Mi Barrio

My apartment in Granada is located in a perfect area. To express how awesome my neighborhood is, I created this Mnemonic of GRANADA!

G is for Parque Federico García Lorca.

My host sister and I in Parque Federico García Lorca

Behind my apartment there is a park named Parque Federico García Lorca, after the famous poet Federico García Lorca. As my host sister tells me, this is where his summer home is located. It is a beautiful park with many paths to walk, green areas to lay out and get sun, and an outdoor gym! The park is about 50 steps from my apartment, and is most busy around 6-7pm (or in Granada time 18:00 - 19:00). During this time, many people are running or walking their dogs (it seems almost everyone here owns a dog). However, my favorite time to go to the park is in the mornings. The mornings are when the park is the least busy, so beside myself, the only people enjoying the park with me are los abuelos, who are normally there to use the outdoor gym. I think during this time, when the sun has just started to shine, the view of the city and mountains from Parque Federico García Lorca is breathtaking. Starting my day this way allows me to attack the day with a feeling of gratitude, knowing I am extremely blessed to have this opportunity to spend six weeks in such a beautiful part of the world.

R is for Camino de Ronda and Casa Ramón

Camino de Ronda is the main, and most busy, street in Granada and it is the closest main street off of which I live. The city center is located northeast of Camino de Ronda, with Parque Federico García Lorca located to the southwest. I love this street for many reasons. When you are in the city center, there are so many incredible buildings and shops, your sense of sight is overwhelmed by things directly in front of you. However, Camino de Ronda is more open and not as quaint, so your vision is allowed to look beyond the city. What I immediately recognize when I take my first steps on this street every morning to get to class, are the Sierra Nevada Mountains creating an incredible backdrop for the city. Throughout my first two weeks in Granada, I have had to work extremely hard to not only complete my work for Spanish class, but also find any small amount of time to complete my medical school application. Whenever I am feeling overwhelmed, I take a couple steps to Camino de Ronda and look at the mountains and immediately feel so small. For me, this puts everything in perspective. This feeling of complete smallness gives me an instant realization that the world is huge and life is short, and I want to experience every opportunity thrown my way. 

Dinner at Restaurante Casa Ramón

Camino de Ronda is also home to many café’s, shops, grocery stores, etc. I have tried many of these café’s with friends, my favorite being Restaurante Casa Ramón. This past Thursday night, my friend Khari and I went here and had an awesome dinner of calamares y vino tinto.

A is for Calle Azorín

Calle Azorín is the street that leads to Parque Federico García Lorca. On this street is my absolute favorite shop, Lavado Y Servicio Rápido Azorín. This is a shop where cars are cleaned and detailed! Living in Plymouth, Michigan each store is very spread out from one another, so I was surprised to see a small little "car wash" within the city. The shop is completely open on one side with a ramp where the cars (one at a time) are taken in and cleaned. This place is usually busy and I enjoy seeing how hard working the three guys who work here are. They are always playing music, making Calle Azorín a little livelier, and seem to just be enjoying life and having a great time while working.  

N is for Centro Comercial Neptuno

Centro Comercial Neptuno is the only shopping mall here in Granada. I am told it is very popular with the locals. It is home to many shops, bars, and a movie theatre.

A is for Calle Buenos Aires

This is the one block street my apartment is located on. It is wedged between Camino de Ronda and Parque Federico García Lorca. My apartment complex, along with several others, is all that is located on this street. My complex is large, with about eight floors. One of my favorite parts of my building is the enormous hole in the middle of all the apartments.

 This is where on any given day, you can see laundry pinned up drying. This is something I never see in the United States and I find it extremely charming, reminding me of stories of how my mom’s grandmother would hang her clothes and sheets to dry. This simple, mundane, weekly act somehow reminds me of innocence, a less stressful and carefree life.

D is for Shawarma Damasco

Shawarma Damasco is an extremely small, hole in the wall restaurant with the absolute best shawarmas. Located just three blocks from my apartment, this restaurant is on a small, busy street surrounded by popular bars and nightclubs. It seems in Granada, instead of pizza and burgers, the late night, after partying food is shawarmas since about ten shawarma shops are sprinkled around a five-block radius. I was told Shawarma Damasco was the best and it did not disappoint.

A  is for Glorieta de Arabial

Glorieta de Arabial is a small, rectangular park located right next to a gym on Camino de Ronda. It is filled with play structures on one end and outdoor gym equipment on the other. Usually in the afternoon, Glorieta de Arabial is extremely crowded with families, grandparents, and kids. Growing up in Michigan, playing outdoors meant grass between my toes, digging up dirt in the woods behind my house, and running in endless fields with the loudest sound being my parents voice calling me home for dinner. In Glorieta de Arabial, the children play next to a busy street, surrounded by cement, skyscrapers, and the noise of the hustle and bustle of city life. I love sitting here and people watching.


The area surrounding my apartment is filled with parks, shops, incredible views, and incredible people. Until next time, ¡Chao!