Granada Shopping

Sorry, I'm a handbag addict, what can I say! I'd not encountered this Spanish designer before and now I'm glad I have. Quality bags, leather, some canvass, some from different materials! wonderful shapes, sizes, ingenious............

Also some beautifully designer leather accessory drawers, lamp bases, portfolios.................. reasonably priced for good quality.

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This small shop looks as if the bags are going to be sporting ridiculous price tags but go in and be pleasantly surprised :-) . Everything is 20 euros! There are some great designs, nice materials and a number of other accessories too. Totes, backpacks, clutches.......lots to choose from at prices its hard to ignore.

one evening we wandered through the souk in the Albaicin district, small shops, stalls and tea shops all packed together in the narrow winding streets, we liked the fact that there was no pressure to buy and we could browse as much as we liked, we bought a carved wooden ring for our grandson, only 2 euros, and a box of joss sticks the smell of which was everywhere we walked.
We didnt stop for a glass of tea and a puff of the hubbly bubbly pipes, but we wished we had bought a pack of the tea which is for sale everywhere - there were so many different blends to choose from

between the Calle del Zacatin and the Cathedral is the Alcaiceria. This was once the city`s Moorish silk market and originally was much larger - almost a village within the city - even having its own mosque, and was gated and locked at night
the original Alcaicera was destryed by a fire and then rebuilt in the 19th century, notice the wonderful shop fronts and carvings

now it is an interesting group of narrow streets lined with shops selling souveniers, quirky designer shops and tiny jewellery shops, its a lovely place to browse, and the wonderful thing is that there is no hassle or pestering from the traders

great things to buy here are light fittings which come in all shapes sizes and colours, sparkling slippers, ethnic clothing and marquetry work, of course there are also all the ubiquitous tourist things - fridge magnets, key rings, I [heart] GRANADA stickers etc, but its a lovely place to shop for gifts or keepsakes and prices were quite reasonable

You are strolling along the busy street glancing in the shops and your attention is caught by a wonderful pharmacy, on the shelves around the shop are jars of long forgotten chemicals herbs and spices, the sort you used to see when every pharmacist used to make his own medicines and tablets

you think to yourself `if I was ill this is the sort of shop Id like to visit for a good old-fashioned remedy`

then you look in the small side widow

and some things look back at you

and then you DO feel a bit ill, but you dont go in, you hurry along to the shoe shop to look at something pretty

Each city in Spain seemingly has a pedestrianized street or two that has shops where the locals all shop. In Granada you have Calle Zacatin which runs south from the Gran Via de Colon and Calle de los Mesones which runs east-west a block south of the Plaza Bib Rambla. These streets basically servce as the city's shopping mall with stores that have the latest fashions, jewelery, watches, etc. And the cool thing is that the locals are usually all out during the early evening taking their daily stroll.

What to buy: You name it...it's all there!

What to pay: Varies

It was quite a hoot to navigate the narrow streets of Granada and experience the sights , sounds and oh yes the smells of a very diverse city. The shop pictured here, one of the many COLOURFUL STREET SHOPS, was a common sight and their wares were proudly displayed on the street. It was common to see bakers, tailors and little produce shops in little cubby holes along the streets. Quite amazing!

What to buy: Great buys in leather, laces and a hand-crafted pottery.

What to pay: Haggle! Barter! Don't pay the first price quoted.

It is a small shop in the Albaycin that sells Arabic goods such as artisan boxes, pipes,tables, bags, ceramics and much more.

An ideal place to look for gifts for you family and friends.

In the photo you can see some items I've bought from this store, though of course they aren't exactly unique to this shop! They are instead typpical of Granada.

What to buy: I like the wooden boxes and other handmade wooden crafts such as the examples in the photo.

What to pay: 5 euros for a wooden box. 2 euros each for coasters.