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!