When the skies are bright, there is a crisp feeling in the air and the sunshine is warm enough to sit out in for a few hours during the day. That means winter and you are in Granada.
Snow, plenty of it, looks down on the city centre from its place on the imperious Sierra Nevada mountains.
I love Granada in Winter.?
But it doesn?t suit everyone. I recall friends from the warmer winter climes of Murcia expressing their shock on their first winter visit to the city of Granada. For them it seemed to be very cold. They had not expected that and did not travel wearing enough warm clothing.
Some people still do not believe me when i tell them that i can see snow from my window for so much of the year. And that, at the same time, the middle of the day sunshine is warm enough to tan anyone with the time to sunbathe.
Though the best tan i have ever enjoyed in Spain has been high up at the Sierra Nevada ski resort. Not doing anything active, you must understand. Just sitting outside one of the sun drenched bars at the ski resort, beer in hand, watching others make fools of themselves in various shades of pink and yellow clothing.
The active ski and snowboard devotees get a great tan. So do I. But, unlike them, i go home without aches and pains. Or, worse, broken bones. I love going up to the ski resort around February time, to see how the other half live.
It is one of the chief attractions for the province of Granada come winter and they need as much snowfall to descend for as many months as possible. Usually you can see snow up above from November until May.
Often there is a late deluge of snowfall just after the official closing date of the ski resort. But that doesn?t stop the fitter among you walking up there and heading for the highest point in all of Spain, the mountain of Mulhacen. You can walk up to the summit of Spain almost all year around, weather permitting. I know people who walk up there in summer, when it can be very cold and snow is still on the ground.
I never understand why the southerly most ski resort in all of Europe never makes it on to the TV weather reports that are aimed specifically at the ski fraternity. Though not everyone is troubled by that.
Pete Ranger has been to Granada and the Sierra Nevada ski resort?several times.
He says: ?I don?t want the British television channels telling everyone about the snowy secret of Granada.
?I like the fact that few people outside of Spain and northern France come here to ski and snowboard.
?The benefit of having more space to myself on the slopes is a real plus, as is the warm winter sunshine for when i take a break. And if I am having a bad day snowboarding, i know i can always drive an hour or so and be on the beach. How many ski resorts can offer that choice??
Fair point. Clich?s become clich?s because they are true. And, if that is your thing, you really can ski in the morning and have lunch down on the beach at Motril or Salobrena on the Costa Tropical, warm all year around. Or stay at the resort and dine at high altitude. The choice is yours.
But should playing around on the ski slopes not be your thing, where else can you go in winter when visiting the province of Granada?
Well there is a town on the way to the ski resort that you really should visit. G??jar Sierra is famous for its production of cherries, but winter is not the time for cherries. It is a time to sample the fresh air and hospitality of this, one of my favourite locations in Granada province.
There are some great local bars, including the quirky Bodega Tajo Cabaniles in Calle Rosario. Owner Felipe is well known in Granadino gastronomic circles and, with his distinctive handlebar moustache, he will proudly show off his bar which resembles a junk yard. In the nicest possible sense.
The bar contains all manner of items he and wife Maria have collected. An ancient mobile telephone and a Ducatti scooter are there with you in the bar. Along with a monumental amount of memorabilia that charts not just their lives, but the transformation of Granada over past decades.
They love their plants here and it is amazing that so many thrive in winter conditions so high above sea level. If you have green fingers, be sure to wander the streets and alleyways of G??jar Sierra.
There is an uneven back road from G??jar Sierra to the ski resort but you need to be sure your car can take the bumps and, when snow is on the ground, make the steady but very scenic ascent.
I love nothing more than sitting outside the restaurant Mes?n La Hacilla and sampling some great local produce while watching a normal town go about its business. It is not remotely touristy here and only those ?in the know? use it as a base for their snow fuelled holiday.
The city centre of Granada is only ten kilometres away, and downhill all the way.
G??jar Sierra
And i happen to think winter is a great time to stroll around the city centre. The ability to sit outside a cafe or bar, sunbathing in a jumper or fleece, while looking up at that magnificent site of snow; is a joy to behold.
And the bars are so atmospheric come the winter evenings. I like to be inside, among the throng. But lots of bars and restaurants have invested in outside heating devices, so allowing you to dine al fresco on all but the coldest of nights.
But i would not wish you to come to the assumption that i tour provinces only based on the bars they offer up.
I love walking in virgin snow as much as the next person. And i did just that ten minutes south of Granada city in the charming town of Dilar, just off the motorway that links the city to the coastal port of Motril, and close to the town of Padul.
Dilar is one of those places you find either by accident or through curiosity. But find it you should. The small centre is a delight and then you should travel on to the Rio Dillar. The area around the river is beautiful and peaceful. Down the end of a long road, when you cannot drive any further, there is a large shady car park and walks galore through the woods.
There is also an excellent bar and restaurant called Los Alayos, but it only opens from May until September. It has been run by the same family for forty two years. Today mother is in the kitchen and brothers Alvaro, Anotonio and Alejo run the busy establishment. The walls are adorned with many a musical instrument they have acquired on their extensive worldwide travels.
But in winter this is an area for walking, not eating. When the early snows fall, this is picture postcard pretty territory in Spain. People may be on the beach only half an hour away, but in Dilar you are in a winter wonderland.
The Granada province is so varied and offers the visitor many options at any time of the year. But in deepest winter, when the tourist throng has departed the scene, you have so much more of this beautiful province ? in the south of this extraordinary country ? to yourself.
So get wrapped up and get to Granada in winter.
?
Vernon is a London born, former Fleet Street journalist and, for 25 years, a television producer for ITV, BBC, SKY & C4. In 2002 he began travelling the length and breadth of Spain. In 2005 he settled south of Granada, and is co-author of a guidebook to the 100 best tapas bars in the city and province of Granada.
Source: http://www.spain-holiday.com/blog/four-seasons-in-granad-winter.php
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