Granada

Wow guys. GREAT weekend! Granada was just a blast! I really didn't want to leave. It was good to get away. Which sounds odd...getting away from Madrid. But just as I'd suspected, exams and homework and all that were right here waiting for me when I returned. Alas. But anyways:

Friday: Just like any other trip I've been on in the past few months, this one started extremely early. At IES by 7:30AM, on the road by 8ish. 6 hour bus ride with a stop in between. The scenery was just gorgeous. Gillian pointed out the olive trees to me and there were just ACRES of them everywhere. Not to mention gorgeous mountains and cliffs. We arrived in Granada mid-afternoonish and got settled in our hotel. We had a few hours of free time (mostly spent in the hotel room relaxing) before our walking tour around Granada.

We walked through Albayzin and Sacromonte and climbed many a steep, cobblestoned hill. What a workout. Oh but it was so worth it because the views were GORGEOUS. And not just the views of the entire city plus the mountains and La Alhambra from up high. All of the little winding streets were lined with different shops, teterías (tea shops), cafés, bakeries, and bars. It was so different from Madrid. Just so much character.
Anyways, we ended our tour outside the Arab baths. Oh my goodness these were fantastic. Pools of frigid cold water and really warm water. The contrast between the two felt amazing.

Plus, we got massages and were served the most delicious tea I've ever tasted. Yep. Pretty rough. After that IES treated us to a WONDERFUL dinner. This restaurant was tucked away on a little side street, no flash signs above the door or anything. Very modest from the outside. But oh, when we went in, we were greeted with drinks on a terrace with a breath-taking view of La Alhambra (the citadel that Granada is famous for). It was just stunning. And the food was fabulous as well. By the time we got back to our hotel, we pretty much crashed. Busy busy day.

Saturday: Breakfast at the hotel before we went on another tour for the morning. We visited the Catedral de Granada as well as the Real Capilla (Royal Chapel). The cathedral was giant and gorgeous, as is the norm here with Spanish cathedrals.

The chapel was really interesting because here, King Ferdinand V and Queen Isabella were buried. As in, I definitely was less than 20ft away from the remains of the Catholic monarchs of Spain who ruled during the 15th century. CRAZY. After these visits, we had some free time to grab some tapas before our visit to LA ALHAMBRA.

La Alhambra: So in my art and architecture course, we'd spent a considerable amount of time studying La Alhambra. It's a palace and fortress built on a hill during the 14th century. This place is HUGE. The decorations were typical of Muslim palaces and were, therefore, gorgeous and extremely intricate. Unfortunately, the part I was most excited about was closed for restoration. But everything else was just breathtaking. I really wish I could describe it better, but words can't do it justice.

ANYHOO. So after a lot of walking and picture-taking and touristing, we had some free time to go out and explore. I may have bought a few gifts ;) The last big to-do on our agenda was the flamenco show. If you recall, IES went to a flamenco show in January at Teatro Muñoz Seca. This was ENTIRELY different. First of all, the show was put on by gypsies and took place in a cave. Yes. A cave. All fifty of us were seated quite cozily in the cave while the dancers danced in front of us, literally inches away. The band was seated in the seats literally right along with us! It was so much more intimate and I definitely enjoyed it a lot more than the previous show. Once again, back to the hotel to crash. Zzzzzzz.

So yeah. Sorry that was so lengthy, but it was just an amazing trip. Really. Soooo as the time to buy next month's Abono Metro pass has drawn near, I realize April is, like, here. I feel like I've been in Madrid forever and I feel like I will be here for a whole 'nother forever. It's a weird state of mind to be in. Well, anyway, here's some exciting happenings for April:

- day trip to Salamanca
- SEMANA SANTA. Consisting of trips to Barcelona and Sicily!
- IBIZA!

A few more random thoughts. If you've stuck it out this long, props to you. This was one heck of an entry:

- My roommates are all wonderful and I couldn't have picked a more lovely group of ladies to live with.
- I'm really gonna miss the cave bar across the street. Just sayin.
- My understanding of Spanish has gotten SO MUCH BETTER. So much that I can successfully eavesdrop on the Metro now. Winning.
- I've learned to cope with everything being closed on Sundays and only having pasta and cereal to eat.
- Other days of the week, I've cooked some pretty stellar meals. Go me.
- Starbucks in Spain is still okay. Really.



OKAY GUYS BYYYEEEE :)

xox The Spanish Spaz