Deciding to flee from Torremolinos, because the situation with my Airbnb and the city was less than desirable, I took the train and travelled to Granada for a few days. Talk about a night and day change of scenery. I had very little time to prepare but have been more than pleasantly surprised. Here are my first impressions of Granada Spain.
Youth
As I walk from the train station towards the centre of town, I immediately notice just how many youths are present. I’m thinking there must be a university here, a big one. Thrilled is how I feel, to see this many young people after spending weeks in a town that is predominately full of older English speaking adults.
Youth give a city energy, new ideas, creativity and life! I can already feel that Granada has a completely different vibe, in a good way.
Picturesque
Oh my, I don’t think I have seen the fall season in over two years of full-time travel. Here I am surrounded by bright yellow ginkgo biloba trees, with their uniquely shaped leaves floating to the ground all around me. Its completely glorious!
In between these rays of bright fall sunshine, the foliage and hillsides provide and absolutely stunning backdrop to the city.
History
These old buildings I find myself surrounded by, are oozing history and for the most part seem like they are cherished and being maintained. I love to see the various facades and so many of them I notice, have hand painted detailing. How extraordinary.
I cannot wait to explore the city a little deeper, to see if this is a trait that is prevalent here. I adore it, akin to street art but perhaps centuries old.
Walkable
I have hours until I can check into my hotel and have had no problems walking around here. The sidewalks are in really good condition and wide enough for many people to navigate easily. Traffic lights and circles are all busy, but none are congested or have traffic jams.
I’m using google maps and have easy and direct routes to the places I want to walk by and see. There are parts of the city that are medieval with those wonderful tiny alleys, but outside of those areas, I feel safe from getting lost.
Clean
This is a sizable city and I see virtually no garbage. Its quite remarkable, not even leaf litter piled up. I can see the municipality has made it a priority to care for their city. This is evident by not only the cleanliness but general maintenance of the streets, sidewalks, public garden areas and plazas. What a breath of fresh air to see such a beautifully kept place.
You can probably tell how excited I am to be here in Granada. I knew this city offered history and culture, but I had no idea it was going to be this beautiful. I’m a little overwhelmed to be honest. From what I have just left, to this is such a stark contrast. I’m so happy to be here.
