Where are you from?
Matt: I am from London.
Ana: I was born in Angola, but I grew up in Lisbon.
How long have you been in Granada, and what brought you here?
Matt: We both moved here 22 years ago. We came to Granada initially for three days and immediately thought it was a good fit. We liked what we saw in Granada.
Ana: We wanted to live in Southern Spain. As I mentioned, I grew up in Lisbon. I also lived in Madrid for 8 years and then in the UK for 8 years. We wanted to live in a smaller city, someplace where life flows at a slower pace.
What do you do here?
Matt: We both run bar Poë.
What part of the city do you live in?
Matt: We live in the city center.
What do you like most about Granada?
Matt: I’d say the physical beau ty of this place and the tapas scene. From the city center, you can see the mountains, which are snow-covered in the winter, and there is so much unique architecture to discover.
Ana: I would say the same thing! We’ve enjoyed living in the city center and have been able to observe how much Granada has changed over the last 22 years. With over 60,000 students studying here, this is a very lively place to be, especially for a small city.
What are some of the biggest changes you’ve noticed in Granada over the last two decades?
Matt: Far more tourists. Twenty-one years ago, only a handful of adventurous backpackers ever came, or a busload of tourists from the coast who came to see the Alhambra – maybe two buses a day at the most. You could also wander into the Alhambra freely, with no advance reservations.
What would you say you like the least?
Matt: Sometimes people can be a little provincial, though most people are not.
What is your favorite local activity?
Ana: Going out for tapas!
What are your favorite restaurants and tapas bars?
Matt: I think we could give a list of four or five. Ávila, we love it. Om Kalsum, we love it as well. Oliver, La Botillería and La Esquinita de Javi, which is a very good fish place.
What is one tip you would give someone visiting Granada?
Matt: Spend longer than a day. Granada is worth a few days at least, even a week. Some people come for one night, or just a day to see the Alhambra and then leave. That is not enough, there is so much more to see and experience here.
Where it’s at:
BAR ÁVILA – Calle Verónica de la Virgen, 16
OM KALSUM – Calle Jardines, 17
RESTAURANTE OLIVER – Plaza Pescadería, 12
RESTAURANTE LA BOTILLERÍA –Calle Varela, 10
LA ESQUINITA DE JAVI – Plaza del Campillo Bajo, 1, and Plaza de Mariana Pineda, 1
