Sat. Jan 26th- Cahorros: Round 2 & Granada 10

Yesterday I hiked through Los Cahorros again (first time here), this time with my own program. It was just as great the second time. We walked in a different way than last time (so no fence jumping) so we got to see a waterfall.

When walking through the village we had 2 different dogs follow us and one of them went all the way to end of the hike and back with us! We dubbed him Carlito-ito.

Then when we were walking back to the bus stop I saw michael starting to climb this hill and then I saw there was a donkey up there! So I joined him and asked its owner if we could pet it and took some pictures with it. It was so cute!

Katie, Sam and I decided we definitely want to go back there on our own and explore more and hike up more of the rocks and hills.

here are some more pictures!

Olive Tree, they're EVERYWHERE

hiking in

Katie!

Leah, Michael & Maggie

Michael and our guide dog Carlito-ito

Katie took these. Isn't she amazing!

Coming out of the village. The same picture Tess & I took on our first hike 3 weeks before!

My new donkey friend!

So after our hike, I went back and rested for the afternoon/evening because I knew we were going out that night. Some other people were going out at 11pm but Tess and I decided that was too early so we met up on our own at midnight for some wine before going to the discoteca. I wore my Zara dress that I got in L.A. and I was telling Tess that I just tried it on for fun not expecting to get it but ended up loving it and as we were trying to find a cute bar to go to she said "Maybe it will be "your dress" and we'll end up loving it" and it was!

We found a crowed, shanzzy looking place so we went in and ordered some wine. It was obvious we were American and after a while these people next to us started talking to us and we talked to them for at least an hour. It was a couple in their 50s Pepi & Manuel and their older friend Jose Antonio. They were so funny, they told us all about Spain and we talked about Spanish, the US and other random things. They ended up buying our wine for us AND Jose Antonio bought  us a cab to Granada 10. he came with us and when we got there we saw Sam outside! So we went in and Jose Antonio came in too and bought us more drinks! He is too funny. We made plans to have drinks again after our break next week.

Granda 10 was fun except for the fact that Tess had her iphone stolen! We were really excited when we got there and found our friends so we just threw our coats on a couch instead of bringing them to the coat check right away. We went back 20 or 30 minutes later and her phone was gone. We called it and it was turned off. I felt so bad! She left early to go skype her parents.

The rest of us left around 5am (This is normal in Spain believe me) and wow were my feet sore. I wore heels and had to take them off on my walk home because they were so painful after 6 hours of standing and dancing.

Walking home, Michael had to document my shoe experience.

 The next morning Jasmine and I got up around 1pm and Adela came in our room to tell us she was making crepes! So good. Then I went over to Ruth's and Katie's to watch The Lizzy McGuire Movie to get ready for Rome!

All and all it was a great weekend!

End of January (weeks 2 & 3)

I'm a terrible blogger. I haven't posted in quite some time but here is what's been happening in Spain.

School

My intensive class is going good. We only have 2 days left actually, Monday and Tuesday. I really like my Professors and everyone in my class (except for one asshole). The past two days we've been watching Inglorious Basterds for the second half of the class with Carmen Carmen. I'm definitely going to have to do some studying this weekend though for our test on Tuesday.

I'm a tad nervous about my grade because half of our grade for the class is based off of participation and I don't know if I've been talking enough in class. We go off on random, long tangents a lot about things I usually don't care about like weird animals in people's home towns that I zone out for and don't contribute to. It doesn't help that there are like 3 people who tend to dominate every discussion in class.

Home 

Adela is as awesome as ever. I finally found out that she is indeed dating a professional Granada futbál player. I haven't met him but hopefully I can make it to a game and maybe meet him and some of his teammates...

Adela also parties harder than me. Last weekend I got home from Mae West at 4am... she got home from there at 8am. I have some catching up to do.

My roommate Jasmine has a cold so she's been snoring like a freight train for the past week or more so sleeping has been pretty miserable. I CANNOT STAND SNORING. It's IMPOSSIBLE to get her to stop. Even if I wake her up she falls right back asleep and starts snoring again. Two nights I've given up and slept on the couch. I've also tried listening to music but then I can't fall asleep.

Free time

- I've been exploring more tapas bars and shops but the weather has been making it difficult. Its been raining for about a week and then it gets cold and I don't want to leave the house! I've spent quite a few afternoons curled up with my nook reading A Clash of Kings. It's so good I can't put it down!

- With our program we've had a tour of the Realejo neighborhood, went to a Moroccan teashop, out for tapas, and saw La Vida de Pi (The Life of Pi).



- We've paid the discotecas a visit or two. In Spain you don't go out until 1am at the earliest so a good siesta is a must.

Coming up

- Tomorrow we go hiking in los Cahorros, this is the same hike I did on my second day in Spain but this time its with my own program group!

- Last day of our January Intensive class is Tuesady

- On Wed. at 2am Katie, Ruth Ann and I are catching our bus to Madrid so we can fly to ROME! I can hardly believe I'm actually going. I've already told Katie and Ruth Ann that I just might start bawling when I see the Pantheon, the Calling of St. Matthew, The Pieta, The Sistine Chapel. It's going to be unreal.

- Oh and the rain is finally suppose to stop! Just look at this forecast! 

Here are some pictures from the past couple of weeks:

Cloister of the former monastery where the University of Granada now is. 

Graffiti by "El Niño"

This is my school. It's okay to be jealous.

