Oh Ma Côrazon

Day 1 Madrid, Spain

Landed at 12:30 PM and took the metro into town.

Aiming for the train station, took the correct number circulator bus, but in the clockwise direction. Counterclockwise would have been 2 stops to Atocha, but we ended up taking the long way around and getting a mini-tour.

Bought tickets for the next day's train to Granada and took a metro to Plaza del Carmen.

Got to our hotel , dropped off our stuff and went to dNorte for burgers and jerez (AKA sherry).

Went back to the hotel, took a shower and, having been awake for over 30 hours, broke our cardinal rule of adjusting to a new time zone by taking a 2-hour nap to prepare for the Depeche Mode concert.

Headed towards WiZink Center with the delusional belief that we could just pop in to someplace nearby to grab a quick snack and a drink. Well of course everyplace was packed with other concertgoers.

Starbucks came to the rescue as a peaceful oasis to have a chicken avocado wrap and fresh-squeezed orange juice.

Went to WiZink (a basketball arena similar to Target Center) and found our seats in the way up way back (which weren't too bad for $60 each).

The show started exactly on time and was a 2-hour cavalcade of hits. The star of the evening was the light and video extravaganza with a giant "M" at its center.

Took the metro back to the hotel 

and picked up some croissants on the way so we'd have something to eat the next morning before our early departure to the train station.

 

Day 2 Granada, Spain

Returned to Atocha station to catch the train to Granada, a 3.5 hour trip.

Treated ourselves to train sandwiches, chips and beer for lunch.

As soon as we arrived, bought tickets for our return trip.

Walked to the area around our apartment

As it was too early to check in, we whiled away the time with espresso and rum at Pension Landazuri (amiably served by the Andalusian Patton Oswalt)

Checked into our Airbnb , meeting our actual host (which hardly ever happens anymore; it's usually the host's relative, or property manager/cleaning person)

Dropped off our stuff, then went to the supermarket for provisions

Sat on the terrace

until 3:55, and headed to 3 onzas

Spectacular!

Went around the corner to La Gintoneria Central , where we learned that once you mix it with tonic, all gin kind of tastes the same. Upside: the bartender was very friendly and somehow our drinks seemed to take us about 6 hours to finish.

Next stop, Cronos rock bar, which was closed, so we went a bit farther to La Rocka Cafe Rock Pub, which was open.

The friendly proprietor graciously played our request of Stargazer by Rainbow.

Got some pizza and kept walking. At one point, we both had the exact same thought at the exact same time: "This city is like a clean Napoli!"

Went by two other rock club that were supposed to be open but were not, so we went home.

The bookshelves in the living room were filled with interesting titles, so I grabbed the John Peel autobiography and read for a little bit before heading to bed shortly after 9 PM.

 

Day 3 Granada, Spain

Set the alarm for 5:30 AM to get us back to our usual routine and allow us to enjoy the city during the quiet, early morning hours.

The layout and look of the house felt so much like a cabin, that while I was groggily making coffee, for a few seconds I literally had to ask myself "Where are we? Oh yeah, Spain!"

Had coffee and went for a short walk around our house

Came home, ate some eggs, then walked 

to the number one destination of our visit, Placeta Joe Strummer

It was very small and sweet 😊

Walked along the river, 

aiming for a spooky store that Bhob had found on the interwebz, stopping for espresso and amaretto at La Gaditana.

Did some shopping, then some recon to find a cocktail bar that we'd planned to visit later that afternoon.

Stopped by the supermarket on the way home, and cooked up some fresh asparagus with couscous that had been left in the cupboard by a previous guest.

Washed my hair and did some hand laundry, then lounged on the terrace

 until it was time to return to 3 onzas.

The one on the left had a square of nori as a garnish, and the one on the right had a grown-up version of a Reece's peanut butter cup

Next stop, Silk Road Ethnical Chill Out, where we ordered the Black Island and Bosque de Invierno which were gimmicky yet delicious, and surprisingly reasonably priced 

Sat at a park (Carerra de la Virgen) for awhile and watched people with their kids and dogs.

