Hola amigos! Sorry that yet again it has been ages since I have blogged. The weeks tend to fly by here and then before you know it, it is the weekend. Since that last time I posted I have been to the Alhambra and Barcelona.
We went to the Alhambra the day after the Alpujarras. It was incredible. It was so amazing to finally see it after reading about it and studying it for so long. It is really nice that we are able to do these activities because of CEA because normally you have to buy tickets to the Alhambra 4 months in advance, we got to go for free. There is an enormous amount of rooms and places to see in the Alhambra so we only got a sampling of what is really there. It was about a four hour tour and it was pretty hot so water was a must. We also went out the night before so everyone was pretty sluggish and tired. I already posted pictures and as you can see it is ornately decorated and the tile work is stunning. It was really neat to pass through the castle and see the room where Washington Irving stayed and wrote during his time in Granada. The gardens were probably my favorite part, a tropical escape from the endless miles of desert terrain. The views from the Alhambra were just incredible as well. It is also neat because you can actually go up to the Alhambra for free (only the entrance way) and walk around.
So the most exciting experience we have had in the past week or two has been going to Barcelona! It is only about an hour and twenty minute flight there rather than taking a 12 hour bus ride. I am actually getting a lot more comfortable flying, thankfully, probably because of how many times I have flown in the past month. We took a bus from the airport to the city center and from the minute we left the airport we realized we weren't in Granada anymore. Between 4-6 million people live in Barcelona, it is huge! It made Granada seem like some sleepy hillside town. The first thing we did when we got off the bus, after finding a map, was head straight for Starbucks haha. Kind of sad but we are americans and we just couldn't resist. It took about 25 minutes to walk from the city center to our hostel. It was on kind of a shady street but the hostel was rather nice and had free and fast internet which was extremely helpful. Our internet in Granada is rather slow and kind of a pain at times. That day we explored the city and went to the chocolate museum as well as the Picasso museum. They were both really fun. We mainly just explored the rest of the day and rested because we were so tired from walking everywhere.
Saturday we went on a walking Gaudi tour which was neat but our tour guide, Debbie, was a little too happy for me. Though, it was nice having someone to guide you and give you interesting facts about the buildings. We also successfully rode the metro and saw someone almost get robbed by a team of pitpocketers. We were extremely careful from then on. We actually lost our tour group, Adriene couldn't decide what postcards to buy haha, so we figured out how to get to Parque Guell on our own. It was so hot and we had to hike up this street, honest to God it was a seventy degree incline, for about 25 minutes. It was miserable yet comical at the same time. Once we reached the top we took some pictures but it wasn't as incredible as I thought it would be. I think it was partially because I was super hot and hungry and all there really was to do was look at the few Gaudi designs, the benches and the igauana statue, and look at the vendors.
After the somewhat disappointing Parque Guell, we headed over to the Sagrada Familia. No words can describe the feeling you get walking in, it was magical. Pictures just don't do it justice. The architecture is incredible, it was complicated in the simplest way. It is extremely hard to describe. This trip has really been breaking me of my fear of heights. Everything we do is always really high or some little cramped elevator, or a skinny staircase inside a church spire. I am glad I have been pushing myself to try new things and haven't let my fears get in the way.
We also went to this amazing tapas bar in Barcelona called Tapa Tapa. We had such a great time there we can't stop talking about it. There were a lot of things I did like about Barcelona but I was really happy to get back to Granada after the weekend was over. The best part was how it kind of reminded me of being in Chicago being a massive city and all. But it was a real downer having to pay for tapas every night. Overall it was a great trip and I am very glad we ventured off to Barca for the weekend.
School is probably the most miserable part of my day right now. Sorry that was kind of a rough transition but it is the only way to say it. All we do is grammar for four consecutive hours Monday through Friday in the same class room and you sit in the same chair. It is pretty awful. We had this amazing teacher, I believe I wrote about him before, and he made class so much fun and interesting for the last two hours. BUT he all of a sudden without giving us warning told us he was leaving for Rome for two weeks to work on his new book. So disappointing. So now we are stuck with Ana and Luisa/Isabel and I just want to cry ever day before class. I cannot wait to start real classes next week.
Well folks I will try to post more frequently so you do not have to read a novel about my life. Hope everyone has a fantastic day :)
Besos, Dani
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