Cathedral

1/10/13

We had our first after school cultural activity to the Cathedral of Granada! On the way Isabel (one of our directors) gave us lots of history lesson on Granada. We stopped by a 14th century Arabic market place which was really interesting. When we got to the cathedral we first walked around it to take picutres. Its so big but because its tucked into the city so much it can be hard to miss if you don't come a certain way. Then we went into the chapel where los Reyes Catolicos are buried which include Isabella and Ferdinand, their daughter and niece. Then we went into the cathedral and it was gorgeous! All white marble with a gold dome/sanctuary. It makes me want to study architecture again! It is very very late Gothic/Baroque style.

Entrance to the 14th century Arabic market

Ceiling of the arch

Inside the Arabic market

Isabella and Christopher Columbus

Spices being sold outside of the cathedral

 This is a famous quote about Granada that was on a wall outside of the cathedral. It says "Give him charity lady, for there is no greater pain in life then being blind in Granada"

Front portal of the cathedral

Side of the cathedral

The crest of the Reyes Catolicos I think... I was only half listening

Inside the cathedral

Semana 1: Jan 8-12

1/6/13

On Sunday, which is el Dia de los Reyes, Jasmine and I slept until 2:30 (14 hours of sleep) which felt great! Adela had presents for both of us! A book called Tales from the Alhambra, its like a journal from this guy who stayed in the Alhambra in the 1800s.

 We had lunch and then went to meet Ruth Ann and her roommate Katie to walk around. We just kind of wandered and got to know each other and ended up finding el Centro de Lenguas Modernas. Then we walked back to this park and while we were talking randomly ran into Michael and Sam to guys who are from Winona in our program. After we talked to them for a bit we sat down for some wine at a cafe and talked about travel. It was really great! When we got back Clara was at the apartment so we met her (she seems really nice), had dinner and went to bed.

Ruth Ann, me and Katie outside of CLM

Iglesia de Santo Domingo

Beautiful fountain

1/7/13 Orientation

Got up and went to orientation which was a lot of just talking about how things are going to work with classes and excursions. Then we all walked around the city center together, went home and had lunch. Adela had family over so we met some of them. Her nephew was adorable and kept climbing up to Jasmine's bunk when she was trying to sleep. Then we went out with Ruth Ann, Katie and Erika to see the nativity seen at the cathedral but it wasn't there so we got chocolate y churros instead! Yummmmmm. Then we walked around the shops and I bought boots! The shopping has begun!

1/8/13

We had our placement test this morning which I was really nervous for! I thought it went so-so but I got my score and was placed in level 5 which I am very happy with! I feel so much weight lifted off my shoulders!In the afternoon I met up with Michael, did a little shopping and then we met up with Tess and Jasmine for drinks and tapas, in which we kinda failed.

Arrival and Day 2!

I've made it to Spain!

Here's how!

I left Minneapolis on a 7am flight to La Guardia where my uncle and cousin picked me up. They took me back to their house on Long Island where we went out to lunch and relaxed until they took me to JFK for my flight to Madrid. When I was sitting in the gate waiting for my flight I had a mini breakdown and texted Ruth Ann but she calmed me down. I barely got on the flight but the champagne I received in business class sure helped calm me down.

I arrived in Madrid and after a lot bit of confusion made it to my next flight to Granada! After I landed and even more confusion I met German who took me to Adela's house. She is so nice! She was so welcoming and I could actually understand her (mostly)! Her apartment is so lovely, has art hanging everywhere and has two balconies!

The rest of the day I rested and unpacked and later that night, Adela took me out to get hot chocolate and churros! So delicious! Then we did some shopping and it was so crowed! It was the Friday before El Dia de los Reyes, The Day of the Kings, which is when Spaniards exchange their Christmas gifts so everyone was out shopping. Then we met up with her son Alejandro and his friends for drinks and tapas. Everyone was very nice and understanding of my lack of fluency. There was only one time I had no idea was someone was trying to ask me which led me to accidentally telling her I have been to Barcelona. Oops.


Saturday:

German invited me to come hiking in the mountains with the group of students that are still here for the winter break session. So I woke up early and met them along with Tess who is a student in my program who also arrived early. The hike was beautiful and a lo of fun. It started out by our group coming to a fence that wasn't suppose to be there and after German couldn't find a way around it, he told us to just climb over it! Then we came to another fence which wasn't climbable but did have a way around it that required swing on this tree in this muddy, rocky ditch thing. It was quite an adventure which is the whole reason I came on this trip!

After the hike, Tess, another student Wes and I went out to eat in the Albaicín district which is the old Moorish part of town. Its is so beautiful and definitely my favorite part of the city so far. We ate at a Moroccan place and had tea. On our way back we stopped to listen to a group of street performers who were just incredible. 

Wes had to go back to his place so I went to Tess's house with her. She lives over in the Albaicín and it took forever to find her place because the street are such a maze over there. her house has a bedroom that is an actual cave carved into the stone, an adorable enclosed patio (that's between the house and the cave) and an amazing terrace with a breathtaking view. We ended up talking and loosing track of time so we missed the Dia de los Reyes parade we told the other students we would meet them at but walked back down a little later and saw some of the festivities. The streets where so incredibly crowed but I finally made it back to my place with very sore feet.

Jasmine my roommate was here when I got back so we had dinner and passed out. We went to bed around midnight and woke up the next day at 2:30pm so we got 14 hours of sleep. Guess I needed it! Here are some pictures of the hike.

Sign for the long bridge we crosses. max of 4 people at a time.

Tess and I. Coming out of the mountains into the village.

Albaicín:

Next to the walls of the Alhambra, a huge palace and garden complex

Free poems! Mine said " Utopía es lo que todavía no sucedío." Utopia is that which has not happen yet.