Alright - so get ready for the longest blog post ever... (and it only covers the first week!)
Last Tuesday was the beginning of this great big adventure.After two weeks of not being able to see the carpet in my room, I had finally finished packing... Though basically I was still shoving things into suitcases on our way out the door. Mom and I were running late (surprise), and had reached the Grove when we realized I had forgotten my coat at home. And so we turned that bus around, I sprinted upstairs, and soon enough we were on the road again, hoping that the snow wouldn't cause crazy traffic.
Luckily, we got to O'Hare with time to spare for a curbside goodbye. It was entirely bittersweet. Excitement and nerves mixed with pangs of sadness. A few tears, a long hug, and that was it. Dad came with me inside to get me to security and then that too came to end. I walked away awkwardly hauling my bags -- alone, anxious, and nervously excited. Surely this is a dream!
If it is a dream, it is one of the greatest dreams I have ever dreamt. Upon arriving in Granada, we stepped down onto the tarmac, blinking into the sun -- just like the Lion King. There was not a cloud in the sky and on the left the Sierra Nevadas rose in grandeur.
On the short bus ride from the airport to our hostal in el centro, I soaked up the mountains, the fields of trees, and eventually the fancy buildings lining cobblestone streets. As soon as we got off the bus, we completely ruined the ambiance. Seventy-seven American students stumbling over the sidewalks dragging entirely too much luggage and sticking out like sore thumbs.
After settling into the hostel room we set out to explore a little bit and hopefully find a fun place for our first dinner. Exploring went well, but we completely failed on the dinner front. Things got so dire that the words Dominoes and Burger King were actually tossed into the mix. Luckily I decided to take charge and save us from American food on our first night. We walked down the block to this tiny Kebab shop we had passed earlier and ordered chicken shawarmas to-go for 3€. The guy was so nice to us -- despite our complete failure to speak Spanish -- and ended up giving us free desert that was dripping in honey, sugar, and deliciousness. Eating the shwarmas in the hotel room was pure heaven. YUM YUM YUMMMMM. a shawarma (aka chwarma) is a pita sandwich of shaved chicken, lettuce, tomato, carrot shavings, and some delicious sour cream sauce -- all warmed up on a skillet. so fatty but oh so gooood.
The next day we went to orientation at a school just a block away from our school (CEGRÍ). Nothing too captivating there, so I'll just move on to our lunch break. A group of us decided to try out a restaurant that was nearby called Hicuri. It was very trendy and artsy - with entire walls painted in bright colored murals.
I decided to try the menú del día -- which gives you choices for three courses and drink for about 10€. I didn't really understand what the waiter was saying when he told us the options so I just randomly picked some to be surprised. Before our first course they brought out an appetizer of carrot sticks and a light dip -- not quite like ranch back home, but yummy all the same. The first course turned out to be gazapacho -- a traditional andalucían dish. Essentially it is a cold tomato bisque with avocado and hard-boiled eggs in it. Not gonna lie - one of the worst things ive put in my mouth… But now wanting to offend anyone, I asked breanne to tell me a story while i shoveled down as much as I could stand. You win some you lose some I guess.
Luckily the second dish was delicious. It was a mix of vegetables and a meat substitute (possibly tofu... but that was lost in translation) in a curry sauce served over rice. I'm not sure it was a "Spanish" dish but it definitely tasted good and I ate every last crumb. Dessert turned out to be a piece of fruit of my choice -- I went with an orange. Andalucíans eat oranges and mandarinas ALL DAY LONG -- they're very tasty though.
After lunch, we hurried back to go on our walking "Survival Tour" led by Narea. We visited the main landmarks around el centro (la catedral, el mercado, and a bunch of plazas) and picked up little bits of history and facts along the way.
Following a short nap after the tour we went out in search of tapas. A tapa is a small appetizer or meal that you receive when you order a drink. It's a long-standing tradition in Spain as a whole -- however, Granada is one of the only places remaining that still has tapas gratis - or free. In most other cities you have to pay extra for tapas. Here you can buy a 1.5€ drink and get a whole plate of food too!
