Granada: The Big Pomegranate

Granada is world famous for the amazing and spectacular Alhambra Palace, but few people know the meaning of the city. Granada is the Spanish word for “pomegranate”. According to legend, the pomegranate is a sacred fruit for the Jewish people because it has (allegedly) 613 inside each pomegranate and there are 613 commandments in the Torah. A quick Google search will tell you that that isn’t exactly true. Still, you can see pomegranates everywhere, from the street signs to the pebble-work on the ground.

Like many places I’ve visited and will visit in Spain this year, I always think, “How have I been in Spain for three years and not been here?” Not going to Granada isn’t exactly my fault — their train station hasn’t been linked to major cities in three years while they try to ready the station for the AVE. So to get there, I took the high speed train from Madrid to a small town in the Málaga region, then boarded a bus to take me to Granada. Of course, you can get to Granada by bus, but I hate buses. (I get carsick.) Pero por fin, I had arrived in Granada.

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Sevilla Side Trip: Itálica

Sevilla is a wonderful city, just see my last post. But sometimes it’s great to get out of the city and experience something more relaxed. On my last day in Sevilla, I went to Itálica, considered to be the first Roman settlement in Hispania. However, people today may recognize it more for being the Dragon Pit in Game of Thrones.

Let’s be real. The main reason I went there was because of its GoT connection. When I visited San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, it was full of fans playing the theme song and decked out in fan t-shirts. What a pleasant surprise when Itálica was nearly empty.

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Sizzlin’ Sevilla

Andalucía: typical Spain. Tapas, hot weather, flamenco, palm trees. That’s what most people think of when they hear Spain, but really, those are more typical of the South. In three years of living in Spain, I had never been down there, making up so many excuses about needing time or the trains being too expensive. Finally, I decided to stop making excuses and just go to Sevilla.

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