Last Full Day In Granada

I have tons of emotions right now. Why is it that when you are going to leave somewhere, it just starts to feel like home? Everything is coming to a close. I started packing over the weekend, I wrote my last papers and finished my last finals today. Now all I have left to do is go out one more night in Granada, finish packing then I'm off to Madrid. I spend Wednesday and some of Thursday in Madrid and then I'm off to Italy. I think this trip is blinding some of my sadness for leaving Granada. I think it will start to sink in tomorrow and then when I get home to California. It's going to be hard to say goodbye to Vanessa my roommate and a couple other people around Granada. I really liked my program directors so it's sad to leave them too. But I am not going to be too sad to leave my family here, they were more like just around than friends. I guess it's easier that way.

Last weekend I saw my friend Victor play guitar with his friend at their concert at this local bar by our apartment. It was really cool seeing someone I know play a concert. It was small and intimate, but better that way. He put on a good show. I also ran around this weekend taking pictures of things around Granada. We also had our farewell dinner with our program. Today at school after finals, our university gave away free beer, wine and tapas. What a great country this is! (The photo is my school.)

Córdoba's Taste of Wine and Balcony Festival

Last weekend I went back to Córdoba for their 25th annual Cata del Vino (Wine Tasting) and the well-known Balcony Festival. These are two of Córdoba's most famous festivals. Initially I went for the day, leaving Granada at about 1pm, but decided later to stay the night in Sevilla with a friend. I met a few friends from Jaén in Córdoba for the wine tasting. The set up there was a bunch of tents with different local bodegas (wineries) where you can buy a pass that allows you to try up to five different wines. All the wines were either whites or sherry. I really liked one white from Hermanos Gracia. The weather was pretty dismal and it poured for about 10 minutes. We stayed there for a few hours then headed to Sevilla on the Renfe train. I love the Renfe because the scenery is beautiful and the train in really comfortable. When my friend Bonnie and I got to Sevilla, we went to her favorite tapas bar and had amazing steak tapas. Then we went out to Calle Betis, which famous for the bars where all the Americans go. Not my favorite but we met up with our friend who was having his 21st birthday. We all went bar hopping all night and eventually made it home. The next morning we had an early train ride back to Córdoba for the Balcony Festival. Residents decorate their walls and balconies with colorful potted plants and flowers. We saw one of my ISA Program directors there which was cool. The weather could have been better but we saw quite a few balconies and had another glass of wine before I headed back to Granada.

disabled weekend

This week has been a great effort. The problem with my ankle has proceeded to annoy me and become more painful because I am not exactly patient. This weekend was a 4 day Spanish holiday and also the Las Cruces weekend in Granada. This is special because the city is dotted with decorated crosses, music and flamenco. Everyone walks from cross to cross around the city. Todo el mundo (everyone) took tapas, drinks and ice cream. Naturally I had to join in the fun. I was depressed because I didn't want my foot to ruin the remaining time I have in Europe. The crosses were beautiful. I've spoken to a few Spaniards about it but none of them can tell me the significance of it. Oh well, another holiday to go out and about and enjoy the community and weather. Some friends of mine who teach English here in Spain and I went to Málaga again this weekend to catch some rays at the beach. It was gorgeous weather, but another annoyance for my ankle. I refuse to just sit in bed all day though. I hate using crutches because my hands are swollen and I go so slow. I just need everything to get better before Italy in less than 3 weeks. Last night I met some people from Italy and their friends from France. English was the one language we could all speak, although the Italians spoke Spanish as well. I think Italian is very close to Spanish and I can understand a little. I know I am not bilingual but I can confidently say that if someone speaks slow enough I can understand them and be able to respond. I just can't believe that I am only living in Spain a little longer and the next time I return I will be a tourist!

Ronda

I spent a few Saturdays ago in one of Andalucia's greenest cities. On the way, tall green grass moved like an ocean in the wind. Ronda is a place, like Granada, that was one of the last Moorish strong holds. The city is known for it's historic bridge, high cliffs and Arabic Baths. These baths were built centuries ago, but had advanced technology for the time. Donkeys would pull cranks that controlled the water pressure. They had many rooms for saunas, cold and hot baths and massages. They had areas for men and women. When the Christians came to invade Ronda and either drove out the Islamic Muslims or converted them, the baths were no longer used. The bridge now connects what is the modern city of Ronda to the old is vertically enormous. The middle of it used to be where extreme prisoners were held. The land and structures that Ronda is made up of sits on cliffs and overlooks gorgeous green valleys of rolling hills and beautiful flowers. There is also what looks like sandy rock that makes up the cliffs. Much of Andalucia is dry, but Ronda proves that there is more variety. Ronda is in the province of Málaga. It was the biggest and most important bull fighting city. The ring is now a museum dedicated to the history and culture of toreros (bull fighters) and the sport itself. We had a walking tour of the city and walked down the valley and then up again. We saw the white washed houses and so many great views. It's so crazy to think how old these places are and the lengthy history behind them. Christians gained control in Spain in 1492 and Ronda was already a bustling pueblo before that. I'll upload photos later!

