Sunday, April 30
An uneventful 2-hour drive to Granada. Dropped off the car and got a cab. Oh no! We realized Dave had left his hat in the car. Twenty minutes later, we had retrieved the hat and arrived near the luggage storage site in Granada. “Near” because, inexplicably, it is in the pedestrian-only center. Our driver brought us as close as possible so we didn’t have to drag the luggage too far. Oops, again, we arrived early so the all-remote system didn’t recognize our PIN. Buzzing the remote manager, we obtained early access. Oops #3, we needed to reserve a second unit because all of our careful measuring at home did not survive the metric translation! Finally free of our luggage, we hopped in a cab and headed to our hotel, the magnificent Parador de Granada. As we begin our camino, I’m ceding the photo-taking to David but couldn’t resist lunch pics.
The chef describes his cuisine as reflecting the various cultures that passed through the Nasrid Kingdom (the Arab dynasty that ruled Granada, Jaén, Almería, Málaga, and Valencia for over two centuries) with a special emphasis on Arab culinary contributions.
We dined on the terrace overlooking the gardens of the Generalife: spectacular!
The amuse-bouche: gazpacho.
The appetizer: hummus of local black beans, garnished with endive and edible flora; and guacamole garnished with radicchio and a cilantro flower. Served with regañas (literally “scoldings”), but in this context crackers.
My entrée: Asparagus casserole with a delicately truffled egg. Delicious!
Dave’s entrée: Beet Salad with ginger, mint, and Yogurt remoulade, garnished with mint.
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