Pomegranates and Concerts and Chocolate: Granada!!

It seems impossible that it was almost six years ago that Sarah and I visited Spain for the first time! We had moved to India just a year earlier and then Sarah took part in the annual conference of the Association of Music in International Schools (AMIS) in Madrid . . . and we fell in love with the city, with Spain, and, indeed, with the Iberian Peninsula where we have now lived in Lisboa for more than three years.

Of course, we love to explore and learn about the history and the culture of our European heritage, but, during our time living in Lisboa, two elements have risen to top of our list of primary focuses for our travel planning: music, and, well okay, food. Last summer, we loved our time at the Jordi Savall Festival in Catalunya, and we are always looking for opportunities to follow our very favorite musician, so when an email popped up back in March, from the Granada Music and Dance Festival, my initial “Hmmm, I wonder if that might be interesting” turned into a solid “Book ’em NOW!” when the third concert of the five week series turned out to be, who else, but Jordi Savall!

We had been considering a trip to Sevilla and Cordoba this summer to add those essential Andalusian cities to our map of Spanish enjoyment, so nearby Granada–and Jordi–was an easy optional choice for us so book ’em we did. It turned out that, as with many artistic events and series here, we couldn’t buy individual tickets until after subscriptions of varying lengths had been offered. Dang, would Jordi tickets still be available? Imagine our delight when the first entry in the list of subscriptions was a “Preludio del Festival” series of three concerts for the opening weekend with, of course, Jordi Savall and the Concert of Nations on the Sunday night to complete the trio.

We decided to fly into Madrid–our fourth visit–since we love the city almost as much as Lisboa, so we could spend a meal or four at some of our favorite memorable restaurants and cafés and tapas bars–okay, and chocolaterías–before hopping the fast train south. Of course, stop one was the Uniqlo on Gran Via, where Sarah and I both nearly filled another suitcase with a few, well, several, essential items to touch up our wardrobes. (BTW, we aren’t the only Lisboetas who love Uniqlo and wish they would open one here!)

Then, a tapas crawl down through La Latina with gambas com alho or garlic prawns and heuvos rotos (french fries with yolky eggs and chorizo) set us up for the next morning’s dive into the opening round of churros con chocolate at an old favorite, Chocolatería San Ginés. Open 24/7, an iconic and ever expanding venue with excellent offerings, we loved it but felt it might have been a touch richer in the past. Thus, a challenge was laid down: we MUST find the best, right? And only another week to do it . . .

So, off to Granada via the excellent Renfe national train system and our first visit to this magical city with its famous Alhambra perched high above, a marvelous and charming vista unlike any other. Begun in the 13th century by the Nasrid dynasty, the Alhambra palace and its neighboring Generalife Gardens were the fortresses and residences and pleasure grounds of the dynasties of the Islamic and, later, the Catholic rulers of Andalusia, including Isabella and Ferdinand, in 1492. It was apparently this pair who loved the pomegranates that grew in the area and decided to name the city for them—Granada is Spanish for the fruit—and make them the symbol of their final victory over the Moors and a central symbol in the city’s coat of arms.

At any rate, the Alhambra is sprawling and spectacular in its beauty and setting, and well worth a trip to Granada and a guided tour of a few hours. Sarah and I also had the great good fortune to be looking forward to attending three concerts there on three successive nights. Did I say nights? Indeed, how about two at 10pm and one at 10:30pm? Sarah and I have typically already turned out our lights by that time . . .

We stayed in a delightful accommodation, Palacete 1620, built in the style of 17th century Iberian homes and just off the primary tourist areas. It was charming, comfy, and quiet, and Esmerelda was extremely helpful, plus its location on the Plaza de los Lobos, could not have been better!

We also found the centro of Granada to be especially charming and quaint, with locals and tourists enjoying the cafes, restaurants, and gelatarias and shade trees along the Plaza de la Trinidade and the central Plaza Bib Rambla, a five minute stroll from our apartment. We ended up choosing simple is best and enjoyed later lunches/early dinners at a few of the local cafes where jamon Iberico, padron peppers, and some excellent calamares served us well. Oh yes, and gelato at Grillo where the long line was always worth the wait! Of course, we couldn’t resist multiple samplings of the chocolate con churros at the Gran Cafe Bib Rambla and they were the best . . . so far . . .

