Granada Spain!

Thursday, February 4


Colleen and Tracie left for Paris this afternoon! I am so excited for them! I know they are going to have an amazing time! I can’t wait to see their pictures of the Eiffel Tower!

Went to O’Reilly’s down in SOL tonight with Lauren, Shauna, Kelly, and Milliska. It is Shauna’s birthday on Friday - Met some really nice guys too. Patrick, Paul, and John all warned me to stay away from the Spanish Boys – Glad they said nothing about the Irish ones! As we were walking to the tables at O’Reilly’s 2 guys (our age) were like “Yes! People who speak English!” and our friendship with them started there. They told us that they were in Madrid for a week and asked to sit with us. Of course we didn’t mind…Talk to me in an accent like that and you can hang with us anytime! Just Kidding! But all joking aside, Kelly and I were even more enamored with them when they told us that they live in Cork, which is perfect because we are going to be in Cork in 2 weeks! They were really helpful (and patient) about answering all of our questions. They told us where to eat on the cheap, where the best “full Irish Breakfast” is and what kind of things there are to do in Cork. Most importantly they gave us a website for a Bus that goes from Dublin to Gallway to Cork for a Euro for each leg of the Journey. After this one, we had a hard time believing them when they said that you can’t find any good deals in Ireland! Well it may be the cheapest thing we do, but I think it will be worth it!

I sat next to Dean and he is a huge soccer fan/player. That was really fun because there was a game being played on the TVs and it is always more fun to watch sports with people who really care and understand the game!

We ended up hanging out at the bar until a little after one and as a result had to BOLT to the Metro station – Luckily we made it home before it all closed down.

Friday, February 5th

Got up early to catch the 5 hour bus to Granada this morning. We almost didn’t make it to the bus because one of the girls didn’t have her ticket, but somehow she snuck on without having to show one! She paid for it online so all is well! Halfway through the journey we stopped at a hotel/cafeteria place to stretch. Bathrooms were pretty clean, but I ended up spending 2.50 Euro on a Soda because the machine ate one of my Euros. I was pretty ticked – but so thirsty I was willing to pay for a soda still! The 2nd part of the drive was really pretty. It was really beautiful as we were twisting our way through the hills although it made me a little car sick. I couldn’t get over the trees on the sides of the hills – they were all in rows. It almost made me wonder if this was a reforesting project or if I was seeing lots of Olive Tree groves. I need to remember to take a picture on the way back.

We walked a long, long way to our Hostel from the Bus Stop which was fun because we got to see a lot of Granada on foot, but bad because a bird pooped in my hair on the way there. I had to try and get it out with a leaf. It was nasty and I am going to dislike birds for the rest of my life.

We made it to our Hostel without too many more Hitches in our plan. The women who ran the hostel was a little late in getting there to let us in, but we just stopped off at a bar nearby and drank a Fanta while we waited. The Hostel is really cute and cozy! It is near Plaza Nueava which is in the Albazin or Moorish district of Granada and as a result or Hostel blends a lot of color and shimmery fabrics which give it a very Moorish feel! Our room is on the top floor which means we will be climbing lots of stairs but really neat because there is a Terrance on our floor that looks out at the Alhambra. We are visiting that tomorrow – I can’t wait!

After we dropped off our stuff, we went down in search of food! We had a little trouble getting the front door to open and we had a few minutes of panic that we were going to be trapped all night! Finally got out although I think the win has to go to the door. We ended up at a Chinese food Tapas bar which although was not a very touristy thing to do – it actually was nice because it wasn’t touristy! After eating, we walked around a little bit and shopped in a few souvenir shops. We went back to our Hostel a little before nine because the women that runs the Hostel took us out to watch Flamenco! Boy was that an incredible experience! I really enjoyed the show. The show took place in a tiny, cozy bar which made the whole night very intimate! Plus we got to sit right up front for half the show which was amazing! I really want to learn how to Flamenco dance now – the dancer made it look so effortless and yet because we were sitting so close, I was able to see just how much strength she had to have to do it! I was in awe! The music had an amazing rhythm mostly done by clapping which was really catchy! I was so glad we were able to see – definitely a night to remember!

