Because one part of Spain just isn't enough.

Okay. Granada. What can I even say??


Yes, we went to Granada this weekend for our first overnight excursion with the group. It was so amazing! I really think Granada was my favorite place we've been too yet, even more than Sevilla. It was a little ways up in the mountains (not like Colorado mountains, but gorgeous nevertheless) and the city was as beautiful as the scenery. The main attraction was The Alhambra, which is this huge, ancient palace built by one of the Moorish sultans centuries ago. The majority of the palace was still in really good conditions and almost all of the incredible gardens had been restored as well. I think I could've lived there quite happily for the rest of my life. I mean, if you're going to be one of the sultan's many wives or concubines, that's the way to do it.


The city of Granada was great. There was a huge catherdral in the city that we visited, more recent than the one in Sevilla. There were also these gypsy/Morroccan/really amazing markets to shopping though. The stalls and shops were all squeezed in together with huge tapestries and blankets hanging from the street walls and scarves, tea sets and spices spilling out of doorways. It was definitely my kind of shopping trip. Everything was a lot cheaper (relatively speaking) in Granada as well, so shopping was way more of a pleasure than a chore.




Friday evening a bunch of the students and some of the teachers went out to eat at some of the tapas bars in town. Here is yet another thing that makes Granada awesome: at most of the bars, if you order a drink, you get a free tapa! This means that you can have a delicious and diverse meal with some tastey wine for pretty cheap! After tapas we went up to a mirador, or a lookout, where we could see The Alhambra lit up in the drakness. It was just so beautiful, my words and pictures can't do it justice. There were all kinds of people at the lookout too: Americans (ok, us), Spaniards, gypsies, hippies, etc. Some of the people even had a little jam session going with guitars and djembes, and that was quite fun! Granada had amazing food, too! Spanish, Morroccan, whatever, it was excellent!!!




Sunday we went to our first bullfight! I wasn't sure what my reaction would be, watching six bulls die right in front of my eyes, but I really enjoyed the fights. They were very theatrical, and hopefully I'll be able to put some video of it up soon.

In other news, classes keep me super busy, as does simple daily life in Spain. This coming weekend to going to La Rabida and Lagos, so that ought to be fun. I miss everyone in the States a TON, but not enough to come home yet. Things that have been hard to deal with:

-The language barrier, of course.


-Not having any church life. We've gone to a couple of Catholic masses, but since I'm not Catholic AND it's in Spanish AND they're only about half an hour here, it's not the same. Maggie and I want to meet up with some of the missionaries that Alyssa met last semester, but we've been out of town almost every weekend. It's just really hard, and I miss church and my church family A LOT.


-Not feeling at home. I mean, my host family is great, but I feel more like a long term guest than a family member. It gets old, after a while. I also miss just being able to hang out with friends at home. No friends at home here, that's for sure. This makes for a much more expensive social life in general, and my budget can only take so much.

-Cookies. I miss them. Mom, Dad, if you're reading this, I might need some cookies once I come back to the States.

Anything else I should mention? Oh yeah, I've booked flights for Barcelona, Paris and Switzerland (Milan, actually, but then we're taking a train across the border). Awesome!!! If, by some miracle, I have enough money at the end of the semester Britney and I are going to go to Rome as well. Let's hope my budgeting strategies pan out.

Cordoba, Cordoba, Cordoba

Finally, I have time to write an update about Cordoba! This is exciting for me because I really, really enjoyed Cordoba. Or, to be more specific, I really, really enjoyed the mosque at Cordoba.

Some of the girls at the ruins of Zahara!

On this particular trip, we first went by some ancient Arab ruins about 25 minutes outside of Cordoba. The site was once a Moorish palace, built by some really rich and powerful guy for his concubine (at least I assume that concubina is the Spanish word for concubine. I could be wrong.). The palace and surrounding grounds were named Zahara, after the aforementioned concubine. I think the relationship between this king and his woman must have been pretty powerful because it was pretty clear that the palace was a huge deal back in its day. The buildings and gardens were almost completely destroyed by the Visigoths, but the little that was left screamed elegance and luxury.


After the Arab ruins we went on to Cordoba, which is famous for its silver jewelry (some of which I bought) and the mosque-converted-to-a-cathedral.




The mosque was more incredible that I can convey to you in words. It was huge, grand, immense, but never domineering. The arches were full and tall, and the was a wonderful sense of peace within the place. In fact, I felt that mosque was a far more spiritual place than some of the cathedrals we've visited. The only downsides to the mosque were the areas that had been infected by the Christians' gaudy, tacky alters made of solid gold and dripping with disdain for the common man. Very disappointing, since I sort of feel that "Christian" structures would be better if they were welcoming to people. Again, I could be wrong.

More wanderings and discoveries

I realized about a week after I arrived here in Spain that I had forgotten the cord that hooks up my camera to the computer. Really troublesome, because that meant that I would be able to post pictures or even remove pictures from the camera in order to make room for new ones. However, the Center has a little tool that I can use instead, and thus you, faithful friends and family, can now take part in my experiences.

About a week and a half ago we took a day trip to Ronda and Marbella. Ronda was a really beautiful town, full of white-washed buildings and absolutely breathtaking scenery. They have a gorge that runs pretty much through the middle of the town, and yet there's this amazing bridge that goes over the top of it all. I have no idea how long the edifice has been there, but it's got to be older than America (most everything is here).

Just me, hanging out in front of an amazing view.

The super amazing bridge/gorge. We don't have one in the US.

This is how the professional matadors do it.

Marbella was a seaside resort city, home to the very rich and possibly famous British elite. The docks were filled with row after row of enormous yatchs, the streets were filled with English accents ordering wine or beer or buying Versace, and the beaches were filled with tourists, tourists, and some topless tourists. Still, it was right along the Mediterrean, and it was lovely.

This was the view of our coastline in Marbella.

Gigantic lollipop that cost more than a plane ticket to Paris!

Next blog (whenever I have time...) will be Cordoba!!!