streets on a Vespa with a dog sitting quietly on the foot platform of the motorbike. That's right, in La Herradura even the dogs are relaxed. Go figure.

On Wednesday, I took off for a brief visit to Granada, the capital city of the province of Granada and about an hour's drive north. Situated at 2,165 feet in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Granada's layout offers beautiful views of the various traditional "neighborhoods" that make up this city. Once a Moorish stronghold, Granada is today home to approximately 350,000 people from all walks of life. I'd soon find out the city offers visitors enticements ranging from historical.

As usual, my plan was to befriend a few locals and absorb Granada's personality. I dropped in to several tapas bars, chatting it up with anyone who spoke English while trying not to act too much like a tourist (which is near impossible, by the way). The locals were happy to oblige.

My first non-culinary stop was at the Alhambra, the Red Castle. On the left bank of the River Darro and at a strategic point for viewing the entire city below, the Alhambra was once a fortress and pleasure palace for Nasrid princes and their harems. Today, it is Granada's most popular tourist attraction.