One of the most difficult things about our move to Granada, Spain was leaving our family (my parents and Tara’s parents) back in Texas. It was a blessing to have all four of them be a part of our daily lives, and there is no doubt in my mind that we would not have been able to reach our financial goals as quickly as we did without them and their support.
They were always there for us and (and most importantly) the kids. I know our kids have and will continue to benefit greatly from the relationships they have formed with their grandparents. Each one is unique, yet equally important as the rest.
That being said, one of the things that we were confident about was that even though we wouldn’t get to see our loved ones as often, when we do get to see them it will be for weeks if not months at a time. Since we are early retired now we don’t have to plan our vacations in one week increments (which is typical for US employees). And our guests can visit for weeks or even months at a time, and we can give them our full attention each and everyday that they are here (early retired!). (Note, the biggest area currently affecting travel is the kids will be in school this year).
We recently put this idea of having more quality time during visits with our loved ones to the test when my parents (Erik’s parents) came to visit us for a month.
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| Walking in the Albaicin (our neighborhood) during my parent’s visit to Granada, Spain. |
How was our month of quality time?
What Did We Do?
We were able to do so much that it would be next to impossible to list everything in one post. We will go over some highlights of our month together.
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| Monasterio Cartuja in Granada, Spain. |
Sleepovers
We didn’t have the ideal space for them in our current apartment, but they definitely wanted to live like locals as close to us as possible in our historic UNESCO site neighborhood, the Albaicin. Since they were able to stay for a month, from a financial perspective this was a huge perk since they were able to get a monthly discount from Airbnb. We helped them find a place near us in the Albaicin. They paid 850 euros total or about 28 euros per day during their trip. They had a 1 bedroom / 1 bathroom with a living room, full kitchen, AC, washer, and access to a (shared) roof deck. (Read Tara’s latest post here on What To Look For In An Airbnb?).
Having their own space allowed for them to be able to host the kids for sleepovers. Sleepovers were a fan favorite for everyone when we lived back in Texas, and it turns out they are pretty great in Spain too. This gave the kids one on one time with their grandparents in a unique setting where the kids were able to take them through the neighborhood in the evening and show them around. Their evening strolls would often lead to ice cream or other treats, and that just made the experience even better.
Tapas
Having my parents here also forced us out of our regular routine (cooking a lot at home). We went out for tapas multiple times per week. We tried different places in the neighborhood, and each was great in its own way. However, over the course of their visit we became regulars at Meson El Yunque. Tara found it because my Mom really wanted to try sangria (apparently locals don’t drink it much … mainly tourists). Not only did the sangria (look how huge it is!) not disappoint, but the tapas and staff are fantastic. We frequented this place too many times to count and will definitely continue to be regulars.
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| Sangria from Meson El Yunque (Granada, Spain). |
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| Tapas at El Ladrillo Charico Restaurante (Granada, Spain). |
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| Tapas at Meson El Yunque (Granada, Spain). |
The experience of having tapas was something we all enjoyed doing together, and it gave my parents a new experience. Tapas are complimentary in Granada, and with each round of drinks you get more. We would often order 12 - 14 drinks total (6 people total) and our bill would only be around €30 total (and our bellies would be full!). That would be next to impossible back home in the US. (Drinks are typically around €2 each in Granada … give or take. The giant sangria is slightly more around €3.)
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| Mosto (“wine” for kids) and tapas at Meson El Yunque (Granada, Spain). |
Nerja, Spain and Frigilina, Spain
We knew we wanted to do a beach trip with my parents. You can’t pass that up if you live in the South of Spain! We took a beach trip to Nerja, Spain (and a day trip from there to Frigiliana), and it was well worth it. It was probably my Mom’s favorite part of the trip (not including seeing us of course!). Read more about our trip here … Travel: Early Retirement and Nerja, Spain.
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| Nerja, Spain |
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| Frigiliana, Spain |
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| Great anniversary for my parents with a day trip to Frigiliana, Spain. |
Sierra Nevada
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| Sierra Nevada, Spain |
One reason why we chose to live in Granada was because of the easy access Sierra Nevada. We didn’t explore Sierra Nevada prior to my parent’s visit, so we thought it would be a great opportunity to check it out with them (and cool off for the day in the higher elevation and mountain air). There are many places to explore within and around Sierra Nevada, but we thought an easy start would be to explore the summer activities at the ski resort and main town (at the ski resort). We were able to do the kids activities (including the Russian Sled). gondola, check out the ski lifts, enjoy lunch, and the pool. Tara will give a full recap in a future post. Maybe the next post!?
Ahhh, the Alhambra. This is the biggest and most important site in Granada. And boy is it a wonder to experience. Tara actually took my parents there for the day so they didn’t feel rushed by the kids.
They saw all of the sites, but maybe not every inch of the gardens because there is really so much to see.
They picked a day that it was slightly cooler (and they lucked out, it was cooler in the morning!). And they got timed tickets for early AM to avoid the heat and crowds. We recommend getting your tickets online, and don’t forget your passport / proper identification (your tickets are digitally tied to your identification). They started with the Nasrid Palace (which we recommend starting with since it is timed ticket). Then they explored the Alcazaba, the gardens on the way to Generalife, and finally the Generalife. We previously visited the Palace of Charles V on a different day so they didn’t stop in this one. The photos really speak for themselves as far as the history and beauty of the Alhambra. Tara started reading about the history of Granada and the Alhambra so that will help us learn even more on future visits.
