Granada

So… I know I haven’t written in a while but this past weekend was our school trip to Granada and all 45 (or so) of us fit on a HUGE Mercedes bus (yes… Roughing it includes riding in style in Spain ). Granada is this beautiful little city at the base of the mountains on the east coast of Spain. It is about a 30 minute drive away from the mountains (where you can ski or snowboard) but is based on a hill so it kind of looks like what I believe Greece would. Every day we had various school functions, tours, meals, and other various activities that were included. However, they gave us tons of leisure time as well! While everyone else was sleeping I was off wandering and getting lost in the city with two of my closest guy friends here, Bart and Nick. Bart is a Carthage boy and Nick a Madison boy. They are extremely excited for traveling, almost as much as I am! So at any given chance the three of us go and explore. Nice having people wanting to get completely immersed in their surroundings as much as I do! So we started to hike up the hill and wander through the narrow, winding streets in Granada. As you can see with the pictures, we had the most beautiful views of our surroundings! We actually even climbed on a few abandon houses roofs and took pictures of the city while the sunset. I can honestly say it was the most incredible thing I have ever seen. We could see the mountains with the snow on top, the entire city of Granada, and the sun setting as if it is where the earth ended and heaven began, INSANE!
However, the first day that we got there we broke off into two large groups and toured the city, to go to the most important spot in Granada that overlooked the entire city. This plaza was lined up with all sorts of people! From the gypsies sitting on the ground with their little trinkets to sell, to the families that just wanted to enjoy the sunset with their kids, this plaza was the place to be, and was completely packed EVERY DAY because of its simply beautiful nature. Although it was a pretty long walk up the hill, since there is only one main street that connects to all of the side roads, the 45 (or so) of us all hiked up it, and let me tell you, it was worth it!
The second day we had breakfast at the hotel and started with a tour of the Alhambra, which is an old military fort that is still standing (in its original structure) in Granada. And, I thought the view was beautiful from the first place… UNBELIEVABLE! Not only was the architecture extremely interesting and beautiful, we could see for miles upon miles! Not to mention the tour guide made sure to tell us that “Hilary Clinton said that the best/most beautiful sunset was from the view of the Alhambra.” Hahaha. So basic history to know about this place was, although it was a military fortress, a sultan also lived there in the summer. Since it gets cold in Granada, he only returns for the summer, but does not believe in using much electricity because the natural sunlight in Granada is “too beautiful to waste.” Thus, in the winter, tours are given to all those that want to see. The architecture was very interesting with a ton of ceilings that looked almost like Stalactites. But, I must say, my favorite part of the entire place was their use of water. The sultan loved the idea of using large pools of water as a “reflector” so that wherever you are you can see the beautiful architecture through reflections in the water. Of course, we went on the perfect day, like always, seems just seem to work out here like that!
Other than that, it was a lot of roaming around and finding places that we wanted to go! You had the option of walking around with the group for dinner, drinks, local hot spots, but my group of friends and I just wanted to be immersed, so we went to local spots and ate. Food was wonderful, same as Seville, but it seemed as if there were more tourists than Spanish people there which was pretty weird. Other than that, if I had to tell someone to go visit Granada, I would say GO IF YOU HAVE THE CHANCE! But, don’t go for too long, I felt like I would have just done the exact same thing every day. Go to the gypsy markets, the top of the hill (that plaza) or the mountains/Alhambra, but it truly was beautiful.
Other than that, I’m back in classes (woof!) and just doing homework and counting down the days till I can see my dad in Munich!  Can’t wait to see him! Not to mention, add another country to the passport! I will upload pictures later, my battery is running low, but I will, I promise! Miss you all! Love you!

Laur

“La belleza está en el ojo del contemplador.”
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”