Bittersweet

Wow, 4 months living in Spain...it doesn't get much better than that! I am so thankful for all of the things I have been able to do. I got to travel and see the world, make new, lifelong friends, improve my Spanish and immerse myself in a whole new culture. Did I really earn school credits for doing this? I got to do all of this while sharing this amazing experience with the best guy I know ♥ I couldn't be any luckier. Thank you everyone who made this possible for me, it truly changed my life. Now the only thing better than living in Granada is finally getting to see all of the people I have missed back at home. Although, I never thought it was going to be this hard to say goodbye. 

‎"Dale limosna, mujer, que no hay en la vida nada como la pena de ser ciego en Granada."

No Worries...

With a full week of exams and only a few days left, a very popular Spanish phrase that translates to "no worries" has become a main part of my vocabulary recently.

 ¡No Pasa Nada!

Back in the states in 2 short days! 

As it comes to an end....

These past 4 months have just flown by! With only 12 days left in this beautiful country I am beginning to realize all of the things I still have left to do!


Last minute Spain to do list:

• Souvenir shopping √
• Mail home gifts √
• Alhambra Generalife √
• Science museum/park √
• Wine tasting √
• Arab baths...again √
• Nerja beach √
• Discoteca
• Flamenco class (unlikely)
• Smöoy (frozen yogurt) √
• Study for finals... √
• Visit all of the parks in Granada
• Get a hair wrap

The Paradise of Beaches

Cádiz

After leaving for Cádiz on Friday at 3:30pm, we arrived around 10pm at the Tryp La Caleta Hotel**** Our hotel was right on Victoria Beach, the best beach in Southern Europe! We decided to grab dinner at a restaurant called La Calle. Unfortunately dinner was not the greatest. All of our orders were wrong, unappealing, and we were overcharged. Needless to say, I do not think the waiters liked us very much. After dinner we decided to call it a night because we had an early morning. 

Breakfast was great once again with everything imaginable but I wish I could say the same about the weather. There were torrential downpours and wind so strong it felt like a monsoon had hit us. During this awful weather we had a guided bus/walking tour of Cádiz. We couldn't see a thing out the windows and our tour guide spoke terrible English, we could barely understand him. After driving a half hour into the city center, it was time for the walking tour which would last about an hour and then we would have to walk all the way back to the hotel. A group of us decided to skip the walking tour and stay dry however that plan didn't rally work out too well since we still ended up getting soaked. After walking around a little and watching everyones umbrellas go inside out, we got some oreo mcflurry's from McDonalds and then Nick and I went back to the hotel and took a nap to try and wait out the rain. Our plan worked because a few hours later, it was sunny, warm and beautiful. Nick and I went to this recommended Mexican restaurant called Rancho Texas for dinner since it was Cinco de Mayo which turned out to be a mistake. It was buffet style $10.90e per person. All of the food was cold so the lady told us to make our plate so she could microwave it for us...who knows how long it had been sitting there. There was no one in the restaurant so the food probably had been sitting there a while. The place was small and dirty and the service was beyond rude. We even watched her drop some silverware on the floor then put it right back with the clean ones...gross. After leaving Rancho Texas, Nick and I took a long walk along the beach and watched the sunset. It was a good end to a not so good day.

 Our last day in Cádiz  API took us on a boat tour. Although they told us it was going to be a private tour for just us, when we got there almost all of the seats were already taken by other tourists. The tour lasted about an hour and then we had 4 hours of free time before we had to leave. The weather was perfect! A small group of us went to Torre Tavira which is a very high tower that overlooks the entire city. The view was amazing but what makes this very special is the obscure camera that allows you to see the city up close like you are a spy looking inside a camera picture. After the tower Nick and I started to make our way back getting to see everything we missed out on the day before because of the rain. We caught a glimpse of a triathlon happening at the beach and stopped for lunch along the way because I wanted some fish. Cádiz is known for their fish because they are coast surrounded by water so we ordered pescaito frito which is fried fish. The fish came with the heads and bones so Nick didn't like it too much. I have had it before at my home in Spain already but I wasn't too impressed with any of the food I had in Cádiz. Finally we got back to the hotel with a little over an hour to spare so we laid out on the beach until we had to leave. After just a half hour in the sun, I got fried of course but it was a perfect beach day and in a few days I will be nice and tan :)

Let's Get Muddy at El Torcal

On our 5 hour bus ride to Cádiz we took a pit stop in El Torcal, a small mountain range between Málaga and Antequera. Although this short stop wasn't planned out very well, it was beautiful to see. El Torcal is over 150 million years old and includes caves like Cueva del Toro, wildflowers, and a bunch of different wildlife. We happened to see some cows and a fox that walked within 4 feet of us the entire trail! But what makes this place so unique is the constant change in weather. Because of the harsh weather conditions that are always drastically changing from rain to sun to snow, it forces the rocks to change shape. As the people say, it is a different experience every time you visit because it never looks the same. When we were there, it had just rained so it was pretty chilly. As we walked, the sun started to shine and the climate changed very quickly. Although is was extremely muddy, slippery and in the end ruined everyones shoes, it was definitely a sight worth seeing...even if it was only an hour visit. It is so huge and there are many trails that can take hours to complete. Unfortunately, we only had a little time since it was already 7pm, starting to get dark and we had a 3 hour bus ride to Cádiz ahead of us. However, it was a fun bus break. 