Then went to Pub Rock Star Copas, where we were treated to two (TWO!) Iron Maiden videos and a Duran Duran fave (Ordinary World).

Had some falafel drunkaroni at La Primavera Shawarma before heading home.

Read more of the John Peel autobiography (which is a delightful read, whether you are a fan or not, as long as you brace yourself for the abuse suffered at the hands of his classmates) before hitting the hay a bit after 9 PM.

Day 4 Granada, Spain

Started the day with another pre-dawn walk

Pomegranate, the ubiquitous symbol of Granada 

Went to the supermarket

Before landing on the main sidewalk from the stairs leading down from our barrio, we learned that you have to peek out first so you don't run into a pedestrian 

After breakfast, walked on the footpath along the Genil River (which was similar in width to Minnehaha Creek) for about an hour before turning around.

Stopped in to Cafe Noticia for espresso and anisette, then walked

to Casa de Vinos La Brujidera for some Jerez/sherry (including a couple of Palo Cortao varieties that I had wanted to try, which were pleasantly funky; mushroom? brie?) and our first tapas of the trip; we didn't know how it worked, but at this place we ordered our jerez, and a bit later they just brought us some bread and ham with olives. OK, so that's how it works!

She already done had jerezes 

Went home to rest on the terrace before returning to 3 onzas at 4:01 PM and ordered the next set of cocktails on the menu.

Then went to the pleasant, unpretentious Nito's Pub to pass the time before another of Bhob's spooky stores opened at 5:30. The shop wasn't open at 5:45, so we went to find some of the rock bars that were supposed to be open, but were not.

There was one bar that I had bookmarked that had good reviews for their cocktails and, more importantly, was actually open.

Turned out that the only drink on the menu that wasn't ice cream based was a Manhattan, so we ordered two. 

Gentle Reader, I have never had a worse drink IN. MY. LIFE!!!

How do you screw up a Manhattan?!?!? It has three ingredients!!!

They must have gotten the ratio reversed or something, because it was like syrup.

We suffered through them and tried to enjoy the one or two tchotchkes that weren't super clichéd

 

and went back to the spooky store. It didn't have anything that caught Bhob's fancy, so we googled "falafel near me open now", which led us to the Arabic area of town that we hadn't been to yet.

Got some kibbe, falafel and lentil soup at a cozy Palestinian restaurant (that had a concert on the TV of a singer who seemed to be some kind of superstar; the audience was HUGE and everyone was singing along) and made our way up the hill back home.

Day 5 Granada, Spain

Pre-dawn walk in the Albaicín barrio.

Falafel tastes best at 6:30 AM 

Post-breakfast walk to The Moor's Chair

Stopped home to drop off a layer, then walked

to another spooky store, with a stop for espresso and cognac at Cafe Bar Artefusion

For Second Breakfast, got pastries at Panederia Laura, then went to Bar La Maestranza for jerez and tapas (eggplant fries drizzled with light molasses!).

Popped into Discos Marcapasos

Since it was open early for Saturday, finally made it to Loop Records, which was playing some really great Radio K-ish music (The Mysterious Lights, La Luz, Sheer Mag, Jacuzzi Boys, The Everywheres)

Is it a bar that sells records or a record store that sells drinks? Yes!

Wanted more jerez, so stopped into Taberna Jerez which, the server explained for probably the millionth time that day, does not actually serve jerez.

Picked up more fresh-squeezed orange juice at our supermarket

Went home, made some rice and asparagus for supper and hung out on the terrace.

Day 6 Granada, Spain

Short pre-dawn walk

After breakfast, walked for a little over an hour toward Llano de la Perdiz

Back towards town, got espresso and anisette, then kept walking, aiming towards  Boka Espace Gastronomico

Walked back 

to our barrio, hoping to get another jerez at Brujidera, but it was about 1:30 on a Sunday afternoon and it was packed, so we got some ice cream and ate it on a shady bench in Plaza Nueva, picked up some broccoli and Coke Zero at our supermarket, and went home to shower and rest for 90 minutes until 3 onzas opened.

