The Tapa Tango

What a day!

I really didn’t have any specific plans for the day other than a little group event I wanted to attend later, which I‘ll get to momentarily. I headed down to breakfast and joined Claudia who was sitting by herself. She invited me to join her to go see the gypsy caves, specifically, “Cuevas del Sacromonte”. She talked it up quite a bit and it sounded like fun. We hoped on a bus and headed up a hill just opposite of Alhambra. When we arrived we ventured into the caves which provided a history, usage, and culture of the gypsies and their dwellings. They lived in very tight quarters built into the mountain…..well, caves. The caves were nice an cool which provided a nice temporary escape from the sun.

A Gypsy Cave

Inside the Cave

After venturing the caves Claudia wanted to head over to this look-out point that provided some good views of Alhambra. We walked through these side streets trying to find this place and without getting lost we were about to find it. We hung out at the vista, took pictures, and listened to the Flamenco guitar players perform. Great views!

The View

We then walked down the hill through another series of side-streets and we happened to walk right down the street with all of the Arabic shops which was super close to the hostel. What luck! Well, Claudia was going to head off her on her own and I was getting hungry so she headed back to the hostel and I walked around Granada some more. So, since Barcelona I have been enjoying the Spanish culture and partaking in the drinking of sangria. Partly because the sangria out here is absolutely wonderful and it’s also extremely cheap to buy in the store. So, for the past several days I have been carrying around with me a giant 1 euro 50 bottle of sangria. You would think buying it in the store would be just okay, but it’s far better than you would imagine. However, there is one component that would make it better. I was now on a quest to find this component. I wondered the streets for a little while looking up and down trying to find something I knew shouldn’t be too hard to find. Finally I found it; a fruit stand. I bought myself a nice assortment and headed back to the hostel. Once there I cut up my fruit, put it in the top of my sangria, and stuck it back in the refrigerator to let it sit. While I was in the kitchen I met Yasmine, who was born in Morocco and was living in London. We had a nice chat in the kitchen. She would attend the group event later so that was cool.

After, I changed my rooms and then took a nice siesta. I love the siestas! I really don’t feel guilty taking them because all the shops close for siesta and then re-open, Spanish people stay up very late so you need your rest, and you have to partake in the culture. Makes sense! My nap and quiet time has just been justified!

Anyway, after siesta I meet up with Claudia and Belinda for tea. We just went down the block to a little hookah-type place. The tea was good…..it tasted like warm Captain Crunch cereal milk. Once we had our tea we headed back up the hill to the place where we got a good panoramic view of the area. We got there just in time for sunset.

Tea Time

The Alhambra

Me in Granada

Me, Belinda, and Claudia

The Alhambra

Granada

We headed back down after a half hour or so. We had to get back to the hostel in time for the Tapa Tango. The tapa tango is what I was looking forward to the most! The hostel arranged a tapas evening for the people staying at the hostel. Granada is known for some of the best tapas in Spain. Tapas are like little appetizers you get at bars. In Spain it’s popular to bar hop in the evening to drink and eat tapas. It’s called the, “Tapa Tango” when you do this. In Granada, when you order a drink you are given some tapas. One drink = one tapas plate. There was about 10 of us who did the tour and with the exception of our guide I was the only guy. Just my luck!

The first place we stopped at was a small bar. I talked with Britney & Tam from Australia and a girl from Barcelona most of the time. I also chatted with Sarah form Australia and Rebecca from New Zealand. We all ordered sangria and then our tapas came out. Our tapas were a plate of fries and a ham sandwich each. I paid 2 euros for the drink and it included the tapas. Awesome! The next place was a bit larger and for 2 euros I got a sangria and a plate of calamari. Pretty good! The last place we went to was a bar were I ordered a beer that I don’t think you can find in the US.

Tapas

The Group

The Group

Me and my Duff Beer

Our guide recommended the spicy calamari at this third place so I ordered it. When it came out it looked super good! I took a bite and it was absolutely terrible. It tasted fishy and super salty. I quietly told Britney who was sitting next to me that tasted bad. She took a bite and said, “Yeah, I don’t think that was cleaned before it was cooked”. Balinda who was sitting on the other side of me had a taste and she agreed. The guide eventually asked, “How do you like it?” and I said, “To be honest it tastes pretty bad. It tastes very fishy.” Well, the guide laughed and then said, “Of course it tastes fishy, it’s seafood.” I said, “Well, good seafood shouldn’t taste that fishy”. He replies “But, it comes from the sea. It‘s seafood.” He then gave me a look that was like, “Are you kidding me?” The funny thing was….I couldn’t argue. You can’t argue with that logic! So, I let him finish the plate, which he thoroughly enjoyed.

Now, I have been on the hunt for months for some spicy food. I really love the spicy stuff. Well, it’s almost impossible to find it here in Europe. I figured in Spain that I could find something. Well, so far I have been unsuccessful. Although the spiciest thing I have been able to find is a tapa called, “Patatas Bravas”. It’s basically fries smothered in hot sauce. It’s pretty awesome!

After our third bar the group walked back to the hostel. I pulled out my sangria for Belinda, Claudia, and I and we drank and talked. We then had one more thing to do for the night. Claudia really wanted to head back up toward the gypsy caves. Days prior Claudia ran into a local man who told her about this bar that played some traditional flamenco music in a gypsy cave. She really wanted to go and really wanted the company so she wasn’t going up the hill and back alone at night. Belinda and I agreed to go.

