Finally - A Yorkshire Adventure

After many months of darkness and rain, spring seems to be arriving in Yorkshire.  The days are getting longer and we've had a full 7 days without rain.  Despite P being on travel at the moment, Alfie and I took a solo trip to the beautiful Kirkstall Abbey outside of Leeds.  The ruins of another stunning Cistercian Abbey, this is considered a "daughter" abbey of the amazing Fountains Abbey.  The architecture and preservation is comparable to Fountains Abbey, but admittedly the land isn't quite as beautiful since it's near a main road.  That said, we had a great day and enjoyed the flowers blooming around the park.



This was an easy 25 minute drive from home and parking was plentiful, so definitely worth a visit if you're in the area (and you could even do errands before or after!).  Check out our photos below:

Beautiful crocus were blooming around the Abbey:

Alfie enjoyed posing in the flowers:

What stunning architecture!

The skies were so incredibly blue:

It was reflected along the river

Alfie loved exploring:

We stopped on the way home to look out over the beautiful green fields:

Stores and Events in Harrogate

As we anticipate new folks arriving this summer, I thought I would share some of my bests and favorites of where I shop around town!  See below:

 

• Groceries - Harris Teeter Like: Waitrose
• Groceries - Trader Joe's Like: Marks & Spencer
• Groceries - Safeway Like: Sainsbury's  
• Drug Store: Boots
• Department Store - Old Navy-Like: Primark
• Other Department Stores in Town: Marks & Spencer, Hoopers, Debenhams
• Hairdresser: BeBaBo (Lyndsey is great!)
• Dry Cleaner: Johnson's (dry cleaning is crazy expensive, worth signing up for their club)
• Cup of Coffee: Balterzens
• Best Scones: Jenny's Tea Room
• Indian Take Out: Shalimar
• Chinese Take Out: Imperial Palace
• Other Quick Meals: Yorkshire Meatball Company

A few other things to know about Harrogate events:

• Second Thursday of the Month: Farmer's Market (veggies, cheeses, jams, meats, lunch items!)
• Third Friday of the Month: Food Truck Fiesta (wood-fired pizza truck is our favorite)

Castles Just Keep Getting Better - The Alhambra

So, Sintra Palace in Lisbon really blew me away, but our trip to the Alhambra was a once in a lifetime experience.  I swear, our trips to castles just keep getting better.  Built by the Moorish people in a time when the Arabs ran Spain (up until the 1400s!) the Alhambra has some of the best preserved Arab architecture in the world. Who knew!

Visiting the Alhambra was a spiritual experience - connecting with such a deep history of the Iberian peninsula.  The architecture was stunning and the designs built into the walls in carving and stucco was incredibly impressive.  A friend once described it as a jewelry box on a wall and he was totally right.  All I can is - wow.

The day we visited it poured down rain - Harrogate style.  So ignore the bad hair, wet shoes, and soggy-ness.

The good news about the weather...the space was very empty! Below are some of the castle ruins:

The view from the garden house of the castle...check out the carvings!

My secret garden...

These carvings are mostly out of stucco...and amazingly intricate:

Inside the palace:

Water garden installation:

Just stunning...wishing we could come back again soon!

If You Go: Granada

We had such a great place meandering the streets of Granada!  We were there during low season, so there were no lines for any of the attractions.  A few notes on general Granada tips:

• Granada Card: We bought the Granada card and this was worth it if you plan to visit all of the attractions.  It covers everything as well as public transportation - it also covers your admission to the Alhambra 
• Advanced Tickets - Alhambra: Even if you are not a planner, make sure to buy tickets to the Alhambra before you arrive.  They sell a limited number for each day and most days, they sell out. You can do it as part of your Granada Card or separately... but do it! 
• Tapas: Granada is the only place in Spain where they still do traditional tapas with your drink.  For every round of drinks you order, restaurants bring you a tapa.  This ranged from fancy (anchovy on french bread with roe to basic things like stewed pork!)

