Anni B. Sweet’s Granada

During a break in the frantic schedule imposed by the release of her third album, Chasing Illusions, the Málaga-born artist shows Yo Dona around her favourite corners of the city she has chosen to call home.

“They say sadness is more inspiring when it comes to writing songs. Granada’s melancholy side holds an enormous charm for me.”

It’s difficult to talk about a place where you haven’t lived for more than two years; I need time to understand cities. But there are things I can say about Granada. For instance, that it’s truly special and full of mystery. As if you stepped into a tunnel in broad daylight and there felt wonderful sensations that had been waiting for you for a very long time.

I remember when I arrived. I was walking down the street with someone who kept telling me stories about every façade, every corner… And the strongest feeling I had was that nothing there was by chance, that everything belonged to a story, and that all of those stories ended up converging, one way or another, in those spaces, even if they had unfolded at different times.

Granada lives in its parks and in the narrow streets that embrace them, and in its thousand slopes and bends, making you see that it never wanted to be easy. It tells you, in fact, that if you get to know it better, it’s not because it shows itself.

After everything it has lived through, the city seems calm and proud. I’ve felt its extraordinary energy. I wrote and recorded almost the whole of my album Chasing Illusions here, because Granada is full of places that fill me with feelings that later help me write.

One of these places is the Carmen de los Mártires, a spectacular historic garden with beautiful views and a thousand dramatic stories to tell. It sits on the Mauror hill, within the grounds of the Alhambra. It has romantic gardens, a small palace, orchards, and offers a unique panorama of the Sierra Nevada and the city itself. It began as the place where Christians were martyred by the Arabs (which is why it was called the Corral de los Cautivos, or Captives’ Yard), and visiting it is an experience where the feelings produced by the beauty of the place mix with the echo of its dramatic history.

They say sadness is more inspiring when it comes to writing songs. I believe that. And without Granada being a sad place, its melancholy side holds an enormous charm for me. There’s the Paseo de los Tristes which, as its name suggests (“the walk of the sad ones”), didn’t use to lead you anywhere you’d want to be, since it was the road to the cemetery. To me it’s one of the most beautiful spots. On a slope, with the Darro river on one side, the mountain and the Alhambra peeking out above, and on the other side, houses, some of them historic, like a 17th-century home where spectacular parties used to be held. I like to think about all this when I walk through there. Very close by is the Camino del Avellano, a path that takes you to the top of the mountain, with breathtaking views of the Albaicín and Sacromonte areas.

I find it hard, even though I’ve only lived in Granada a short time, to choose my favourite parts of the city, especially the ones for strolling and taking in the sights; here, spectacular views lead you to a charming alleyway, that one to a beautiful façade… There’s a low building with its whole front painted by the graffiti artist El Niño de las Pinturas that I love (you can see a map of all his work on Granada’s walls at el-ninodelaspinturas.es/index.php/mapa). I also loved coming across, when I first arrived, a portrait of Joe Strummer of the Clash painted on one of the walls of the little square that bears his name (near the Cuesta de Escoriaza).

Of course, Granada isn’t just views, paths, gardens and monuments; it also has wonderful places to celebrate. Two of my favourite restaurants are Baltanás and El Trillo. The first is a little way from the centre and has a rustic interior that belies its menu, where classic dishes mix with new cuisine. Among my favourite plates are artichokes with Pedro Ximénez, a tuna teriyaki, or fried camembert with ham and melon in a blueberry sauce. They also play good music and there’s a great atmosphere, not to mention the elaborate tapas you get served when you order a beer. That’s very typical of the city, but here they’re truly spectacular. El Trillo, meanwhile, is up in the Albaicín, right at the top, with views of the Alhambra and always very good food. It’s decorated with plants and almost feels like being in a beautiful park.

In the city centre I’ve had some very good times at Bar Soria. It’s a small, family-run place; I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve eaten off the tapas that come with every beer. I have to admit that when I arrived in Granada I thought it would be hard to find special music and clothing shops. It’s hard to believe that among so many historic buildings and so much tradition you can find shops selling the kind of things you could just as well buy outside Spain, or even outside Europe.

I love that contrast. In fact, some of my favourite shops are here, like Marcapasos, which offers the latest in Spanish and international music, from the most alternative to the most classic. Pepe will serve you there, and if you ask him, he’ll recommend bands in whatever style you’re after. There’s also Discos Bora Bora, which sometimes hosts small acoustic sets in the shop.

As for clothes, there are several second-hand shops I always like to poke around in, since I usually find good pieces. One of the biggest is La Buhardilla, on Plaza de La Universidad, 1. It’s been supplying other shops for years, and not just in Granada. They’re experts in retro style and have a bit of everything, all very well kept. In the same area is Oh Oh July, another vintage clothing shop I like to visit, on Calle Fábrica Vieja.

Of course, I can’t sign off without doing what I’ve done on more than one night, at one of the few bars I like to go to, Ruido Rosa, on Calle Sol, 18. It’s a legendary spot on the Granada nightlife scene, born in 1987. Every artist on the current national and international scene, and plenty from before, has passed through here. You’ll always enjoy good music there, which is exactly how I like to end the day.

Text: Anni B. Sweet · Photos: Ángela Martín-Retortillo · Source: Yo Dona nº 522, 2 May 2015.