Today Vanessa and I went to Garcia Lorca Park in Granada. The park is so varied and has a lot of beautiful landscape. Our señora said roses should be blooming soon. There is outside exercise machines, a small pond, fountains, a lot of grass and trees. From the park, Granada seems much prettier. You can see the snow capped mountains of the Sierra Nevadas. The weather here is perfect. Sunny and warm.

Lagos. Portugal

This was one of my top three most fun trips while abroad. The wonderful combination of beach, beauty, fun people and parties was just what I called for. My adventure started early Thursday morning when I caught the three hour bus ride to Sevilla. My good friend Krystle studies there. Her señora let me stay there for free again. I got to Sevilla at about noon and went out on my own and saw some more of the city. Since I was there two weeks prior I kind of knew my way around. I went to another park, the Santa Cruz Barrio and Sevilla's Cathedral. The Cathedral has a tall tower that you can climb to see a 360-degree view of the city. Thirty-four ramps later, I made it to the top and snapped some pretty cool pictures. You can even see the river from up there! When I got down, Krystle and I met up and did some shopping, though I didn't buy anything, Sevilla has a lot of options for that! The weather was so nice, around 85 degrees. Things were looking up for Lagos. After that we went to an old Turk castle taken over by Christians and looked at their beautiful gardens. It was free which was nice. We went for drinks by the river since it was such a beautiful day. At about 8 or 9 we went home to get ready for a night a a discoteca called Buddha. There are three floors there: the first has hookahs and couches for people who aren't inclined to dance, the second floor was Spanish music and third was American. We danced on both floors. Thursday nights are known to be the most popular there and it was packed. We got home at about 6am. The next morning we left for Lagos on our 10am bus. We went with a company called Discover Sevilla which an American who studied abroad started. The trip was decent priced and they really made it easy. Everything except food was included. Even a beach party! Our bus ride was about 4 hours long and when we finally got there, I was stunned at the hotel. I have never stayed at a hotel that nice! The place had four pools, two outdoors, a sun roof terrace, gym, etc etc. Our room was a suite and we had a full kitchen. As soon as we got there we ran down to the beach. It was packed because about 250 people came with Discover Sevilla. The water wasn't bad and we played paddle ball and soccer. The beach has cliffs and rock formations. The weather was perfect. We stayed on the beach until about 8 and went back to the hotel for the best shower of my life! (I miss showers back home because the one I have here in Granada is the worst, maybe 20 drips per second.) We headed out with our group from the hotel to a cool local bar with a live band. We had burgers and great music. After that we all went to a party at a bar that played more music and it was all pretty wild. We met this Spanish guy wearing a costume and none of us really knew what it was or why. The next morning we woke up and went to the pool of our hotel and saw the same costume guy from the night before. He was there with 12 of his friends for his bachelor party weekend. All the guys were from Spain and most from Madrid. They were a blast! We all went down to our beach party where Discover Sevilla hooked it up with free beer all day. We played more soccer and swam. It was so much fun to be around Spanish people in Portugal. I actually missed Spain and knowing the language! There are words in Portuguese that are easily translated but it's a reminder again how hard it is to be clueless about a language. We took buses back to our hotel and ate the groceries that we bought for dinner. We hung out in the room with all our new friends, played music and cards. After that we took off for a another bar in Lagos. This is where the trip went bad for me. I tripped down the stairs and sprained my ankle really bad! It swelled up immediately, so painful. Krystle and two of the Spanish guys came back to the hotel with me and helped me ice it. They were all so nice and helpful. We ended up staying up really late and went to the early morning breakfast. Then I hit the sack, woke up and went to the pool. A friend I made on the trip was helping me ice my ankle and massaged it to check for any more serious problems. He made me feel so much better because I was feeling really down. That same day we left and made it back to Sevilla only to more bad luck for me. Our bus was late back to the city because of traffic and waiting on some people and I missed my bus back to Granada by about 10 minutes. I was reeling because I was stuck in Sevilla with an injury, a heavy bag and no place to stay. I couldn't stay with Krys again so I had to find a hostel. The first one I attempted was 85 euros. Things were not looking up. I got in a cab and told him to take me to one nearby and luckily they were open and had a room for 20 euro. The receptionist was so nice. He checked me in, gave me a room on the first floor, helped me with my luggage and gave me a wrap. Then next morning I got back on another bus to Granada. That was my crazy Lagos adventure!