Some additional helpful information for visiting the Alhambra. If you are used to walking (and don’t have mobility issues), the walk up to the Alhambra from Plaza Nueva isn’t too bad. It doesn’t take too long either. We will say the hill is very steep going up to the Alhambra, but it is not as long as a walk as we experienced in Malága to visit their Alcazaba. You can also catch a bus or taxi in Plaza Nueva to go to the Alhambra. Like mentioned above, depending on the time of year (and crowds), you may want to get your timed tickets for early in the day (they also have night visits that we haven’t experienced yet). We recommend you visit the Nasrid Palace first (timed ticket). Note, you need to possibly show your tickets and have your passports scanned at the Nasrid Palace, Alcazaba, and the Generalife. We only typically had to show our tickets at the first stop. After the Nasrid Palace you can explore Palace of Charles V for free (or come another day). You can visit a small (but wonderful) Museum of the Alhambra on the first floor for free too. Their Fine Arts Museum is on the second floor for a minimal cost. If you have more time in Granada, we recommend you visit the Palace of Charles V on a separate day (including the two museums inside).
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| Details at the Alhambra’s Nasrid Palace (Granada, Spain). |
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| Alhambra (Nasrid Palace) in Granada, Spain. Next, you are near the Alcazaba so head over to this site. If you are able, be sure to head to the very top of the Alcazaba and get a great view of all of Granada including our neighborhood, the Albaicin. |
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| Alcazaba at the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. |
Once you finish the Alcazaba you may want to regroup with a drink or snack outside. You can get a great view of the Albaicin while you rest before your hike up to the Generalife (summer home!). On your walk up to the Generalife, you may run across ancient bath houses (if they are open). Be sure to go in! No extra charge. There are also outstanding gardens along your walk to the Generalife. It’s hard to beat the impressiveness of the Nasrid Palace, but the gardens at the Generalife may be our second favorite. Once you are finished, I recommend just walking back down the hill to Plaza Nueva. There are also places to catch a bus if you need a break from walking.
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| Generalife Gardens at the Alhambra (Granada, Spain). |
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| Generalife at the Alhambra (Granada, Spain). |
Granada’s Sites
It would be almost impossible to list everything our tour guide (Tara) showed us / my parents on their trip. We stayed busy almost every day with at least one adventure (a few days we took breaks, or the girls went shopping). Some of our adventures we had already done before they arrived, and some were new to all of us. There are really so many things to see and do in Granada. It was quite easy to plan a daily adventure (in fact, we’ve been here since April, and we still haven’t seen all the major sites even though we keep very busy with our adventures). Here is a list of only some of the things we were able to do with my parents:
-Archaeological Museum of Granada
I’ll share a photo from each place (or two), but one (or two!) photo(s) definitely doesn’t do it justice. Come visit Granada, and see for yourself!
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| Granada’s Cathedral (Granada, Spain) |
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| Monasterio Cartuja (Granada, Spain) |
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| Monasterio Cartuja (Granada, Spain) |
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| Basílica de San Juan de Dios (Granada, Spain) |
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| Archeological Museum of Granada (Spain) |
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| Museo Cuevas del Sacromonte (Granada, Spain) |
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| Parque de las Ciencias in Granada, Spain. |
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| A sloth at Parque de las Ciencias (Biodome) in Granada, Spain. |
Flamenco
Another must see in Granada is going to a flamenco show. We were excited to do our first flamenco show with my parents during their visit. Tara wanted to go to a show for her birthday, and the show definitely didn’t disappoint. A friend recommended Jardines de Zoraya in our neighborhood. We chose the 8 pm show because of the kids. There are two different time options, and there is an option to do the show with or without dinner. This time we chose without dinner, but from what we saw on the website the food does look great. We chose to do some tapas before the show instead. The musicians and dancers were amazing, and we were thankful my parents could experience it with us. We look forward to another show and taking future guests to a show!
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| Jardines de Zoraya (Granada, Spain) |
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| Jardines de Zoraya (Granada, Spain) |
Shopping
The three girls (my Mom, Tara, our daughter) did several shopping or even just looking days on their own; I think the males (in our family at least) have much less patience for this. It also gave us a day to just hang out and rest. Some of their favorite spots included the street we call Jorge’s street (named after Sadie’s toy wooden snake she bought in a tourist shop on this street) also called the little Moroccan Street, wandering around the center, and El Corte Inglés. My Mom got a lot of souvenirs for back home; they also did back to school shopping; and finally, Tara got a lot of ideas for Christmas.
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| Shopping day in Granada, Spain. Yes, we got some new hats! |
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| Lights in all of the Moroccan tourist shops in Granada, Spain. |
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| Shopping day in Granada, Spain’s Center. |
We didn’t explore Sierra Nevada Shopping Mall until after they left, but I am sure it will be on the list for their next visit.
Being far away from family (or even friends) is definitely not ideal, but it also changes your perspective on quality time when you are able to see each other. Our next experience with this idea of spending large chunks of quality time with our family and friends will come durning Christmas time when we go to visit Tara’s sister and her family for a little over 3 weeks.
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| Arco de las Pesas in Granada, Spain. |
What do you think? What is quality family time to you? If you are early retired and living the more nomad or travel lifestyle, what is your time like with your family? Comment below or reach out to us at fourtakeflight@gmail.com.
Check out Tara’s latest post here: What To Look For In An Airbnb?
Want to join us on your own FI (financial independence) or FIRE (financial independence retire early) journey? We can help. You can reach out to us here.
-Erik
(Tara also helped fill in details and photos.)
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