Nocturnal Wanderings

Granada, a beautiful city by day, is transformed into a truly special place by night. For the first week, we cling to our normal schedule:  dinner around 7, kids in bed before 8:30, wake up no later than 8 (school starts at 9).  The other evening, the rental agent stopped by at 7pm and was undoubtedly perplexed to find us eating dinner. Weekend has arrived and we embrace the “when in Rome…”   On Friday at dusk we set out for the Albayzin. This neighborhood lies next to the Alhambra (14 century Arab citadel and palaces) along the Duaro River. Perched on a hill, it retains its Medieval Moorish roots with a veritable warren of narrow winding streets and white houses. 

Several streets have a bazaar like ambiance with tiny shops hawking tourist goods of a middle-eastern flavor from Moroccan tea sets to beaded shoes. This is definitely the spot to sample Arabic and Lebanese cuisine or savor tea and a sweet. While colorful and dynamic during the day, the streets are positively magical by night. In the tiny plazas, street musicians lay claim to a corner and lay out a guitar case or hat to collect coins. Some of these groups are quite talented and attract large audiences. You can’t spit without hitting a heladeria (ice cream shop) and nearly every person seems to be savoring a cone or cup. We find a shop that offers an orange chocolate concoction, my favorite since childhood and its nirvana. By 10pm the kids are toast, so we head home and sleep decadently late the next morning.

Saturday we have a different cultural experience. From the 15th to the 26th of September the people of Granada celebrate the festival of the Virgen de las Angustias, Granada’s patron saint. We knew from the posters plastered around town that it was a big deal and it started Saturday at 6pm. We didn’t realize just how big a deal it was until we stopped at the grocery store to stock up for weekend provisions only to find EVERYTHING was closed. The silent streets outside our normally bustling apartment should have been a dead giveaway.
 The festival kicked off with a floral offering. I imagined people laying flowers around a statue, but that would have been like describing the London Eye as a ferris wheel. When we arrived, a line of flower-bearing people hundreds long snaked around the block. In the road, various cultural and civic groups were lined up, some with elaborate floral baskets. Church and state comingle easily here so the bomberos (fireman), military and police groups were present alongside flamenco dancers, marching bands and equestrians (yes on horseback). Each group “performs” in front of the grandstand. Flanking each side of the church are 25 foot tall green metal racks. A few minutes after 6, the bells begin pealing ---they are huge and bronze and I am certain they can be heard throughout the entire town as they are deafening at this distance.  As if on cue, onto each side 9 men wearing harnesses scale the racks and begin handing flowers from street level to top. Each bouquet must be freed of its paper/plastic wrapping and stuck into the grill work. They work quickly and methodically. After 15 minutes it’s clear that this will go on for hours. We decide to come back tomorrow to see the finished product and instead wander up to the central part of town until hunger drives us home.