So, those three concerts up at the Alhambra? BTW, it really, truly, IS up: about 100 meters higher than the surrounding Granada, which is about a 6% average climb, so not for the faint of heart. Our first concert was at the Palacio de Carlos V in the heart of the Alhambra and we had been told that taxis would be available at a phone number where they even spoke English! What could go wrong? So, two hours before the concert, we called.

Well, it turned out that nearly everyone in Granada would be attending the opening concert and had reserved taxis well in advance so, oops, not a single one was free! We eventually found an official taxi stand where a young local woman asked us if we needed a taxi to go the concert. She was on her phone and we agreed to share a cab if she could get one, but she finally shook her head, nada! She then decided to walk all the way up to the Alhambra and wished us luck!

Fortunately, we were eventually able to connect with an Uber and managed to make it to the Palacio de Carlos V with three minutes to spare!! The concert, in the open air palace, was incredible as the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester played the Bruckner Symphony 5 and the conservatory musicians connected with conductor Kirill Petrenko for an inspired performance that gave Sarah and me new insights into the work. While the temperatures in Granada this time of year often climb into the mid 30’s (90’s F), a cool front had sneaked in so it was a breezy 19 to 20ish (mid 60’s F) so the audience was freezing in their linen shirts and dresses! Well, we were, anyway.

But the concert was magnificent so we were still thrumming with excitement and chill as we walked out to grab one of the taxis we had been told to expect . . . ooops number two! Not a taxi in sight, and everyone seemed delighted to walk down the hill into the dark–okay, there were lovely street lights amidst the woods-so we joined in for the two plus km walk back to the center of Granada and on to our hotel. At about 2am! Adventure for folks in their seventies, for sure!

Anyway, the next night’s concert was in the Teatro del Generalife, the magnificent pleasure gardens farther up the hill beyond the Alhambra, and this time it was a powerful display of a history of flamenco dance by the Ballet Nacional del España, with Queen Sophia, the Queen of Spain, AND Queen Rania, the Queen of Jordan, both in attendance a handful of rows in front of us! Another chilly night–the concert started at 10:30 and was late as the two Queens were fooling around outside for a while–but, hooray, we took the bus up and there were even buses back down afterwards!

The final concert was our beloved Jordi Savall–our sixth time to see him since we moved to Lisboa–and we had scored seats in the second row so we felt almost like we were in the 16 piece string group playing Vivaldi and Bach. This group is famous for their unabashed joy in the music and their sharing with each other, their grand smiles and dancing and just pure delight that is totally infectious. And, even better, there was a line of buses waiting outside the Palacio de Carlos V to take folks back down–a bonus for us since we would be catching the 6:56am train back to Madrid in the morning!

Of course, no visit to Granada would be complete without a stroll through the cathedral in the center of the city. Cathedral de Granada is a monumental and extravagant masterpiece of the Spanish Renaissance, neighbored by old style narrow shopping alleys that still reflect the souks of the Islamic dynasties.

So, back to Madrid and, what, another concert? We did manage to wander down to our favorite Plaza de Santa Ana and the great La Vinoteca wine bar on the corner, then grab lunch at Restaurante Ginger, another fave, before we climbed up to the highest tier of seats in the opera house at Teatro Real for Les Arts Florissant in a performance of Charpentier’s Medée. Wow! Can you say three and a half hours . . .

What a musical adventure! Not to mention a chocolate one as our final morning in Madrid, we decided to try the tiny, local-feeling spot, Chocolateria 1902, and we found our winner! Thinner, longer, crispier churros and the best, deepest, richest dipping chocolate . . . oh my.

Sarah and I both agreed that we can be glad this dish is not the favored breakfast of Portugal . . . but wait, certainly it’s available somewhere here in Lisboa? Ah well, that better be another story, right?