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Gradana City Information - |
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Granada is
the capital of the province with the same name, situated in
the eastern part of the region of Andalusia. Geographical and
scenic diversity charactizes the land. There is the coastal
area with its warm climate; the extensive, fertile Genil plain;
and the mountainous regions with a colder climate, where we
find the 3,481 meter Mulhacén, the biggest peak on the
peninsula of Spain. The city of Granada is located at the foot
of the sierra Nevada mountains at the confluences of the Darro
and Genil rivers. Its unique history has bestowed it with an
artistic grandeur embracing Moorish palaces and Christian Renaissance
treasures. As the last Moorish capital on the Iberian peninsula,
it also holds great symbolic value.The
city of Granada has been shaped by the hills, where the old
districts in the Albaicín and the Alhambra were founded,
brimming with steep, narrow streets, beautiful nooks and corners,
and marvelous landscapes. The new part of the city is situated
on the plain, crisscrossed by the large arteries of Gran Vía
de Colón and Calle de los Reyes Católicos, and
where the busy streets around the Cathedral are found.
The Moors crossed the strait of
Gibraltar in 711 and settled in what was then a small Visigoth
town perched atop the Alhambra hill. Here they settled, erected
walls and laid the foundation for the prosperous civilization
that would follow. It was in the 9th century when Granada rose
to importance after the fall of the Caliphate of Córdoba.
Its splendor was reached in 1238, when Mohammed ben Nasar founded
the Nasrid dynasty, and the kingdom of Granada stretched from
Gibraltar to Murcia. This dynasty bore twenty kings until King
Boabdil was forced to surrender Granada to the Catholic monarchs,
King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, in 1492. During three centuries,
a magnificent and rich Islamic culture flourished, leaving Granada
with architectural marvels of the caliber of the Alhambra, declared
a World Heritage Site, along with the Generalife and the Albaicín.
Climate
In January there are lots of blue skies and it is warm when
the sun is shining but it gets cold at night. There are occasional
frosts. The best time to visit Granada is in the Spring and
Autumn when the temperature is just perfect with warm sunny
days. During July and August it can be very hot and some days
the temerature reaches 40C. Granada has a dry heat which is
much more bearable than the humid heat which you will find in
Barcelona. There is very little rainfall although every few
years there are spells when it rains very heavily. For average
temperature and rainfall statistics
People
Spain is generally very monocultural in comparison to most of
the other developed countries. During the years of Franco there
was very little immigration and 95% of the population are white
Catholics. For centuries Spain was host to Arabic culture and
this has left many strong imprints both genetically and culturally.
The "granadainos" don't have a particularly good reputation
and they are renown for their "mala follar" which
as far as I understand means cantankerousness or bad humour.
There is some truth in this, and I would say that the granadinos
are less friendly and lighthearted than the average Spaniard
(but that still means that they are more friendly than the English)
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Food and Drink of Gradana |
Cuisine in Granada reveals
definite Arab influences in many of its dishes, in the use of
certain spices, and especially with regards to desserts.
An ample supply of fresh
garden vegetables makes it possible to create excellent dishes,
where the main ingredients are vegetables. Lima beans, artichokes
and eggplant are the basis for recipes, such as habas con jamón
(lima beans with ham), cazuela de habas (lima beans casserole)
or albornía (a mixture of vegetables, spices and olive
oil).
Among the most famopus
dishes are papas a lo pobre and the tortilla Sacromonte, an
omelet with a mixture of vegetables.
Stews are a good example
of popular cuisine; olla de San Antón is a hearty dish
which mixes lima beans, pig's ear or head, bacon and blood sausage;
olla podrida is a stew of lamb, pork, veal, chicken, pigeon,
sausage and ham with vegetables, such as cabbage, leeks, turnips,
carrots and artichokes, as well as prunes and dried apricots.
On the coast, numerous
recipes with fish are common. Typical dishes are fritura de
pescado (fish fry), boquerones adobados (fresh marinated anchovies),
cazuela de pescado frito (fried fish casserole) and moraga de
sardinas, sardines prepared with white wine, garlic, olive oil,
parsley and lemon juice.
Alpujarreña cuisine,
from the southern Andalusian mountain region, has special ways
to prepare the calf, rabbiot, partridge and game which abound
in the area. Also from the Alpujarra are the recipes for trout,
as the best rivers for trout fishing are between Trevélez
and Bérchules. We must not forget the delicious migas,
a type of fried bread crumbs seasoned with garlic and paprika.
As to Cold meats, Montefrío
is noted fot its chorizos and soportújar for its longaniza
(sausage). Cured hams from Trevélez are widely renowned.
Among the dishes of Moorish
origin are lamb meatballs and lamb with pomegranate seeds.
Desserts confected by nuns
star among sweets from Granada: pastelón de perdiz (partridge
pie) by the Encarnación nuns; la hoja (the leaf) from
the Jerónimas; and also sweetened pumpkin, apples with
wild blackberries, chestnut soup, thick French toast with honey;
and from Santa Fe, the piononos, delicate cream-filled cakes
soaked in a light syrup.
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Handicrafts
There is an important tradition
in Granada which includes ceramics, wrought iron, cloth, leather,
and musical instruments. Moorish influence can be found in many
of them, such as marquetry, decorating of furniture and wooden
objects with precious inlaid woods; metalworking, such as wrought
iron or repoussé designs in copper; wrought iron lanterns,
lamps, metal grating, and grille work.
Glazed ceramic from Granada receives the name of Fajalauza from
the Place where the potters settled near the gateway of the same
name of the Albaicín.
Master guitar-makers of Granada have received international acclaim.
The making of castanets has also become an important tradition.
Leather craftsman continue working with embossed or polychrome
leathers to make decorative objects, purses, etc. In the Alcaicería,
as well as on the Calle of Zacatín (near the Cathedral),
ceramics, copper, embossed leather, wrought iron and other souvenirs
can be purchased. The Community Activities Center (Ccentro de
Actividades Comunitarias) of Albaicín also has handicrafts
for sale.
Fashions, Gifts and Antiques
The majority of fashionable
clothing shops can be found in the vecinity of the Cathedral and
in the areas surrounding Puerta Real, Carrera de la Virgen, Recogidas,
Acera del Carro, and Pedro Antonio de Alarcón. Antique
shops can be found on the Calle Elvira and the Cuesta de Gomérez. |
The
above material are taken from All Travel Spain Tourism
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