I have to say, I didn't expect to like Spain (or Granada in particular) as much as I did, hence why I've never actually planned to go. But ever since my family said they were coming to the UK this winter, I had been looking through Skyscanner on cheap tickets for our winter retreat. Like I said before, I love winter trips. Simply because the activities are always much more fun, and views are more spectacular. I found some cheap tickets to Austria and Switzerland as my original plan was to go to the alps. I finally settled with Granada, with Sierra Nevada in mind for some 'white' and 'snowy' photos. 

From Sheffield, we took the train to London Gatwick Airport. Our flight was early morning, so we stayed overnight at the Premiere Inn near the terminal. We arrived in Granada Airport pretty early in the day, took a bus and stopped at the Granada Cathedral. We had gotten lost in the alleys of Granada before finally finding our way to our Airbnb. We placed our bags and went out to start our wanders. 

Our Airbnb balcony. It was at such a strategic location. Right in the city centre and about 2-3 minutes walking to Granada Cathedral.

Surrounding neighbourhood...



It was such a beautiful day, and there were people busking on the streets and markets selling handmade crafts, which added to the liveliness of the place.


Love this view!



And of course, people selling various kinds of spices, it blows your mind!

We first walked through some beautiful neighbourhood, hilly and full of small alleys towards the Paseo de los Tristes. The streets and culture gave the mixed vibe of European and Mediterranean feel to it, which I loved. We walked along the Carrera del Darro until we met upon the promenade below the Alhambra which provides beautiful view of the palace. We took our time relaxing under the scorching sun but cool air, and made our way uphill to Mirador de San Nicolas. It was quite a climb so we sometime to finally reached the plaza. There were already a lot of people there, but we managed to squeeze in between other tourists to take some beautiful shots of the breathtaking city view, and of course, the stunning view of the Alhambra. The mood was liven up by some local buskers and dancers and everybody was enjoying it under the slightly lower beam of sunlight as it was later in the afternoon.


The alley way that sells souvenirs! And lots of them too!




:)

The Carrera del Darro walk along the stream.



Saw some gorgeous houses on our way to find the Mirador de San Nicolas.



What a pretty sight!

And bam! There you go, the view of the Alhambra.


For the memory - us with the view of the Alhambra in the background :)

While we were walking back towards our Airbnb, I was already falling in love with this city, which offers so much beauty. Our walk back was presented with more gorgeous views of houses on hills, the Granada Cathedral and the city with mountains as backdrops.


Breathtaking view of Granada city.





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Fun fact: Did you know that orange trees are planted everywhere (i.e. along main streets and in parks/gardens) within Granada? But they're not for public picking though because the oranges are very bitter. They're for exporting, to the UK especially and made into marmalades. hehe.

The next morning was spared for one of our main activities in Granada, which was to enter the Alhambra Palaces. Obviously, we had bought tickets in advance - this is very much necessary! The post on Alhambra will be coming up soon!

Until then! :)