Submitted by Christina Sullivan on the 2019 summer session program in Granada, Spain sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures…
With a free weekend coming up, I looked at site after site trying to figure out what to do. Again and again, websites listed Seville and Cordoba as the best day trips from Granada. If not those two, then drive into the mountains? Take a bus to Madrid/Valencia/Barcelona? Or visit a town that looked great, but only had two buses per day on the weekend?
Limited by my use of public transport and wanting to avoid a long drive, I read through lists looking for places that were A) close B) easy to get to C) looked worth the visit. Eventually, I stumbled across Guadix.
Guadix, an hour bus ride from Granada, has a striking feature – houses were traditionally built in caves. Neighborhoods existed in mountainsides. Plus, the bus there was cheap and left multiple times a day. Enough reason for me!
Arriving in Guadix, I immediately saw the Cathedral. It would be nearly impossible not to see the Cathedral. For whatever reason, the people here had made the Cathedral massive, and compared to the generally smaller features of the town, it stood out. A lot.
Still a little awestruck at how big it turned out to be (I had expected a normal sized cathedral – big and showy, but not imposing), I bought a ticket and entered the Cathedral.
I first climbed the tower, giving 360 views of the town, mountains, and desert landscape. Then, we walked around the Cathedral, gazing in silence at the elaborate structure. As far as cathedrals go, Guadix didn’t disappoint.
From there, I climbed the hill to the main attraction of Guadix – the cave houses. One could see white facades pressed against rocks. Some impressive ones had claimed whole hills to themselves. Chimneys stuck out haphazardly from the ground. I reached a scenic overlook and took the site of the neighborhoods in and I could confidently say I had never seen anything like it and doubt I will again. It’s not everyday one finds a whole cave village.
After taking in the views, I found a small local market where vendors were selling a variety of items. The other girls I was with and I decided to find a lunch among the stands and hunted down prosciutto, cheese, and bread. It all cost a steep five euros per person.
The meal was incredible, the food fresh and beyond anything one could grab at a supermarket. We ate it in a small park, enjoying the afternoon and this unique town we had found ourselves in.
Now, only to figure out how to live in a cave for the rest of my life…
