|
  | |  |
My favourite things (the Granada edition)
Entry 12 of 20 | show all | print this entry |
Now that I´ve reached the end of my time in Granada, I thought that I would set out some of my favourite (and perhaps some of my not-so-favourite) things about this city and this country. In no particular order....
Tinto verrano
I don´t think that tinto verrano is unique to Granada, more of a Spanish thing generally. If you´ve been good and been reading all of my blog entries, you´ll know exactly what it is (but you´ll also have had no life over the last few weeks!!!!). It´s approximately a 50/50 mix of red wine and lemonade. I don´t think you´d want to use that special bottle of red wine that you received for a significant birthday, but if you have an average to cheap bottle, it´s definitely worth giving this a go. It´s really refreshing and particularly good on really hot days (such as I´ve had in Spain the entire time - see below). Needs lots of ice.
Fanta limon
As you may know, I´m not usually one for drinking a lot of fizzy drinks, but again, sometimes in the heat, it´s quite nice to have something fizzy (and non-alcoholic!!). Lemonade is ok, but Fanta limon takes it one step further. It´s a bit reminiscent of Mellow Yellow that used to exist in NZ when I was young (not sure whether it still exists there). Anyway, it´s my soft drink of choice at the moment.
Free tapas
This is definitely something that´s relates specifically to Granada. If you go into a bar and order a drink - water, soft drink, tinto verrano (see above), wine - you will get tapas to accompany your drink for free. Yes, that´s right, you only pay for your drink and the tapas comes free. (Apologies if this sounds too much like an infomercial!!). The quantity and quality of the tapas varies depending on the establishments that you are frequenting. A popular choice amongst the residents of the hostel/residence that I´m staying in is a bar called Beauty and the Beast (it´s actually got a Spanish name but I can´t remember what it is). It´s popular mostly because the drinks are cheap and the tapas plentiful. Can´t say that the quality of the tapas is that great. My personal favourite tapas bar is Bodega Casteneda (see below).
Siestas
While I´ve embraced the concept of siestas in my life on occasion, I have developed a new appreciation for them since I´ve been in a very very hot city for a few weeks. I haven´t had a siesta every day that I´ve been here, but it´s noticeable on those days that I don´t. There´s not a lot of options of things to do during the afternoon when the temperature gets up to 36-40 degrees except to sleep (and perhaps eat ice cream!). As long as you don´t sleep for too long, you wake up a lot more refreshed and ready to face the evening/night with renewed energy!
Menus del dia
Something else that is particular to Spain, is the ´menu del dia´ offered by many restaurants. It´s a set 3 course menu consisting of a starter, a main and a dessert as well as bread that usually costs somewhere around €10. There are usually about 3 options for the starter and for the main, and in the main part of town, the options are usually typical Spanish food. The most common starter is gazpacho (aka cold tomato soup!) and the most common main plate is probably paella, but there´s a bit more variety with the main course than with the starter. The dessert is hardly ever specified, and is probably whatever they´ve got handy in the freezer on the day. Unless you go somewhere very very touristy, the food is normally quite good, and cheaper than ordering a single main at any restaurant (including the one that´s offering the menu del dia). I haven´t quite figured out the economics behind it - I figure that they must buy and cook in bulk each day.
Miscellaneous
* Sunshine and temperatures of at least 30 degrees every day for the last 4 weeks
* The ´plato combinado caliente´at Bodega Casteneda (fully deserves recommendation in my guidebook as one of the top ten tapas bars in Andalucia)
* ´Rocher´flavoured ice cream - take chocolate icecream and add crumbled bits of Ferrero Rocher chocolat...yum!!
And I should probably add balance to this entry by listing (briefly) the things that have not impressed me so much...
American teenagers on holidays (big generalisation i know)
Do they really all have to come over here all at once in huge numbers?
Spanish grammar and homework
Had forgotten how annoying homework is - even if I have paid for the pleasure of getting it...Really gets in the way of a social life (well, not really - only takes about half an hour here)
Fickle air conditioning
Sometimes I have airconditioning in my room and sometimes I don´t - it all seems to depend on the mood of the person working at the front desk of the residence who maintains control of the remote which operates the whole system.
But, on the whole, there are definitely more things that I have liked and enjoyed about being here than things that I don´t like. Which has got to be a good thing, right? All in all, means that I´m likely to come back at some stage for another lot of Spanish lessons.
|
|
If you like this entry, search for other entries by namalee, from Spain or try a new search. |
| |
| Table of Contents |
| 12. | My favourite things (the Granada edition) - Granada, Spain Jul 14, 2007 |
|
|
|
|
Back to Entry - Back to Home
|