According to the google maps, our trek at that point was 5 hours, 14.5 miles (not counting our pre-dawn walk).

Got to 3 onzas at 4:03, but they weren't ready to open yet. We didn't catch exactly how long he said it would take, so we wandered around nearby until 4:23 

I wonder what band he was in?

An orange fell off the tree right in front of us, so I had to satisfy my curiosity and try it. Oh my gosh it was so sour!!! The peel smelled really good, so we thought that maybe it was like a kumquat.

Had two cocktails each to make up for missing out the day before

The blue plank in the drink on the right was candied salsify. Inspired!!!

In case you were wondering what the outside of the menu looked like 

Passing by Brujidera on the way home, we crossed our fingers and peeked in to see if there were two seats at the bar.

There were! 

We enjoyed another Regente Palo Cortao and some tapas.

Got home, made some broccoli, rice and cheese and ate it on the terrace while watching some bats doing their crepuscular dance.

Finished the evening with an extra long Girl With The Dogs 2 video on the youtubes  and got to bed around 9.

 

Day 7 Granada, Spain

For our pre-dawn walk, did some recon to see how long it would take us to get to the train station.

After breakfast, headed back to the area of one of Bhob's spooky stores. Stopped at Cafeteria Nueva Estación for espresso and anis (which the server kindly explained was what we were looking for, not anisette). The cashier complimented us on our t-shirts🤘

The spooky store was still closed, so we wandered got some cash from the ATM (which let us choose the denominations versus automatically spitting out €50s. Woohoo!!!)

When we returned to the spooky store, it was open. Bhob bought the Santa Muerta tarot deck that had been haunting him, and the proprietor showed him a Guillermo del Toro deck that wasn't on display, which of course he couldn't pass up.

On the way home, stepped in some dog poo that got into the deep grooves of my boots, so spent the rest of the route looking for puddles of water and patches of grass.

That helped to pass the time until our jerez bodega opened.

Had 4 more types of jerez, then went to Miso Korean restaurant for lunch.

Bhob would only agree to be in the photo if I disguised his identity 

Hung out on the terrace

until 3 onzas opened.

Went home and played with Bhob's Guillermo del Toro tarot deck until it was time to check out Hanalei tiki bar.

I'm pretty sure that if Ian and I had been able to make this trip in March 2020 as planned, we would have spent lots of time here 

Went home, had some rice, cheese and broccoli and read until bedtime.

Day 8 Granada, Spain

Very short pre-dawn walk

After breakfast walked for a little over an hour toward Hacienda de Jesus del Valle before turning around.

This was in the front of a house with an overload of tacky crap cemented to the façade. The nerve!

Had espresso and anis and a kind of pecan pie pastry at Rincón del Chapiz

Walked back into town to find the hotel bar that got its cocktail recipes from the 3 onzas crew.

Walked around

Everybody wants to live above this place 

until their posted opening time, but they didn't actually open until 30 minutes later than that, so we bailed and got some overpriced Moroccan food at Restaurante Meknes Rahma 

B'stilla!

Got some jerez at Brujidera and went home for a little shower and siesta before 3 onzas. 

The sky was overcast, so the terrace was pretty comfortable, but it got unexpectedly rainy and windy for a second.

Got to 3 onzas around 4:30, and for the first time, there were other people there before us!

Stopped by the supermarket on the way home and, after hearing about a forecast of 14" of snow back home, decided to lean into terrace life and not make too much of an effort to do anything for the rest of our trip other than enjoy not being cold.

This began with our signature cocktail of gin and what we thought was sugar-free orange pop, but turned out to be something like Pedialyte.

Oops!

Day 9 Granada, Spain

Short pre-dawn walk

After breakfast, took the bus to Cenes de la Vega and walked to Pinos Genil

Had espresso and cognac at Taberna de Sergio

Walked a bit

Grapes!

