Wednesday

ALL THAT JAZZ


It's the 30th annual Granada Jazz Festival. It begins on November 7th. Two weeks of some of the finest jazz performances, from some of the best musicians in the world, playing in many of the finest locations in all of Spain. Here in the great city of Granada. For all details (in Spanish) go to http://bit.ly/2y3WVd

Friday

SIERRA NEVADA SNOW


For the second time in a month, snow has falling in the Sierra Nevada mountains. The first fall came on September 13th. Now, on October 21st, the white stuff is back. A promising sign for those who both run and visit the ski resort, which should open for business in November.

Thursday

GRANADA TAPAS BARS - BUY THE BOOK NOW!



The only English written book guiding people to 100 of the best tapas bars in the city & province of Granada is selling out. Only 80 copies left now. So if you are visiting Granada, or living in the province, be quick and buy a copy now. The book takes the visitor to the city by the hand and offers 18 routes of 4 bars each. That's 72 of the best tapas bars in the city where tapas comes free. The book leads you from one one authentic bar to the next and points out other places of interest en route.
Granada is a great city and is full of tapas bars. But knowing which ones to go to is the skill. This book avoids the more touristy traps where you might only get a plate of crisps or olives. Instead it directs you to the atmospheric bars that serve tasty tapas with your drink.
The book also includes 28 bars in the wider province of Granada. Bars in areas such as the Costa Tropical, La Alpujarra, the Lecrín Valley and villages close to the Sierra Nevada ski resort.
The book fits in pockets and handbags and costs just 10 Euros or Pounds (plus postage). You can buy it via the PayPal buttons on the right hand side of this page.

Sunday

DOWN ON THE BEACH


October is a great month to visit the beaches of the Costa Tropical. Granadinos flock to the beaches of Motril in summer and the new motorway has made the journey even shorter. But once September and October arrive, the tourists go home and the previously packed beaches are empty. The photographs here were taken on Saturday October 18th. Temperatures were perfect around 26 celsius. The chrinquitos serving three course set lunches for 10 euros were open. Even the smashing ice cream parlour at the eastern end of Motril beach was still open. It was a lovely day on the coast. No crowds, perfect for joggers, sunbathers and cyclists. Motril's wide beaches are ideal for families and for fishing. The King of Belgium has his getaway villa right on the beach members of the roal family from Brussels were there yesterday. Eating mussels perhaps! It's taken time but, at last, more restaurants and bars are opening around the new development at Playa Granada, close to the splendid golf course there.
If you need a break from the great city of Granada, then head south to the beaches of Motril.

METRO BOOKS IN GRANADA



The essential guide to 100 of the best tapas bars in Granada can be bought via a variety of methods. One is at the excellent shop Metro Books in Calle Gracia,31 in the city centre. Friendly, efficient and bi-lingual staff will sell you this book and many others in the English language. It is the best place to buy English written books in Granada. It stocks many books about Tapas and it is the bookshop with the exclusive right to sell the Granada Tapas Tour book in the city itself. Their telephone number is (00 34) 958 261 565 or e-mail them via metrolibros@terra.es

GRANADA IS HOME TO ZARA HOME


At last! Zara Home has made it to the splendid Spanish city of Granada. On my travels around Spain i have envied people living in those cities that boast a Zara Home store. In the days before living in Spain took any money i once had, i drove back from the likes of Alicante with various goodies from these superb shops. Ironic, therefore, that they open a branch on Reyes Católicos in Granada at the very time when i have been living off the same 4 Euros 42 cents for the past fortnight or more!
For those of you living in Spain and who still have money under the mattress (if you put it in the bank it will have vanished under a sea of charges); then get along to Zara Home. Lovely items for all ages. Bedding, clothing, colourful tablecoths, comfy slippers for winter, items for babies and grown ups. Lovely smelling soaps and candles. There is much to attract customers and, based on my first visit to the Granada branch, the Spanish customers are loving it. The cost of living in Spain has grown exponentially at an alarming rate in the past couple of years, so it was reassuring to see that some people living in Spain still have disposable income.