2 nights in Granada

8 long hours by bus, and then back again, just to spend two nights and three days in the city of Granada.  But it was so worth it!  An excursion organized by ISA, we had a free bus ride and reservations in a nice hotel; quite a step up from the cheap hostels I have been staying in when I travel.  As our bus made its way through Andalucia (the autonomous community furthest south in Spain), the mountains got bigger and as the landscape spread out before us, green and lush full olive trees stretching out for miles and miles, I knew I was going to love Granada.

Our first night there, ISA took us to a Flamenco show.  A 20 or so minute walk away from the hotel up the mountain side, the show was in a small cave-like restaurant was built into the hills, with low, white rounded ceilings. All 70 of us piled into a small, oval shaped room, and the dancers danced in the middle on a wooden dance floor.  The young female dancers demanded our attention with their fierce glares and loud, sharp clicks of their heels tapping to the beat of the guitar music. I felt a little bit guilty taking their picture, as it made it less intimate and more touristy...but it really was a show I did not want to forget!

That night I met up with my Vermont/DU friends Gabe and Tyler; Tyler is studying in Granada, so he showed us around.  The nightlife in Granada is similar to Salamanca because there are so many students studying there, plus it is a relatively small city, making it easier to navigate than Madrid or even Sevilla.  What did we do? Botellón: a term to describe when people (generally young people) come together do drink in public.  Granada is well known for this Spanish activity, and while it is illegal in Castilla y León, where I live, in Granada they have a park built specifically for this pastime.  It is like an outside concert, with thousands of young people crammed together in a small place, but without music.  Everybody simply comes together to have fun and drink cheap beer.  When they're finished drinking, the simply leave their trash on the ground.  Here is a picture of the morning after:

Taken from http://doshombresyundestino.blogspot.com/2011/03/la-segunda-toma-de-granada.html  

The next morning we had the opportunity to tour La Alhambra.  With a Spanish tour guide, a lot of the details were lost in translation and many of us found it hard to pay close attention during the three hour tour.  Instead, we took in all the magnificence of the old buildings that complemented the huge mountains towering in the distance, as we overlooked the the city of Granada below us, spread out on the plains:

A classic view of La Alhambra: 

What made the Alhambra so remarkable were not just the buildings themselves, but the intricate gardens surrounding the compound and pools of water with the reflections of the buildings.  It truly felt like we were wandering around the queen's garden from "Alice in Wonderland," with mazes of tall, square shrubs and flowers and fountains spread out that gave way to views of the old buildings in the background.   

While the tours and culture of Granada made the trip memorable, seeing DU friends was what made this trip so much fun.  I mean, at the botellón, there happened to be 15 of us from DU; how cool is that?!

Gabe, Tyler and I wandering around the hills in Granada, in search of gypsies!

Tired and hot, the three of us drank beers at a small restaurant overlooking the city.  In Granada, it is required by law to serve food whenever people order drinks, called tapas.  So whenever I ordered a beer in Granada, I was served a small portion of food.  Awesome. Wandering around on a warm Saturday afternoon, this is what we found: amongst homes and clubs and restaurants up in the hills, there would be humble dwellings built into the mountainside. 

Tyler, you are so lucky you get to live here!

Saturday evening six friends and I decided to look into the Arab baths that our ISA directors suggested.  Hesitant to spend 20 euro on what could be either really fun or a waste of money, we listened when they told us that it would be relaxing, equivalent to a day at the spa.  And it was! We found the baths located next to apartment buildings and restaurants; from the outside, you would have no idea of the intricate set up beyond the double doors.  After we paid and waited a few minutes, we were led back into the changing rooms.  Barefoot and in our bathing suits, we quietly tip-toed into a large, dark room, divided up with Arab style arches and dimly lit in the corners with lanterns.  In total, there were seven baths; two small, very hot baths, two large, less hot baths, two bathtub-temperature baths, and in the middle, with water pouring into it from a fountain, a cold, frigid bath.  The idea was that you started in the warm bath, then worked your way up to the hottest one; you are never supposed to be overheated.  We had 90 minutes and of sheer bliss and relaxation, where one could just float in the shallow baths and let your mind wander. Nobody spoke above a whisper, and all you could hear was people moving from bath to bath.  Plus, the number of people was limited, so there were no more than 15 people.  If you go to Granada, be sure to check out the baths!

Taken from http://www.lovegranada.com/bath/

When deciding where to study abroad last fall, Granada was a top contender; I loved this city and would have been so happy living here...but as we pulled into Salamanca late Sunday night, seeing the buildings all lit up on top of the hill, and then coming home to my host mom in my small apartment and, I fell asleep in my tiny, yellow bed and I knew that I was home.