One of the plans during the time Nadia’s family was visiting
Gibraltar was to spend a part of Easter weekend in Granada (with a visit to the
Alhambra). We left Gibraltar early to make our way slowly up to Granada with
some stops along the way. One of those stops was for breakfast at an old venta
(a restaurant by the road) called La Butibamba.
This venta for me has become a mandatory stop on the road to
Granada and the rest of the area. Not only is their breakfast quite big and
cheap but the best part of it is the red butter spread for your toast, which is
made from pig fat, paprika and pork chunks.
Under a heavy cloud and with a slight chance of rain we
arrived at Granada and we had booked an apartment through airbnb. I strongly
recommend this website for bookings. The apartment was in a quiet little street,
about 10 mins walk from the centre of Granada and it was very well fitted out -
it even had coffee tea, and fresh milk for when we arrived.
We took the first day easy, and we walked around the city
centre to get out bearings and also to try and find out where the Easter
processions were going to take place. We had a great time as Granada is one of
the most magical cities that Southern Spain has on offer -Moorish influence can
be seen everywhere and every little corner holds a little piece of history.
That night the Easter processions were happening but Nadia
and her mum were not feeling too well so they decided to stay in the flat while
my parents, Nadia’s sister and myself went out to see the processions. I had
done some research beforehand and I really wanted to see the last one for the
night - which they say is the most moving of the whole week. The last float is
called El Silencio (The Silence) and, unlike the all the other floats which are
grand with their ornate floats and large bands playing behind them, this one
comes under candle light and is only accompanied by a single drum.
As we waited for the procession to come past us in a small
square packed with hundreds of people, the solitary drum could be heard coming
up the dark street marking its arrival and a big hush fell over the crowd – it
was only broken by the odd child crying somewhere in the square. As the
drumming grew louder the small twinkling of candles could be seen making its
way slowly and silently towards us. As the plain wooden float made its way
across the square, we saw hooded men behind the float who had volunteered to
walk with for hours with chains around their feet as a penance. It was both
beautiful and a little scary, but a procession we will all remember.
