a typical grenada balcony, as seen during our night stroll through the sacromonte neighborhood
so, honest truth: spain is my favorite country in the world (outside of the US, obvs). i’ve spent the most time there, i studied abroad there, i (somewhat) speak the language, i’ve learned its history and read its novels. and one of my favorite evenings out in spain was to watch the flamenco dancers in the caves in grenada. touristy? yes. but totally unlike anything i had ever seen before.
at the flamenco show at zambra maria la canastera in the sacromonte neighborhood of grenada, spain
imagine my surprise when – while watching anthony bourdain’s ‘parts unknown’ – i saw those same flamenco dancers on tv talking with tony! and i’m not talking about a similar cave with similar dancers down the street. nope, anthony met and talked with the exact same dancers in the exact same cave over ten years after i met and danced with them.
one of the dancers at maría la canastera in the gypsey caves of grenada
a friend i was studying abroad with found this amazing deal where we were picked up from our hotel, brought to the cave for the flamenco dancing (which included a drink), watched (and participated in!) the flamenco dancing, and then were led on a night tour of grenada, which culminated in a perfect view of the lit alhambra from across the cliff. we thought – and rightly so – that it was one of our best nights in spain. we were poor students studying abroad and our idea of entertainment was the street buskers outside. these guys were a major upgrade.
this guy totally owned it. check out his castanets! think the kids in the back are having a life-changing moment?
click here to see a brief video of bourdain enjoying the flamenco. however, you’ll need to watch the full episode to see videos of the actual dancing and interviews with the dancers. and check out my photos from 2003 with the same dancers, all clearly taken before i invested in a digital camera (those were the old days, kids). enjoy!
walking through the grenada cobble-stone streets at night.