The Piece-of-Home City

Maybe it was the oncoming of the Christmas holidays or the fact that it has nearly the same population as my hometown in the U.S., but my stay in Granada brought back to me pieces of Little Rock, Arkansas. The feeling of the city—big but still small, simple yet still cultured— added with the friendly citizens walking about all came together to form a funky and beautiful city all at the same time.

I had the fortune of staying with one of my dad’s best friends and his family, the Guerreros (who go to the same beach as us in Michigan over the summer). I’d forgotten how different Andalusian (southern Spain) accents were compared to the rest of the country, and also how different (and tasty) their food is! The Guerreros whipped up some mighty fine lunches from soups to ensalada rusa and creamy rice (not exactly paella).

Staying with a lively family who has lived almost their entire lives in Granada really makes a difference between just visiting as a tourist and staying in a hotel. I was a true Granadian (if that’s a word). Granada is known for its really good tapas that come complimentary with your drink. So the Guerreros took me out and showed me the city—or to more accurately put it, I as a tourist, toured the local bars. And sure enough, with every glass of wine or mug of beer we ordered at a bar, not too long after a plate of tapas would appear: patatas bravas, pinxos (open-faced sandwiches), calamari, etc.

My friend Peter, me, Miracha and Chuck Guerrero doing a little bit of bar hopping!

Granada and Little Rock are both cities with a unique beauty to themselves, but where Little Rock has beautiful lakes and rivers, Granada has the Sierra Nevada. Breathtaking snow-tipped mountains seem to wall the city borders. Maybe some day I can come back to ski there.

But for now, my memories of Granada are comprised of a bustling, fun town with a lot of history and really great people, especially the Geurreros!

Footnote:

A couple of weeks later, my parents and brother got to take their own short trip down to Granada so that they could see the Guerreros too! Here's a couple of pics from their trip. Sense a pattern?

Chuck and Nelson holding some type of tapa that kinda scares me a bit!

My dad, mom and Chuck. Long-time friends reunited in Granada, Spain. Small world.

And onto the next: Belgium.

#travel