Saturday, February 6

Got up early to visit the Alhambra! What an amazing site! Got to see the Moorish palace which was really neat and worth the 30 minute uphill walk itself! It’s amazing to see the differences between Islam architecture and Christian Architecture. Islam architecture is all about symmetry. They don’t use any pictures of people or animals in their designs because only God can create creation and they should not try to be God. I really love all the geometric patterns on the ceilings and walls. The moors also would write verses of the Koran on the walls or give descriptions as to what the room was used for our why the fountain was designed the way it was! I got some really beautiful views of Granada too even though it was pretty foggy this morning! At the Palace they had two reflection ponds and they were very into incorporating running water throughout the entire Alhambra. Another interesting thing about the Moors was that they were really into using the water in architecturally pleasing way. Instead of having spitting fountains and rushing water like Christians liked to use, the Moors liked to hold the water in reflection ponds. They liked to have the water constantly running but in a much slower and quieter way. It made the castle very serene. Of course Rick Steves really made this entire day amazing – I don’t know how I would have fully appreciated anything I have seen so far without his self guided tours! It is so nice to have a down to earth written guide that tells you what is really worth seeing, what your money gets you at the tours (and ways to get in free) and how to fit everything you want to see in a day. Saves us a bunch of money on audio tours too! Plus he adds in his own commentary when he sees fit which is hilarious at times! Like today when we were in the Ambassador’s room where Isabel agreed to finance Columbus’s voyage Rick invited us to picture the scene as Columbus kneeling down promising to “wear our money belts, and always work with the most up-to-date guidebook!” Funny stuff I tell you!

After finishing the tour of the Palace Nueves, we went to the Alhambra fort. That was cool but would have been a better view if the mountains weren’t still covered in fog. We got to exercise our leg muscles up and down stairs some more though!

Next we went into the Charles V Palace which houses the Alhambra museum. This museum would have been boring if it wasn’t for the Museum guide who found us and wanted to give us a tour. We really enjoyed listening to her tell stories and explain some of the history of the artifacts they have recovered as well as about life at the Alhambra and the different transitions it has went through. She helped me visualize what this palace would have been like in its prime when the royals and townspeople called it home!

Our final stop at the Alhambra was the Generalife. Generalife is the gardens that were the project of the last Moorish King. These gardens included many trees, reflection ponds, vegetable gardens, an amphitheater, and the Moorish King’s summer home! These gardens would have been even more incredible during the spring when everything is in bloom but any sightings of greenery are beautiful!

Finally at around 1, we were ready to make our 5 minute walk back down to our Hostel and Plaza Nueva. It is amazing how much faster you can travel downhill! By this point, we were sure we had used every muscle in our legs! Of course, that was only half the walking we did today! After Lunch, Lauren-Nicole, Katy, and I walked around Granada for like two hours before we walked back around and went into the Royal Chapel where King Ferdinand, Queen Isabel, Philip the Fair, and Jueana the Strange are buried. This was really incredible to see – words can’t really explain seeing the burial spot of Spain’s Christian rulers. The chapel was very ornate too – especially the Altar! I will try to find some pictures of it online since we weren’t allowed to take photos inside the Chapel! We also got to see a lot of Ferdinand and Isabel’s personal belongings like pieces of clothing they wore, Isabel’s prayer book, and her crown!

From the royal Chapel we climbed up to San Nicholas Viewpoint and got a fantastic view of the Alhambra once again (everything is a climb in Granada! The San Nicholas Viewpoint was really touristy although it was intermixed with local color as well! Just a really cool mix of people up there!

To keep with Hostel tradition, I cooked Spaghetti for supper back at the Hostel and we also played another round of paper Telephone! Glad I was able to get more people addicted to the game as much as I am!