If I had to compare Granada to an American city, I'd say it's a little like Boston in that it has history, monuments, public gardens, great universities, and a modern science museum complex. It's also about the same size, which is a little daunting for a first-timer, so we decided to take the bus turistica to get a feel for what the city had to offer. 
After the 1.5 hour tour, we were dropped off near the cathedral and made our way up through the narrow maze of streets that make up the Albaycin, an ancient Muslim enclave. The shops and restaurants have a Middle-east feel and the aromas are of smoke wafting from the hookah bars, mingled with kabobs and dried spices.
After a stroll uphill then down, we found a small plaza with a few tapas bars and ordered a snack. Hand sliced jamon ibirico is just as good as prosciutto (but don't tell any Italians I said that). We also tried the berenjenas con miel=eggplant with honey, which sounds odd, but is addictively delicious. The thinly-sliced eggplant is dredged in flour and fried till crisp and is served with a small pitcher of what tasted more like molassas than honey. I think it was actually cane syrup, since they have a large sugar cane industry here.
After tapas we visited the area in and around the cathedral. The church itself is magnificent with its gleaming gilded ornamentation and a solid silver altar piece.
In the smaller chapel next door, we crashed a wedding, then returned later to find the ground covered with rice and rose petals.
We stopped for one more glass of wine, a red blend for Joe and a Manzanilla sherry for me. They came with two bite sized tuna sandwiches on salty buns.
We'll be back in a few days for take two.
Exotic! Watch those hookah bars !!
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