Nuevas Naciones Granada

So Mom, Torrey and Scott arrived last Saturday and we had a wonderful few days travelling around Madrid and exploring the sites. It is so true (and funny) what my mom said about visitors, you never really see your own city until you have visitors to share it with. Though I had seen many of the sites around Madrid the first few weeks I was here, I was in such a whirlwind those first few weeks that it wasnt until this past week that I was able to really enjoy and ...

After two days of walking the beautiful hills of Frigiliana, we made the trip to Granada so that we could see The Alhambra – the Crown Jewel of Andulusia. The bus trip took us through the Sierra Nevada region of Spain on a beautiful sunny day; it took almost three hours to get there and then another short bus ride to the top of the hill. When we arrived, we purchased our tickets and got 2 audio guides in English. We then entered a world that has to ...

... of vino and a few hands of WHOT, it´s off to bed.

20 Nov
We awake to a chilly yet sunny Granada morning and decide to bus it into town. We are accompanied for the day by Amanda and Gavin a Scottish couple currently living in Barcelona. Alighting from the bus in town, we head up the hill to the Alhambra, which turns out to be a wonderful visual experience comprising of extensive gardens and a number of interconnected palaces. The ...

... white wine into our glasses full of red wine and vice versa which surprised me a little because I thought mixing different types of wine was against the rules all things wine! hmmmm, I suppose he is the bodega owner, not me!

A small family came in (older parents and two daughters our age) and a different man picked up a guitar from behind the bar. The man began playing at the bar right next to us and the whole family started clapping flamenco ...

... out in little baskets on a table that was at least 100 meters long. It took quite a bit of inner strength to tear myself away from the olfactory awesomeness and follow the group.

After leaving the spice market, we walked through the narrow, winding, hilly streets of Old Granada to the Church of San Nicolas, which has an amazing lookout over the Alhambra and the city of Granada. Dozens more photos ensued. By this time, it was about 8:30pm, so Kaitlin ...

... lost their hold on Spain after centuries of ruling it. These African-originated Moors lived in the hills of Granada, but were defeated by Christians seeking to regain control of the region. The defeated king at the time was soundly thrashed but managed to flee back to Africa. Now, if that weren't bad enough, as they fled the city, his mother lambasted him with the following words: "Now you can weep like a woman for the land you could not defend as a man ...

I will begin this blog at the villa in Havanas in the south of Portugal !! We were recovering in style, as it had been a blasting eight days getting loose, down and dirty at Boom Festival (dance party in Portugal). we were all chilling by the pool at the pimped out villa in Havanas.. Locky was mixing cocktails inside a watermelon , Timmy was cooking a variety Portuguese meat sticks on the BBQ, Aiden was breathing smoke, Lex and Michele were there, Sophie, Nat, Jonnie ...

... is a symbol seen all over the city. I am staying in the Albacin, the old Arab quarters of Granada, and there is so much mysticism in the aging architechture and cobblestone streets that sit below the hilltop fortress palace of the Alhambra (which I will write more about after I visit this week.) Definitely, put this on the list of places to visit. Now, I am off to eat some tapas ...

1 de octubre Today was definitely a travel day. I had to go to Granada for orientation for the program I am in, but I also wanted to visit my host mom and walk through the city, so a couple friends and I took an early bus and got there around 10am. It was very nostalgic being back in the city. The first thing I wanted was the famous churros and chocolate, but unfortunately the café that I remember had the best ones was closed for some reason ...

... terrace straight to the Alhambra and the mountains behind. There were actually four apartments in this lovely house run by a half Japanese, half Spanish family who kept flowers on the terraces, used traditional décor, and put charm in every corner. Excited by our temporary home in Granada, we set out to explore. On our way down to the Plaza Nueva, we ended up on a street that looked more like Morocco to us than anything we ever saw in Morocco. (Why did we ...