Stunning facades along Gran Via de Colon

So we’ve found a strategic underground parking in the center of Granada near Puerta Real (Royal Gate) on Calle de Recogidas, very easy to walk to the heart of Granada, Bib-Rambla where we had our afternoon tapas, but before we got there, we went for a nice stroll along Gran Via de Colon, the main street of the city, home to many stately buildings. The architectural styles of the imposing mansions are a divine synthesis of Spanish Rococo, Mudejar and Art Nouveau.

Beautiful facade details of windows and balconies of a building along Gran Via de Colon, they remind me of the buildings along Erzsébet, Budapest and the difference here is the Spaniards maintain their buildings well while the Hungarians they let theirs rot.

Me having a souvenir foto at Puerta Real (Royal Gate) just before Gran Via de Colon. I did not even know the area is the Royal Gate, just thought it was a pretty street!

Gran Via is not just lovely, it is grand, imperial and stunning. I was awed with its beautifully designed buildings, its unconventional colours and the stunning characteristic details on the windows, they are really a work of art. I can stare at them for a loooong time! Glad the Dutchman have his music on his ears, he didn’t mind waiting for me at end of each block, haha. Sigh—it can be a sore when traveling with someone who’s suffered art and architecture overdose; they can’t seem to appreciate it anymore.


Stunning, lovely window and balcony details, and a door.


Gran Via, main street of Granada, now check out the impressive window details of the building on the right foto.


Church on Gran Via and another building with lovely facade details, Mudejar style.


Foto on the right is not on Gran Via but in a busy shopping street nearby--love the flowers decorating the street, as well as I manage to catch the biker in action.

Anyway, we spent sometime walking and snapping fotos and didn’t realize that the Tourist Office closes early on Sunday at 15:00, and because of this we were not able to get a map which was a pity because the not-gadget-girl like me didn’t know how to use the walking OVI maps on my Nokia Mini. I also don’t have the patience to learn the trick so what we did was to trust our instincts, and I of course relied on asking people for directions as well.

In summary, a stroll along Gran Via is a must, if you love art and architecture.