Had some brandy at Cafe Los Cazadores

Got cerveza and pizza at Bar Belerda 

Walked back to Cenes de Vega and took the bus back to Granada.

Our total mileage to and from the bus stop was only about 4 miles, but it felt a lot longer :/

Picked up some sugar free tonic at the supermarket because Bhob could not abide another Pedialyte cocktail.

Rested until 3 onzas opened

By the time we got home, the terrace was not engulfed in sunlight, so hung out there reading the John Peel autobiography until it was time to make supper.

Day 10 Granada, Spain

Pre dawn walk

Returned to the north side of town to one of Bhob's spooky stores

Any Wham! fans out there?

Stopped for expreso fuerte y coñac at Los Clarines 

Walked back to Centro, aiming for a spice store

Some of the stoplights looked more to me like pop locking than walking 

Bhob bought some souvenirs

Back to Brujidera to complete our tour of their jerez menu

Went to lunch at Utopia Ramen because their cocktail program was created by the 3 onzas crew.

Did they really need to ask "Do you have reservations?"

El Jimador de Oriente and Niponjito

Oryza Sativus and Quinito Silver

Walked around. Bhob bought more souvenirs 

Went to 3 onzas and, having tried everything single drink on their menu, reordered our two favorites.

Al dedo de Abel and Cartas de Sajalín 

Went home

Every day is Leg Day 

Sat on the terrace for awhile 

Made supper about 7:30, watched some youtubes and went to bed a bit after 9.

Day 11 Granada, Spain

Last day in Granada, and had absolutely no plans beyond a trip to the supermarket, retiring to our favorite 3 places for one more round, and packing and cleaning.

Lollygagged in the morning, so had a dawn walk, allowing us to see things with a little more light, and watching the town waking up.

Leisurely breakfast and hit the supermarket at 9. Sat on the terrace and finished the John Peel autobiography.

Started reading a Billy Mackenzie biography that I had no hope of finishing in one day (and is, alas, out of print).

Around 11 AM, ventured out towards the river, but didn't quite get that far. Had espressos and cognac at Café Bar Casa Luthier.

Slowly walked to Brujidera to have one more taste of our favorite jerezes.

Singles bar?

Returned to Utopia Ramen for more inventive cocktails

Japan Tonic and Basil Dreams 

Eldersour and Negy Mary 

Rested in a park until it was time for 3 onzas to open, but at 4:40 PM, the door was still locked, so we got mojitos at TragoFino (which we had passed probably 25 times and hadn't previously considered entering)

Came home, started packing and getting ready for our departure.

Sat on the terrace until it was too dark. Made supper, ate and washed up whilst dancing to a selection of youtubes numbers by The Fall. Read as much of the Billy Mackenzie biography as I could before zonking out around 9:30. 

Day 12 Madrid, Spain

Woke up extra early to do the final packing and cleaning before leaving for the train station at 6 AM. Brought some cheese sandwiches that I had made the night before and discovered that my beloved life partner of 19 years doesn't like mustard. Oops!

Took the train to Madrid 

Got to our hotel

Went out for cervezas and talked with a couple from Rochester, NY who had just arrived in the country, and did our best to pass along what advice we could.

Bhob saw another spooky store, so of course we had to stop in so he could buy two more tarot decks.

Went to 1862 Dry Bar.

Fantastic!!!

King Misterio and Dragón Amarillo 

Amaro Old Fashioned and Sherry Wood 

Picked up some bagged salad on the way home to eat after supper.

Walked to Byblos Bar for underwhelming falafel and shared our table with an unidentified insect.

Stopped by Starbucks for a cold brew to have in the morning, assuming that even if things were open at 3 AM, we wouldn't want to waste any time navigating through the the partying masses.

All of our forays involved crossing back and forth over Gran Via; it was Saturday afternoon and the area was hopping!