Hotel

• NH Victoria: This had the best location in the middle of the center of town.  Our room was small, but very modern.  The service was excellent...the front desk showed us where all of the attractions were on a map when we arrived and helped us call a taxi when we went to the bus station    Definitely recommend (~$120/night) 

Restaurants

• La Botilleria: This is a lovely upscale Spanish restaurant that is a top 10 restaurant on Trip Advisor.  The service was excellent as was the food.  I loved the croquettes and had some amazing tuna.  Highly recommend! Note: call for a reservation before you go 
• Carmela: We went here for a delicious brunch - food was fresh and beautifully presented.  Right in the center of town, a great spot for a bite!
• Bernina 1930: This is a cute cafe with amazing pastries and drinks.  Pro tip: Try the spiked hot chocolate - I had the Irish version and it was amazing 
• Gran Taberna: This is a traditional, no-frills drinks and tapas spot.  We had two rounds of drinks and tapas here - both were delicious and heavy.  

Sites

• Alhambra: The reason you come to Granada.  One of the most amazing places I have been in the world - the architecture is incredible and the gardens in the spring would be lovely.  Amazing views from the castle over Granada.  Must visit. 
• San Jeronimo Monastary: This was a very cute monastary in the center of town.  It had a grove of orange and lemon trees in the center.  The architecture is beautiful and it's a great, quiet spot 
• Tea Rooms: There are Arabic tea rooms scattered around the city that serve traditional mint Moroccan tea as well as a variety of other loose leaf teas.  It's a really neat experience that is very very unique to Granada. We went to Alfaguerra and it was fabulous.
• Moroccan-Style Shopping: There are two sets of shops that have Morrcan-style stalls with typical ceramics and trinkets.  One is on Calle Caldera Nueva and the other is in a spot called the Alcaiciera downtown.  They are a fun stop for souvenirs. 
• La Madraza: This is a neat look back in time at the Moorish school system.  The tour is in Spanish, but it's very easy to understand and the architecture is lovely.

A Step Back in Time: Granada

We took a short bus ride from Malaga to Granada in the mountains of Andalucia. Having been controlled by the Moors until the 1400's, the influence of Arabic architecture, cooking, and culture are still alive and well in the town.  It's a surreal experience to see beautiful Middle Eastern-style architecture with Spanish spoken all around you.

The main attraction in Granada is the Alhambra - I will share a separate post with photos from the Alhambra because it's such an overwhelmingly stunning place.  That said, the city of Granada is special beyond the Alhambra.  We loved the monastery filled with oranges, the Moorish tea room serving Moroccan tea, and the intriguing maze of alleys.  If you get a chance, go to Granada and spend your time in the city to visit some of the spots beyond the Alhambra too!

The beautiful town of Granada set in the mountains of Andalucia:

The beautiful Cathedral from above.  Many of the Spanish kings are buried in this cathedral:

The streets are lined with beautiful decorative patterns...the time and care in incredible

We loved poking around the monastery and smelling the sweet orange tree smells:

One of the many public plazas around the city:

Checking out the architecture along the river

Enjoying the hill top views of the magnificent Alhambra:

If You Go: Malaga

As I mentioned, we liked Malaga much more than we expected to like it!  During low season, it was very quiet and the restaurants and attractions were incredibly quiet.  I imagine during high-season with cruise ships, it might be a mad house!  So take the recommendations below with a grain of sand.