"Día de la Cruz"

"Día de la Cruz" (The Day of the Cross) is celebrated on May 3rd in all of Spain with tons of drinking and fiestas in the streets. All the young girls dress up in flamenco outfits and perform flamenco shows all over the city. Woman of all ages like to dress up in flamenco attire also while others just wear big flowers in their hair for the day. I am not positive exactly what "Día de la Cruz" celebrates but there are beautiful flowers and crosses set up all around the city. I do know however that "Día de la Cruz" is an important national holiday because class was cancelled for the celebrations!

Cheers!

This past weekend, Nick and I traveled to Dublin, Ireland! To me, Ireland is the land of luck, green and of course Guinness. I have to admit, I wasn't super excited at first because I prefer warm, sunny & beachy places which Ireland is the complete opposite of. But it has always been Nick's dream to go to Ireland so of course we went while we had the chance. We both LOVED it! We left early Friday morning and had some Starbucks in the airport. I had the best muffin in the entire world, strawberry with white chocolate & a caramel frapaachino. Amazing! After our flight being about 2 hours behind schedule, we arrived in Dublin around 5pm (there is a 5 hour time difference from the US but we actually gained an hour coming from Spain). Upon arriving, we were exhausted! We had already been up for more than 12 hours just traveling from bus to plane to bus again. However, everyone was SO nice and friendly it just made it that much better. A very nice, older man got off at our stop and walked us to our hotel so we didn't get lost. Once at the hotel, the people there were just as nice. Our room was great, we had a bar and restaurant right downstairs with delicious food (caesar salad and buffalo wings!) We also got free coffee and tea delivered to our room whenever we wanted, a comfortable bed, hot shower and a TV. For breakfast, we were surprised to find out that included in the price was a full irish breakfast with eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, and unlimited fruit, yogurt, cereal & coffee. How spoiled were we?

To start off our first day, the weather couldn't have been nicer for being in Ireland. There was no rain and the sun was shining all day, we couldn't complain. Since we are so used to walking everywhere now, a 20-30 minute walk to the center of Dublin was nothing for us. We stopped at the Garden of Remembrance then made our way to Trinity College and the Dublin Castle. We stopped to shop a little where Nick spoiled himself for once :) then we had Subway for lunch (even better this time). Nick found his irish roots, so awesome and then we made our way to the St. Patrick's Cathedral. The park and the stained glass windows were gorgeous. It is so funny to see when it's 40º in Ireland everyone walks around like it's summertime and when it's 70º in Spain, the people are still bundled up to their necks. Also, did I mention they have 2 level buses to take you around? So cool. They drive on the wrong side of the road! It's so weird to get used to seeing on the streets and in the cars. Twice on the walk home we were stopped by locals asking us (tourists) for directions. I guess we look like we belong in Ireland.

Finally after a long day of walking we went to our last and furthest walk, the Guinness Storehouse. What did we find...but a closed factory :( We were so bummed because we had no idea what time it closed and that was our only chance because on our last day we were supposed to take an all day trip to the Cliffs of Moher. We were torn. Since the Cliffs were an all day thing that cost 40 euro with a 3 hour bus ride there and back, we decided to pass on it and stay in the city our last day to visit the Guinness Storehouse. It was a good thing we did because Sunday it was raining all day and absolutely freezing. Instead, we slept in and this time took a bus to the factory because of the weather. We learned the history behind Guinness, how to make it, the right way to drink it, how to pour the perfect pint and got a free tasting. Once we returned to the hotel we split some hot & spicy wings. 16 wings each later....we were ready for bed.

It was so hard to say goodbye to Ireland, maybe one day we'll return. Sláinte!

Before --->

After

¡Viva la Playa: Nerja Style!

 Since the weather was so perfect for a nice, relaxing day on the beach, Nick and I decided to spend the day in Nerja. When we arrived we just started walking towards the water since we didn't really know where we were going. Once we found the water we saw these comfortable beach chairs laying under umbrellas. It said they were 4 euro a piece to rent for the day but there was no one working so we sat down for a few hours. We thought we were going to get lucky and not have to pay but eventually a woman showed up looking for money. Apparently it was a topless beach too from what we noticed :/ Before we left we wanted to explore the beach everybody talks about as being so beautiful. However it seemed really small to us. On our way back to the bus, we happened to see signs for other beaches which we didn't know existed. Apparently there is one beach with caves that is just amazing but VERY far from where we were dropped off. Hopefully before we leave Spain we will get to go back with more time to check out the other beaches with the caves that everyone talks about. Even the bus ride there and back had such beautiful, beach scenery to look at from very high up. From what I did see, I would have to agree with everyone.

