Introducing Granada

“Give him an offering, my lady, for there is no greater tragedy than that of the blind man in Granada.” 

The Alhambra can always be seen from the Albaycin district

The Darro river below the Alhambra

The above quote perfectly captures the truth of how majestic this city truly is. The first time I laid eyes on this bewitching place, I lost myself in it. I have left tiny pieces of my heart in a few cities, but Granada has magic that I hadn't expected to find. I was absolutely in awe of what I saw; of how I felt whilst walking the streets of the old city. I was captivated. Spellbound.

Although I haven't visited all the major cities of Spain, I would definitely say that, regardless,  Granada is by far my favourite. I have been to this ancient city twice; in winter as well as summer. Weather doesn't lessen the impression of magic you feel when you're wandering this city.

It's located in Andalusia, the south of Spain, in the Sierra Nevada mountains, which is the perfect snow capped destination for some winter skiing and yet only an hour away from the beach.

Just a bit a bit shoe tossing

History seeps through every nook and cranny; through every grand, main street and winding side alley. A short summary of the city involves the Moors, the Christians and the Jews, which are all tied up in a very long and complicated history that dates back hundreds of years. Granada held great importance in those days, evidenced by the grand citadel, the Alhambra. 



The city's old town called Albaycin, was once the Muslim quarter and faces the Alhambra. The district is made up of narrow streets and white washed houses with the perfect view of the Moorish palace. It is typical to find Arabic tea shops and shops selling goods from North Africa. I slowly wandered those colourful streets, caught in a bubble of culture, so different to what I knew and experienced previously. The quarter is situated on a hill and the labrynthine streets, which wind every which way, can be confusing at times but adds to the charm of the area; it is also my personal favourite part of Granada.

The old town behind me

The vibe of the city is quite youthful and hippy-esque with people in free flowing clothes, drum circles, jewellery making and long, braided hair. Gypsies also wander the streets, vying towards towards tourists with pieces of lavender to pass along as "gifts", yet don't be fooled. It's a ruse for "donations" for those little pieces of herb and to read your palm. That or you have a wild gypsy lady shouting at you and could may as well be cursing your family line.

View from the steps of the cathedral

Albaycin district

At night, the streets are teeming with both locals and tourists that come to the bars for drinks and free tapas. There's no need to eat out when there is an array of bars to choose from to keep you fill and relatively sober to carry on drinking. Granada is particularly famous for it.






I've been to this city single and I've been to this city not-so-single; both times were great, with memories that will stay with me forever. Granada has everything: history, beauty, nightlife, accessibility and not to mention the locals are friendly and helpful too.

One of the market streets

Granada is a treasured gem; every memory made there to be cherished and every smile shared there, remembered. It's as if the city wants you to fall in love with it; the scenery captures a feeling of true happiness. Definitely worth visiting somewhere along your life's path.

"Probably... the most beautiful and haunting of all Spanish cities; an African paradise set under the Sierras like a rose preserved in snow."

- Laurie Lee

Snow-capped Sierra Nevada in the distance

Italian Conversations and the Kindness of Strangers

Florence

“You may have the universe if I may have Italy”

- Giuseppe Verdi

It was that time of year: Easter, which means only one thing in my book... Holiday! What is a travel hungry girl like myself to do but find a new adventure. And what better place to do that in than in the land of pizza, pasta and gelato!

Deciding to go to Italy for Easter seemed a little crazy. I could have stayed in Murcia; the city celebrates Bando de la Huerta after Semana Santa - a very popular celebration in the region which is part of the spring festivities. Instead I took the opportunity to travel and what better way to do that than by going to Italia.

Travelling alone has not felt daunting for the longest time but something I crave as you meet so many interesting people this way. Without the comfort of friends, you're forced out of your comfort zone to meet new people. I found myself having the sweetest conversations in the most arbitrary of circumstances.

Milan

Duomo di Milano

My second attempt at Couchsurfing was quite successful. Putting faith into a system that had let me down in the past was intimidating but that night I met such captivating people. Our host had 5 surfers that night and we were quite a mix of people too; a South African, a Belgian, a Thai and two Latvians. After being kicked to the curb at 7 in the morning, we spent a cold Milano morning together. With coffee running through our veins and our hearts set in different directions, we went our separate ways.

Venice

The highlight of seeing this city weren't the famous canals or magnificently made Venetian masks but an enjoyable 15 minute conversation I had with a lovely old man; a mask maker. In one of the side streets, I walked into a mask shop, completely in awe of the quality and artistry of each of the wares displayed. In an entertaining combination of Italian, Spanish and English, we spoke of his life as an artist and how outrageous it was of me to come to Venice alone. "No boyfriend? But why? You are so pretty." Suffice it to say that in true Italian fashion, this delightful man charmed me through and through and I left his shop smiling.



Florence
My favourite stop. The city is absolutely magical and left the biggest impression on my heart. I wish I could have stayed there longer but at least the time spent there was memorable. I struck up a conversation with another girl that was also doing the free walking tour alone. And just like that, I had made a new friend. That's the most wonderful thing about travelling though; meeting amazing people that are on a similar journey to you. Epi is from Argentina and I would never have met her otherwise. And I am so happy that I did.

The view from the top of the Basilica in Florence

Pisa
It was time I made way back to Milan to catch my flight back to Barcelona. Fortunately I had a pit stop in Pisa. Epi and I decided to meet up again to see the leaning tower. I have such good memories of laughter and smiles with a soul that I had known for less than 3 days. Travelling. "A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles."



Bergamo
The end of my holiday was definitely an experience. Alone in Bergamo in the dead of night with no phone, no money nor a place to stay. I had expected to spend the night in the train station as I had done in other cities but Bergamo's train station was under construction. Between that, the bus station and every shop and restaurant closed, being harrassed by over-friendly, drunk Italian men, as well it being a cold April night, I was at my wit's end by the time I found a hotel.

The first hotel wouldn't let me in (as I mentioned, I had no money left after travelling for a week in very expensive Italy) so by the time I found this one, I was on the verge of despair. I didn't want to spend the next few hours on the street. I asked the receptionist if it would be alright if I just sat in the farthest chair in the lobby, out of sight from anyone that would see me, although it was completely empty and remained that way until 5 am. "No", he sternly replied. That was it for me. Tears started to fall. He asked me what my problem was. I proceeded to tell him about my night before he cut me short and told me to take a seat and not move. Never have I been so grateful in my life!

This man was short and blunt with me and pretended I didn't exist for 4 hours while I sat in a chair and did not make a sound; dozing when exhaustion took me. The fact that he let me stay was a true act of kindness; the hotel was 4 stars. He let an unpaying, ragged-looking foreigner into his hotel at the risk of his job. My faith in humanity restored.

My bus was at 6 in the morning but I offered to leave an hour early so as to make sure no one saw me in his hotel but he refused and told me to stay until it was a safer hour for me to leave. When it was, he showed me where the restroom was so I could freshen up and gave me some fruit to take with me. The rest of my journey home was long but sailed smoothly. Thanks to this man, this stranger, I was able to go home feeling safe and say that, although this vacation had a few bumps in the road, I had an amazing trip. Thank you sir.

Upon reflection, Italy didn't leave me with conventional memories of beautiful sites or feelings of wistfulness. Instead, I gained moments of clarity; both in positive and negative circumstances. That's what travelling does to the soul. It teaches you to appreciate everything that comes into your life and how to roll with the punches.

Florence