Most people dig that kind of scene, but we don't, so we retreated to our hotel room until bedtime, stopping at the downstairs bar for a quick nightcap (that turned into two when the bartender, delighted with our generous tip, poured us a second. Shhh!)

Checked into our flight on the Air France website and got to sleep about 7:30 PM.

Day 13 Departure

Woke at 2 AM for a 3:15 airport ride.

 

 

Random Observations

The Madrid airport and Atocha train station deserve special recognition for excellent signage directing travelers to the metro station 

 

FAQs

So, it was a good trip?

Yup!

 

Why Granada?

To pay homage at Placeta Joe Strummer and to spend part of March somewhere that is not Minnesota.

This trip was originally planned for March 12, 2020. A couple of months earlier, Bhob had changed employers and didn't think he could get the time off, so Lady Miss Ian graciously stepped in to be my travel buddy.

10 hours before we were scheduled to depart, the government announced that no flights from Europe would be allowed to land in the US, so that was that.

Did you plan the dates based on the Depeche Mode concert?

Nope, it was just a lucky coincidence!

All of our flight options to Granada included a rather long layover in Madrid, so we decided to buy tickets to Madrid, stay there overnight for a quick looky-loo and then take a train to Granada the next day.

A few weeks later, Depeche Mode announced their 2024 European tour dates, and they were playing in Madrid the night of our arrival.

I wouldn't typically plan any kind of evening activity after spending 17 hours en route and crossing 7 time zones, but to be in the same city as DM and not go to the show was unacceptable.

They had another Madrid show scheduled two days later, but we didn't want to do that many round trips (3.5 hours each way) by rail.

And how was the show?

It was great to finally see them in person, but I had already seen and heard SO many of their live recordings, there wasn't anything too new or surprising (apart from the flamenco dancer that they featured during "Enjoy The Silence", which was pretty cool).

Though it was fun to sing along with 17,454 of my new best friends, if I'm going to be honest, when it comes to the intimacy and emotional experience of the songs themselves, nothing beats a good DM tribute band, and I will continue to travel the world to see as many of them as I can.

How was the weather?

Great!

It was true to the forecast for our 10 days in Granada

And this was the forecast for after we left on Saturday:

What time of year did you go?

March 2024

How were your flights?

MSP-AMS

Airbus A330-900

No problems 

AMS-MAD

Boeing 737-800 (900?)

No problems, other than the plane being Freezing!

MAD-CDG

Airbus A321

No problems 

I don't know what Proust was going on about; it's just a creamless Twinkie

CDG-MSP

Airbus A330-900

No problems with the flight, and landed on time during a snow storm.

HOWEVER 

Inexplicably long, two-stage identity check/security line at the gate, which took up over half of our layover.

THEN

When we got in the general boarding line, they scanned our passports AGAIN.

Was there some kind of Interpol alert issued, warning the authorities at CDG that they had received an anonymous tip that someone was traveling with a passport that had been doctored to make them appear less jowly?

THEN

I got selected for a random security check, and had to wait in line for another 20 minutes behind a guy who delayed things further by getting belligerent with the security agent.

What did you watch on the airplane?

MSP-AMS

6 episodes of Barry

3 episodes of Bar Rescue 

CDG-MSP

2 episodes of Bar Rescue (continuation of the Las Vegas season!)

2 episodes of Barry

Miss Congeniality

8 episodes of Schitt's Creek

How big is Granada?

Not big.

33.98 square miles vs 56.10 square miles for St. Paul, so about the size of Blaine.

Granada (as of 2018) has a population of 232,208 (6800 people per square mile) and St. Paul (as of 2020) has 311,527 (5994 per square mile)

The elevation is 2,421 feet above sea level.

Mapfight doesn't have Granada or St. Paul, so this is the best I could do

 

Did you learn Spanish?

Nope. And I swore to myself that I would speak nothing but Mexican Spanish, but I found myself involuntarily channeling Carmen Maura in my pronunciation.

 

Do most people speak English?

Some do.

The farther we got from the tourist area, the less English was spoken. 