It turned out to be a little difficult to find a place to fit all of us because every bar literally is the size of a hobbit hole. Eventually we just split up and discovered different bars in smaller groups. The first place we ventured into served a tapa of a toasted ham and cheese sandwich. Although it was simple, it was absolutely delicious. The second bar where we went had a wonderful atmosphere -- it was cozy, yet spacious, chill but a bit more sophisticated than other places. Here, I decided to try the tinto de verano - it's red wine mixed with carbonated lemonade - and it is the best thing I've ever had. It is for sure my new favorite thing in Spain.
On Friday, I finally went to the bank and it was actually open. The banks here have very weird hours and many of them close at 2:00 for the day. Luckily I was finally able to get inside to exchange dollars for euros. I went up to the counter with McKenna and she ended up saying, “tenemos dol-AR-es.” The clerk chuckled and immediately corrected us -- saying "DO-la-re!" and pointing at the money and then "doLOR" and pointing at his elbow in pain. After this little lesson, we learned how important emphasis on the right syllable is.
After tucking my Euros into my coin purse (soooo european haha), Breanne and I headed out to El Mercado de San Augustín that is held every morning. There was fresh meat and fish EVERYWHERE -- literally legs of every single animal and god knows what else just hanging at every stand. We made our way through what I can imagine is a vegetarian's nightmare and wandered over to the panadería to snag some fresh baguettes at a cool 0.75€. Then we went across the way to the next vendor to purchase some fresh cheese. Seeing as I am not a cheese expert in the first place and also that I don't know Spanish very well yet, we were a little lost on what to buy. Luckily the lady was very nice and just cut us what she would recommend to go with our bread -- and un cuarto kilograma of this mystery cheese was only a handsome 2.15€. Our last stop before our picnic was at the fruteria stall where we picked up some fresh manderinas y peras. At last, we took our finds to a jardín/parque en el centro and had a picnic in the sunshine with Audrey, Madeline, McKenna, and Esteban. It was heavenly. Heeeaavenly. It’s January and I was without a coat and sweating. Love love love. We just sat and ate and talked and laughed.
After a quick nap at the hostel (napping is the name of the game here), we met our group at El Fuente de Isabel Católica to go on a tour of the old part of Granada known as Albaycín and Sacromonte. Wandering through all of the tiny, winding cobblestone streets was unreal. Along the way we stopped at various plazas and cathedrals for short history lessons. Many of the older buildings were originally mezquitas (mosques) until los Reyes Católicos (Isabel and Ferdinand) expelled the Moors from Granada in 1492. The arabe influence is evident in much of the architecture, with the most obvious building being the famous Alhambra -- a Moorish fortress. On our tour we had a stunning view of La Alhambra at sunset - life in Granada is basically like a movie that just keeps getting better.
la alhambra and the sierra nevadas
We kept walking from la albaycín into Sacromonte -- which is the oldest part of Granada. Here there are houses and restaurants that are essentially caves -- they are built directly into the mountainside. Sacromonte is home to Granada's pretty large gypsy community. Now if I had a penny for every time I have been warned not to accept a rosemary sprig from a gypsy, I would probably be... three or four cents richer. Alright - so not that rich - but the message is loud and clear. Apparently the gypsies give you a sprig of rosemary for "free" and then grab your hand to read your future -- at 25€ a pop. And if you don't pay --- well... let's just say that's not an option.
After the tour, we were famished so we headed out in search of Café Fútbol for some churros con chocolate -- BEST LYFE. Basically they are tubes of fried dough that you dip in a cup of melty chocolate sauce. SO GOOOOOD. I will definitely be going back there!
After the churros we went to our program’s welcome dinner AT 9:30pm! It is definitely a different schedule here in spain -- We stayed until about 12 - everything is slower and more social here and I love it.
I need the pic of wall art at hicuri - hi res please
ReplyDeleteLove you
Kip
keep it coming, senorita! just love living in granada with you, even if only vicariously!!
ReplyDeleteMuchos amor! Tricia