La Alpujarra

This past Saturday, my program took us to hike La Alpujarra which is located in Granada and is a part of the Sierra Nevada mountains. This was my first hiking experience and I was pretty excited to try something new since Nick is such an outdoors junky. The bus ride there was as some people referred to it, the bus ride from hell. It was about an hour and a half bus ride, 30 minutes on the highway and an hour up a windy, curvy and very skinny road that led us to the mountain. It was so curvy that many people including myself felt extremely car sick. Unfortunately, some students actually got sick on the bus and some after. Others including myself made it there but had a stomach ache. Luckily, after a coffee and some water for hydration I was ready to hike! We started at the top of the mountain in Capileira and made our way down. In my opinion it seemed a bit dangerous although I am not expert hiker and didn't have real hiking boots, just my pumas. It was a very steep, wet, muddy and rocky way down. However the hike brought us through very old houses where people actually live and eventually to a waterfall. After seeing the waterfall, we then made our way back up the mountain to Bubión. I must say that I didn't enjoy the walk back up as much, very tiring! After a quick lunch break we made our way back down again to our final stop, Pampaneira. On our way to Pampaneira, half of our group got left behind and the tour guide didn't wait. We were lost in the mountain for a bit but managed to find our way to the small populated town of Pampaneira. Once there, we had around 2 hours to explore. There were so many stray cats and dogs walking around. We ended up finding a  small chocolate factory with FREE SAMPLES! I definitely got my share of chocolate there. Although they had some very strange flavors such as chile, salt, pepper and many different fruits they also had my favorites: coconut, white chocolate, mocha and so much more. After leaving the chocolate factory and shopping around a bit we wanted to sit down and have a drink. We found this patio restaurant that has a beautiful view of the mountain. I ordered a sangria and I have to say it was the worst sangria I have ever had. It was so bitter and loaded with olive oil! A drink with olive oil, weird I know. I couldn't even drink it, yuck! But it was a perfect day with beautiful weather for a hike. Even though I have never been so sore and came home with a sunburn, it was a great first time experience.  
 

Hammam

 Yesterday, Nick and I decided to take the advice of many and experience one of the most popular attractions here in Granada, Hammam arabic bath. This had to be one of the most relaxing, beautiful and romantic things we have ever experienced. After some tapas, we went to our appointment at midnight! Hammam had 3 rooms with baths, one cold, one hot and one medium. It had a steam room, unlimited tea and a 15 minute message. It was just like a spa. We spent 2 hours there just relaxing in the baths. We tried the steam room but I couldn't handle all of the heat and steam but I was plenty satisfied floating around with Nick in the relaxing baths. My skin has never felt so soft. Even after a shower, I still can't get the smell of the place out of my hair! I can't believe we waited so long to do this but now that we have I can assure that we will be making a trip back there before we leave this wonderful place.

Semana Santa

Spring Break part one: Córdoba
The more I continue to blog, the more I notice how me & Nick's trip always seem to start off a little rough. And so it continues...Nick and I woke up bright and early to get on the 8:30 3 hour bus ride to Córdoba to spend the day. The bus driver arrived a little bit late and Nick and I did not get a seat together. Luckily, one lady switched seats with me and we were off to Córdoba. Along the way I noticed the bus driving swerving and slamming on the break a lot (luckily we were sitting in the back and couldn't see what was actually going on.) All of a sudden, our driver runs into what we think was a sign. Everyone was freaked out but he just kept on driving. Then a little further along he runs into some dividers separating the street. Finally right before we get off he hits ANOTHER thing (i'm not sure what it was). Thank god we made it there in one piece, but I can't say the same about the bus. He completely lost his front rear mirror which also smashed the glass window. ¡Qué loco!

Once we arrived in Córdoba, we made our way to the Mosque. We stopped to take many pictures along the way because this tiny city s just full of parks, gardens and fountains. Not to mention it was sunny and 70º the while day. We stopped to eat lunch outside while admiring the Roman Bridge, Triunfo de San Rafael, and finally making our way to the Mosque. Once inside we decided to go to the Mosque Cathedral. All I can say is ¡Qué mono!


After the cathedral, we made our way to Alcázar de los Leyes Cristianos and the Gardens of the 

Castle of the Christian Monarchs. This has to be one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Pictures can show better than words can describe. After spending much time relaxing and taking in the gardens we decided to go inside this very old castle. After walking up many flights of stairs, we got to the top that over looks the gardens and the rest of the city of Córdoba. 

