The city of Granada is nestled at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains. The city is believed to have taken its name from the Spanish word "Granada" meaning "pomegranate". But I also heard the the meaning of Granada referrred to as "hill of strangers"
Granada is a mixture of cultures, where West meets East. Occupied by the Muslims, there are beautiful examples of Moorish architecture tucked away on every block, from El Bañuelo to the Alhambra. Later reconquered by the Reyes Catolica the inahibitants of the city were forced to convert to Christianity, but the ornate architecture was left in tact. The ancient Moorish quarter of the city, the Albaycin, is still filled with white wash walls, hidden arab baths and stunning views of the rest of the city.
The tapas culture reflects the Spanish approach to life. A very relaxed meal, while socializing and tasting lots of delicious morsels. There is no sense of urgency, meals may take hours. Just like the locals who are expected to be at least 15 minutes behind schedule. A "tapa" is a "lid" or "cover." In the early days of tapas a slice of cheese or ham on bread was given with your drink and placed over the drink, to cover the wine while you were not drinking. There is an old law on the books in Granada that states that a tapa must be served with every alcoholic beverage. The story goes that the King wanted to to "cover" the drunkenness by having drinkers eat a bite with every beverage, thus not getting as drunk as on an empty stomach. I loved that even late at night you would find drinkers sitting under the street lights sipping a Tinto de Verano ("summer wine") and nibbling tapas as they converse. 
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