Outside of Dublin and London we don’t think we love – and know – a city more: Granada.
Long before lockdown, privately-made ‘strolls’ though cities – normally filmed in 4K – started appearing. Some might say they are a niche market: ‘why would I spend an hour watching a walk through the streets of Lisbon, or Barcelona or Paris?’ Well, we love them and they immediately take you to places you have visited – or maybe never been.
This walk (via TMZ TRAVEL TV) was filmed at dusk in Granada as, over the course of 45 minutes, the streets in the city’s heart – and in particular the district of Realejo and around the cathedral – come alive as the light slowly fades.
The macine-gun chatter of tourists, locals and shopkeepers is replaced by echoes in the university grounds. Passing the botanical gardens the warm glow of lamps illuminates figures looking for a place to eat. You even get to pop into some beautiful churches which burst with gold and light – like opening a jewelry box under the bed covers. Teenage friends meet up for a gossip in Plaza de la Trinidad and children chirp in excitement as they are taken for a paseo with their parents – a traditional evening walk beloved by people all over Spain, after the temperature has dropped a little.
With people entering the ‘scene’ from the wings and cars pulling up alongside the person filming, it could be a movie. There are raspberry-coloured buildings, the tea-sellers beneath the cathedral walls and the myriad stone statues – like guardians of the city keeping an eye on everything – just like they’ve always done.
The city’s beautiful, eclectic achitecture – sometimes unnoticed on a real walk – is the true star. People who think this can only ever belong in Italy are wrong (and probably snobs with it, too).
Listen through headphones if you can to get the full aural experience of laughter, accelerating mopeds, the clank of wine glasses and, of course, footsteps on centuries-old cobbles.
Stick with it and let it mesmorise and relax you – it gets better as the darkness, like a slowly-spreading mask of ink, engulfs the city.
(If you would like an annotated route or what a particular building/location is, please ask us in the comments.)
Related posts:
La Rheúma – Hotel Bosques de la Alhambra, Granada
Manuel de Falla – his house in Granada
© con jamón spain