 

Did you learn the National Anthem?

No. Apparently, it is not well-loved, and only recently acquired lyrics.

 

Was Spanish Bombs playing in your head the entire time?

Yes.

Particularly when we saw any sign that said "Andalusia".

And when it wasn't in my head,  this one was (and until I looked at the youtubes comments, I didn't realize that it was a cover)

 

How did you get around?

In Madrid, metro and walking.

In Granada, walking

 

How are the motorists?

Courteous 

 

Is it bike and pedestrian friendly?

More or less. 

Most of Granada is flat, but the area where we stayed was mostly stairs and inclines, so not good for people with mobility issues, though that didn't stop people from biking there.

We needed to watch our step everywhere in town because of dog poo.

 

Did you hear any interesting music?

Only at Loop Records.

Everyplace else was pretty much just crappy pop music or smooth jazz.

 

Did you try any interesting foods or drinks?

Some yummy bar snacks like eggplant fries and truffle popcorn, and lots of good jerez at Brujidera and cocktails at 3 onzas.

Why are you so fixated on finding cocktails when you travel?

Because I love trying new flavors and flavor combinations. It gives me inspiration for tastes to try to replicate at home.

 

Why didn't you visit the Alhambra?

Short answer: Because we didn't want to.

Longer answer: We've been lucky enough to have had the opportunity to see lots of remarkable Islamic architecture in Iran and Algeria, so we didn't feel compelled to join the throngs.

If Europe was as far as I could ever travel, I probably would have tried to check it out if I felt confident enough to navigate the byzantine, timed ticketing system.

 

And no churches or monasteries either?

Nope.

If you've seen one, you've seen 'em all.

 

What is a spooky store?

It's how Bhob refers to esoteric shops that sell tarot decks, incense, amulets, etc.

How much weight did all of those tarot decks add to Bhob's luggage?

7 pounds.

He regrets nothing.

Any highlights?

Our Granada house (two bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, private terrace and extremely quiet at night)

Pinos Genil 

Having a well stocked supermarket a few minutes walk from our home, open all day

The opportunity to taste a variety of jerezes, and learn what I like and don't like (be prepared to hear me talk insufferably about the merits of Amontillado vs Manzanilla, and the glorious funk of Palo Cortao)

 

Any lowlights?

That horrible Manhattan at the Bohemia Jazz Café

Restaurants that don't open for dinner until 8:30 PM, and businesses keeping siesta hours. It's probably great when you live there, but as a tourist (especially an early to bed, early to rise one), it is maddening.

Constantly having to watch for dog poo 

 

Any surprises?

Granada is as touristy as Las Vegas, albeit infinitely less tacky

There is a lot of great hiking around Granada; it's near the mountains! This would not have been a surprise if I'd done more research besides googling "Most Creative Cocktails in Granada".

 

How much did it cost?

For 2 people, 12 days

Flights $2808.10

Lodging $1520.84

Train tickets $358.74

Food:

Groceries $144.97

Restaurants $408.55

Coffee, booze and treats $884.88

 

Ground transportation $95.13 (most of which was the final airport ride)

 

Admission to attractions (DM concert) $127.14

Total $6348.35

Total "on the ground" (not including airfare and lodging) $2019.41

Total per person, per day $264.51

Total "on the ground", per person, per day $84.14

 

To save for a trip like this, you'd need to save $8.69 per day for a year

Who should visit?

Anyone who isn't daunted by touristy-ness, is able-bodied and doesn't have an aversion/sensitivity to ham, cheese or bread.

Anyone who doesn't really come alive until after 1 AM.

Would you go back?

Probably not. 

The only thing that would bring us back to Spain is if we had a chance to see a Bloodhunter show. They are one of our favorite bands and they never tour outside of Spain.

 

Do you realize that the blog title is spelled wrong?

I took it directly from the liner notes of London Calling.

 

Who watched Stinkerbell while you were gone?

My dear friends and neighbors Rob and Jennifer