Hotels 

• Molina Lario: This was a very convenient hotel that was on a pedestrian street and was next to the cathedral.  Great location and large room.  It was more of a business hotel so it lacked some of the Spanish charm, but was an easy spot to stay for a few nights (~$120/night) 

Restaurants

• Uvedoble: We found this restaurant in a write-up by the Guardian and it was fabulous.  Some of the best food we've had in Spain, the menu was modern and inventive.  Every dish we had was fantastic and there were few traditional dishes.  Our favorites were the shrimp kebabs (mouth watering) and the black noodles with squid (spicy deliciousness). 
• Taberna Pintxo Lario: This was a fantastic spot for lunch.  Effectively a "pick your own" tapas restaurant.  You could go up to a row of cold tapas and grab whatever you wanted and then waiters walked around with hot tapas from the kitchen to pick from.  We loved the wide diversity of food we could try! 
• Garum:  This is a neat restaurant at the bottom of Alcazaba - the patio was closed when we were there, but this could offer a great view (and people watching).  The food was fantastic here - we ordered a series of tapas.  The tuna was stand-out (we had to order two dishes it was so good!) Definitely add it to your list 
• Mura Mura Osteria: We had Italian for dinner one night - it was good, but I was sad we weren't eating Spanish food because it is so incredibly delicious. That said, the food was very good, quick, and inexpensive.  Recommend this if you need a break from Spanish food, but otherwise suggest you avoid.

Sites 

• Picasso Museum: This was a fantastic museum.  We had been underwhelmed by the Picasso museum in Barcelona, so this was a treat.  A large collection of his paintings, they were well organized and the audio guide was really helpful.  You had an opportunity to see his full range from cubism to surrealism.  Note that his most famous paintings are scattered in world capitals (Madrid's El Prado, the Louvre, Moma), but this was a comprehensive collection of recognizable works. Pro tip: Buy tickets online for this and avoid the line. 
• Alcazaba: This fortification was built originally by the Romans, but was expanded by the Moors and Spanish.  A really neat set of gardens and terraces that overlooked the harbor.  We loved wandering through the beautiful spaces in Alcazaba and enjoyed a view of a rainbow over the city - fabulous!  Pro tip: the tickets are 2 Euro and have to be purchased from a cash-only machine.  Bring small bills / coins 
• Castillo Gibralfaro: Another impressive castle on an even higher part of the city, this was originally built by the Phoenicians.  There were a lot of major civilizations in this city over history!!!  This is the largest castle we've ever been to and you can walk the walls around it - there are amazing views of the city and a lot of great photo locations.  We walked up the hill here, but it was very steep and long.  If you have any trouble walking (or the weather isn't great), highly suggest taking a bus up the hill.
• Cathedral: We enjoyed seeing the cathedral - it was a typical Spanish cathedral, though the gardens outside are lovely with citrus trees and birds of paradise plants.  We really wish we had planned ahead and booked a group tour to the roof...I bet that would have been an amazing view.  Next time!  

Sunshine and Palm Trees in Southern Spain: Malaga

Over the President's Day weekend, we visited Malaga and Granada - two very different towns in Southern Spain,  Malaga is a gateway to the "Costa del Sol" - the many beaches along the coast of Spain where many Brits spend their summer holiday.  In peak season, it is also a large port for cruise ships. Given the heavy tourism traffic to Malaga, I had very low expectations, but it was actually a beautiful town.  They have two major castles - Gibralfo and Alcazaba that have architecture that resembles Moorish architecture, but not nearly as intricate as the Alhambra.

In addition, Malaga has a beautiful cathedral, an adorable harbor, and many lovely restaurants scattered throughout the town.  We had two lovely days there - sunny and low 70's in February. I am looking forward to returning at some point as a jumping off point to visit other towns in Andalucia (hello Seville and Cordoba, we're coming for you!).  Below are a few photos of the castles and other sites around town:

Here is a view of the Harbor from above.  Check out the stadium to the left...it's a bull fighting ring:


One of the highlights of our trip was a trip on the Ferris Wheel...apparently the tallest in Europe (taller than the London Eye!)

We loved the Moorish architecture of the castles...check out the beautiful doorway:

A view of Alcazaba from below:

The architecture was beautiful all around the city with vibrant colors:

The flowers were out...check out this Bird of Paradise.  Such an exotic flower:

When can we go back!?!?!