Feria in Sevilla - pictures above!

Man do those Sevillans know how to party! Vanessa and I spent the two past days visiting friends in Sevilla. First I’ll explain a little about the city of Sevilla (Seville). It is the capitol of Andalucia (the Southern region of Spain) and I would estimate that the physical size of the city is four times the size of Granada. (I’ll refer to this again a little later.) It was a gorgeous big city with a major river dividing it. Sevilla is generally warmer than Granada because it isn’t surrounded by the Sierra Nevadas. There is an enormous park in the middle of the city that we toured around with my friend Krystle. The university buildings are beautiful old architecture and look like something religious with gothic design. But boy did we do a lot of walking. My feet actually hurt and I do a lot of walking in Granada every day. The city is lined with orange trees and has a lot of “paisaje” (landscape). I just loved it. Vanessa’s boyfriend Carlos was also in the city that week and we met his brothers and friends.
Feria is a festival in Spain that is right up there with the running of the bulls in Pamplona. Rich in tradition, it is a huge fair that is somewhat like the county or state fairs in the US. There are carnival rides with fair type food. I had two cotton candies! The other part of it is made up of “casetas” which are private tents that are rented out by families or groups. We got to go in a few through our friend Bonnie’s friends and Carlos’ brother’s friends. I’m glad we got to experience this part of Feria. Many bash this tradition because it is reserved for the privileged and if you don’t know anyone in Sevilla, you get left out of a lot of the fun. I agree, but I am glad we got to enjoy some time in the famous casetas. They varied quite a bit inside. Some were small and just had a dance floor, tables, a bathroom and a small bar. Others were enormous with a huge dance floor and long bar. We went in both. We drank a well-known Sevilla drink called Manzanilla. It is a type of white wine mixed with 7-up. Delicious! Our friends told us that it went down like water and I agree. After the casetas, we rode the bumper cars and this other crazy ride that made you feel weightless. I was shocked I didn’t get sick. It was a boat and you were locked at each end. It went up into a half circle and at the top you floated because of the pressure of going up and then falling down. It was so exhilarating, as well as the closet I’ll ever get to skydiving.
Carlos’s brother and his friends were awesome. They all spoke a little English. We all insisted that we would speak Spanish to them and they would speak English with us. It went really well and I had a great time talking with them! After this weekend hanging out with so many Spanish people, I really feel my Spanish has improved. To me, many people in Granada aren’t as open to foreigners but the people of Sevilla were so warm, helpful and excited to talk with us. It was refreshing. Bonnie’s friends were really nice too. None of them spoke English so it was a little more of a struggle, but when they spoke directly to me and a little slower, I probably got about 85 percent.
Another great aspect of Feria was the Flamenco style. The traditional “traje de Flamenco” are colorful dresses with various prints. Some were red with white polka dots, others were neon green garnished with blue ribbon. Many women wore flowers on the tops of their perfect hair or picks with cool designs. There were huge dangling earrings of all colors and fringed shawls. They all had their makeup done and looked gorgeous. Women of all ages wore the dresses from about six months to 80 years old. I found myself every 5 minutes looking and gasping wow or saying how much I liked them! I can’t imagine how they all walked around Sevilla and Feria all day wearing heels. There is a traditional dance called the Sevillana and I learned a little how to do it. However, I felt a little out of place trying it when I wasn’t all dressed up.
This one Spanish woman was so funny. She was grandma age and was walking in front of us and we were all admiring her striking crocheted shawl. She turned around and pointed to her hair. She pulled out a plastic fork and told us that instead of a pick, she had a fork! Her friend pointed out that this way she could eat her way through Feria! She was so cute!
Krystle took us to the shopping district and to the Cathedral. It was huge! I didn’t go to the top though because it was 7.50 Euro! Then we sat and relaxed in a plaza and enjoyed the weather with ice cream. We took a walk along the river and saw the Plaza de Torros (bull fighting ring). Later we cruised Plaza de Espana. This famous (and now a touristy place in Sevilla) used to be a military building of some sort. It was awesome. It had kind of a half moat with bridges garnished with tile. There were benches with different art for each city in Spain. Of course we took a picture at the Granada bench. All around the city we kept seeing horses and carriages and the horses were all dressed up for Feria too. Muy precioso!
Feria goes from about 9am to who knows what time at night. The second night of Feria we left at about 6am to walk back to the apartment. It took more than 45 minutes! Whew I was so sick of walking!
Overall, the people were marvelous and the city was beautiful. I can’t think of my favorite part! All I know is this is somewhere I want to come back to!