Once we left the castle and gardens, we did a little suvenier shopping and got lunch at SUBWAY. Although it is just not the same as in the states, it quenched my hunger just fine. We ended our day checking out the h

ouses of San Basilio and caught the 7:30 bus back to Granada. 

Part two: Sevilla
Nick and I decided to spend a couple of days in the capital of Andalusia, Sevilla. We stayed in an amazing hostel called Nuevo Suizo right in centro Sevilla, a perfect location. Not only did this hostel have the usual tv, free breakfast and wifi, they also supplied us with free coffee whenever we wanted, a hotel phone we could se internationally for FREE, a computer on every floor, and a rooftop terrace. The staff was so nice that they even let me leave my luggage there after we checked out so I didn't have to carry it around with me sight-seeing all day. It was a little struggle trying to find the hostel at first because the bus station didn't have any maps but Nick got us there :)

Once the friendly lady at the front desk supplied us with a map and circled all the things we should see, we were off! I have to admit I was a little grumpy the whole day because I was so bummed out about the rain. Who wants to walk around all day in a new city with tons of beautiful things to see in the rain? First we saw Torre del Oro and I tried some fresh coconut...random I know. Once we were just about to call it quits for the day because we were both tired and just wanted to get out of the rain, the clouds cleared and the sun came out. The one thing I really wanted to see in Sevilla I got to see with sunshine. That turned my mood right around and we spent the next two hours in Plaza de España. We walked through the gardens and then Nick rowed me around in a little boat around the whole plaza. ¡Qué romántico! After that, the sky was looking dark again so we decided to call it a day. We thought we were going back to the hotel to take a quick nap but we ended up getting stuck in the middle of the Semana Santa parade...on OUR street. We weren't allowed to walk on our street so after many failed attempts and walking in circles for a half hour in the pouring rain, we tried our road again. The police wouldn't let anyone through but I think he could tell we were very frustrated and finally agreed. After we got back to our hotel we found out we were supposed to be given a card that gives us permission to use the road which the kind lady at Nuevo Suizo never gave us -_-

After a quick nap and shower, we were starving so we decided to go out for tapas. The processions were over and we wanted to stay close to our hostel so we found this place called Bar Mediterráneo. It was delicious, we ordered pork with spicy sauce and fries and steak with cheese and caramelized onions accompanied by drinks of course.  Finally it was time for bed!

The next day there was NO RAIN! Unfortunately, we couldn't visit the famous Cathedral in Sevilla because it was closed for private masses all day because of Semana Santa. We got a lot of pictures from the outside though, it was huge! Then we visited the Alcazar, again giant. We probably spent 2 hours in there, it was so pretty. It was full of fountains, gardens, and antique pottery. Last on our list of things to do was the Plaza/Museo del Torros. We got a guided tour through the bull ring and learned a lot about the history behind bullfighting. Before getting on the bus to return to Granada, Nick and I ate at Dominos...so good! It has been so long since we have had American pizza.

With and without the rain, it was a great, little vacation.

Part Three: Granada
Between the days of Wednesday and Sunday during our Semana Santa break it rained...A LOT! Many of the famous, cultural processions were cancelled unfortunately. However, Saturday and Sunday we finally managed to get out of the house. Saturday we finally saw one of the religious parades that celebrate Semana Santa then went out for tapas. We both ordered this really good, spicy chicken thai with white rice and bread at POE, delicious! Sunday, we visited the Cathedral here in Granada which we weren't sure would be open since it was Easter Sunday and there were many private masses going on. It was also very old and beautiful. On our way to the Cathedral, we stopped in Plaza de Trinidad which is know for all of the birds that nest there. It is so pretty during the day with all of the trees and fountains. We each grabbed an ice cream and sat down in the plaza for a bit. As we were eating, the cutest, little dog came up to us and just sat at our feet. He kept staring up at us with his sad, puppy eyes as we ate our ice cream, so adorable! I wish I could have shared with him but ice cream with chocolate is not good for dogs. Throughout the day, there were tons of people out on the streets as well. For a while, we sat in the sun and watched a guy posing as a statue scare people as they walked by, it was pretty entertaining. As we were walking around I decided to get my name written in arabic because there is so much Arabian influence in southern Spain especially in the food. For only 2 euro I got my name written in arabic and it came out great! On our walk home we got a little hungry so we decided to stop for a quick bite which turned into dinner (we under estimated the proportions.) We ate at a some outdoor restaurant in Plaza Bib-rambla called Ohlala. With our delicious tapas we split a barbecue pizza and fried potatoes with a spicy sauce. With all the rain came many relaxing, lazy days but a good, last weekend.

But nothing compares to being home for the holidays...