Introduction to Granada

Population:

250-350,000 depending on the source. Maybe the wild fluctuation is due to Granada being a student city with a large amount of people coming from outside to study.

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 temperature 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).

Geography:Granada is located just at the point where the Sierra Nevada mountains meet the fertile plain of the vega. Behind it are steep mountains and in front there is flat agricultural land. I suppose it was first inhabited and grew because it was easy to defend from behind and although it is dry in the summer there is always a supply of water coming from the mountain fuelled by melting snow, the rich soil in the Vega provided an ample food source. The altitude is 630 metres.

The Alhambra:Granada has its usual quotient of churches, museums etc. typical for a southern European city. However, Granada has the Alhambra which is considered by some to be one of the 10 wonders of the world. In case you don't know, the Alhambra is a massive castle constructed over many centuries.

It consists of gardens, fortifications and sumptuous palaces. It was the home of many of the Arab Sultans who ruled the whole province so I suppose for centuries it received the optimum in interior decoration and architecture.

If you read the Koran, it continually repeats the idea that heaven is a garden with running water. From this perspective you could say that the Alhambra is an Arabic attempt to create heaven on earth. Nowadays, two million people visit the palaces each year and 8,500 people visit the Alhambra every day. It is therefore Spain's most visited monument. Even the biggest philistine would be impressed.