nevada range.

In the Salon Gardens, a long pedestrianized greenbelt curving along a bend in the river.

The Fuente de las Granadas, in the Plaza del Humilladero.

Details of the Fuente de las Granadas. I was surprised by the pomegranates, but apparently this is one of the symbols of the city.

Wisteria is in bloom everywhere you look.

The green ribbon along Carrera de la Virgin street connects the Humilladero and Garcia plazas.

Carrera de la Virgin Street is a delightful space, lined with impressive architecture and full of life.

At the center of Garcia Plaza is another landmark fountain, the baroque Fuente de las Batallas.

On Garcia Plaza, the Andulacian Advisory Council building.

On Garcia Plaza, looking back toward the river along Carrera de la Virgin. Those floral sculptures remind me of Puppy in Balboa.

Back on the Genil waterfront. It looks like a delightful place to end the day.

Near the Roman Bridge is this monument to flamenco, another symbol of the city.

The Roman Bridge over the Genil. Built in the 12th century, it is the oldest bridge in the city.

Thanks to the big wheel I had no trouble finding my way back to the hotel.

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