We trekked up the hill. Now, we weren’t exactly sure where we were going; Claudia only had a rough idea. Needless to say I was joking the whole way up about how I never thought I’d ever walk up a hill at night to go to a gypsy cave and how I knew this place was going to be closed when we got there. Well, we eventually made it to the panorama spot, our third time for the day. We stopped to take a breather for a few moments to soak in the lit Alhambra and then continued our quest. These hillside streets are narrow and like a maze. It’s easy to get lost, run into a dead-end, or find something picture-worthy. Luckily, we knew that we need to just keep heading up. Plus, you can’t really get too lost as long as you keep the Alhambra within your sights as you look across the valley.

Before we knew it I heard Claduia say, “I think this is it!” We had had indeed arrived to, “LaBu Le ria”. We walked up the Spanish style steps to the entrance. Outside of the cave entrance was three local men just standing there. Claudia sees the man she talked to days earlier and they spoke in Spanish. Belinda and I stood there like tag-alongs just waiting since neither of the two of us speak Spanish. While Claudia was talking to the man another man comes up to Belinda and I, offers his hand to welcome us, and laughs as he says in good English, “It’s Free”. We share a laugh and then Belinda and I walk into the cave while Claudia continues to talk outside.

The interior of the cave was exactly like the caves I saw earlier in the day. A wooden bar lined the right side of the tight cave while the other side was lined with vintage photos of the performances in the cave as well as posters of old flamenco dancers and musicians. The bar was empty with the exception of a Spanish couple at the end of the bar. The bartender, who looks like Wallace Shawn, comes up to me and says something to me in Spanish. I just replied, “Una cerveza por favor” and he poured me a drink. Claudia came in and joined us soon after. She said that they might not have music tonight. It would depend on a couple of people who might show up.

We continued to stand there and talk about this and that. After a while Claudia got talking to some of the locals and she said, “they would like to play for us”. The three of us were escorted to the far room which was tiny. It was also lined with photos, contained 4 four wooden tables, and several wooden chairs. The chairs struck me because they were all hand carved and lined with grass to support. By now several local people had made their way into the bar. We are the only tourists and also the only ones who could speak English. We take our seats and Wallace Shawn walks in with a guitar. Next to him an older woman and a man who looks like an absent-minded professor with white “Doc Emmett Brown” hair. Also in the room are three younger 20-something guys and three other older men. As people are getting situated Claudia turns to me and says, “It might not be a good idea for us to take pictures. This is a local place and they are playing as a favor to us. I don’t want to offend them.” I absolutely agreed. Wallace Shawn begins to play. The room gets quiet. All attention is on the masterful strumming of the acoustic guitar.

I wish I could articulate how fantastic Wallace’s guitar playing was. You’d get lost just looking at his fingers perfectly and swiftly hit each note. After the first song Claudia turns to me, after talking with the man next to her, and says, “He’s never taken formal lessons. His playing ability was passed down from several generations of guitar players. Apparently, his family is very well known for their Flamenco music.” Wallace plays again and the lady next to him joins in by singing, it was phenomenal. When Wallace got tired one of the younger men in the room took over and vice versa. During every song the people in the room were clapping along. We’d try our best to join in and keep the rhythm which was hard. Then at the end of every upbeat song (most of them) we would all shout, “Olay!” Then we would all clink our glasses and take a drink.

At one point in the evening they asked if any of us would play a song for them. None of us could play. At that moment I wish I had the ability to play something, anything just to join in and share my music. Sadly, I’m not musically inclined…..at all. When Wallance was playing one of his songs toward the end of the evening the lady next to him got up and took Claudia by the hand. Claudia stands up and the lady teaches her to dance the Flamanco. You could tell she was overjoyed.

The evening ended around 3:30am. One thing about the Spanish is that they stay up very late into the evening. Even all the old guys in the room were awake and energized by the end. We walked out and thanked everyone as best we could in our broken Spanish. The lady comes up to Belinda and I. She begins to talk to us in complete Spanish. She eventually stops talking, shakes our hands, smiles happily, and walks away. Belinda turns to me and says, “Do you know what she said?”. I replied, “No. I just smile, nod, and say si occasionally and I find that they finish their own thought. I haven’t had any problems yet.”

On our way back to the hostel though the maze of streets I turned to Claudia and said, “You know, I’m proud of you Claudia. Tonight was your night. Amist all my joking on the way up you were determined to get here and you accomplished that. Well done.” She laughs.

Entrance

The Room

We made it to our hostel, said our goodbyes, and then went our separate ways. I just don’t have the vocabulary to articulate the thoughts, emotions, and excitement that this evening brought. You realized that not everyone will have this same experience; It is so personal. Others will have similar experiences, but with different people, in different locations, and at different times. Our evening is one that can never be replicated. This was one of these nights where you just don’t want to leave. It’s hard to have an amazing experience in a gypsy cave in Granada with locals singing and clapping to Flamenco music and then the next moment you are thinking about how you need to get on a train the next morning and leave this place. Moreover, that in a weeks time, amongst all of these phenomenal experiences…..you’ll be back home as if it never happened; like a dream.