Almuñecar

The weather has been very nice the last couple of weeks so my friends and I decided to head to the beach. When we left Granada the sun was shining and we were hoping for a relaxed day soaking up the sun. However, when we got to Alumuñecar the sky was one giant cloud and the wind made the air really cold. Our beach trip didn't turn out exactly how we'd planned, but we loved Almuñecar. We went to a café and chatted with the Danish woman who owns it. Then we spent the rest of the day walking around the city and the beach. We came across a dog that was tied to its owner's motorcycle. I had to take a picture. It was a very funny sight.

This was my first time seeing the Mediterranean Sea. It was very beautiful. There were lots of little boats on the shore and a restaurant right on the beach with paella cooking over an open fire. 

I really liked this small town. I can't wait to go back when the weather is nice.

Here's a link to more pictures: 

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2186119&id=27218371&I=130d24425d

El Torcal y Sevilla

My study abroad group took a trip to Sevilla. On the way there we stopped at El Torcal to take a short hike. The limestone of El Torcal dates back to the Jurassic age. The big valleys and strange rock formations made it easy to imagine dinosaurs living there. At times it looked like I was walking through a movie set.

We went to Sevilla's main cathedral. The cathedral houses the tomb of Christopher Columbus. The tour guide told us that the tomb only holds a few grams of his remains, but it was still very impressive and had a lot of historically symbolic elements. We went to the top of the cathedral's bell tower (a minaret from the original mosque). From there we could see all of Sevilla and also amazing views of the cathedral itself.

My friends and I ate at a number of restaurants in the old Jewish quarter. The food was great and there were lots of fun streets to explore. It's the perfect place to go out and relax with friends.

We went on a bike tour of the city. We rode along the Guadalquivir river, through Parque María Luisa, and around Plaza de España. The bike ride was my favorite part of the whole trip. It was a fun way to tour the city.

We went to the Real Alcázar. It was originally a Moorish structure that was later converted into a royal residence for the Catholic monarchs. It continues to be used as a royal residence to this day. The structure belongs to a style of architecture called "mudéjar" and has a look very similar to the Alhambra. In addition to the main structure there is a large, beautiful garden.

Sevilla is a great city. I enjoyed this trip a lot.

Here's a link to more pictures:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2185116&id=27218371&I=f755226e1a

Güéjar Sierra

Two friends and I went to Güéjar Sierra for the day to go hiking. Güéjar Sierra is a small town just outside of Granada with lots of hiking trails. My favorite days here have been those that I've spent hiking. It's so nice to get away from the city, to see nature, and experience what life is like in a small Spanish town.

There were very few trees, but lots of rocks and shrubs.

After hiking we went back to the town to have lunch. We came across a little restaurant on a side street, away from the main plaza, where we ate paella and drank sangria. There were lots of families also eating outside on the street and they all seemed to know each other. We later discovered that it was a child's birthday party that migrated from the house on the right to the restaurant where we were eating (left). It was  a lot of fun because there were kids playing, adults laughing, and everyone just enjoying the food and each other's company. 

Here's a link to more pictures:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2183731&id=27218371&I=c07b1

Carnaval de Cádiz

Many of the students in my study abroad program traveled to Cádiz to celebrate carnaval. Carnaval takes place the week before lent and it's basically a huge street party with music, costumes, dancing, and of course...lots of alcohol. The celebration was banned by Franco for 40 years. One of the most interesting things about carnaval is that people incorporate irony, satire, or humor into their music and costumes.

We got to Cádiz at four o'clock in the afternoon and met back at the bus at six in the morning. It was definitely a long day, but there was plenty to see and do. We spent most of the afternoon enjoying the beach, and after watching the sunset we headed to the cathedral to join the party. The costumes were amazing. The creativity was absolutely impressive. I'm sorry I don't have any pictures - I didn't take my camera because I heard that theft is really common during carnaval. People are packed together so tight you can't even move, much less pay attention to the security of your stuff.

Carnaval was crazy. I saw a lot of things I never expected to see. Really. Shocking. Things. Still, I had a good time. It was fun to be a part of the celebration and to experience one of Spain's many cultural traditions.

Dorm Life

Courtney and I moved out of our home stay and into a university dorm. It was something we had been thinking about doing for a long time. Courtney and I lived with an elderly woman in her apartment. She was in very poor health and had to visit the doctor sometimes up to three times a week. She often stayed in bed all day and we could tell it took all her strength to make meals for us. Many times I had to go into her bedroom to wake her up in the morning because she had slept through all of her alarms. It was difficult to ask for anything because we felt like a big burden to her. She also brought up money issues often and her opinion that our program didn't pay her enough. Overall we just weren't happy living there and weren't having a positive experience. Even after two weeks of living there we were already discussing whether or not we wanted to stay. We gave it some more time and after the fifth week we left. Telling our host mom that we were moving was hard because we didn't want to upset her, but for the most part it went well.

We moved to a university dorm. There isn't a central campus like in the United States. Instead there are university buildings and dorms scattered all over the city. Our dorm is right downtown on the best shopping street in the city. If you were walking down the street our building would look like any other city building. The top four floors of the building are dorm rooms. We eat in a cafeteria with the other residents. There are 6 other American girls living here, 4 Spanish guys, and a whole lot of Spanish girls. At mealtimes I always try to talk with the Spanish girls I'm sitting by. They're polite and answer my questions, but they don't ask me anything back or initiate conversations. It's a little disappointing but it's still nice to be around young people.

Courtney and I share a double room and we have our own bathroom and a large terrace. The terrace overlooks the busy shopping street and from it we can see the cathedral and the Alhambra. It's amazing. We also have roof access. A lot of the girls go to the roof to sunbathe. We're much happier here and are glad that we made the decision to move.

Rome

My study abroad program organized a trip to Rome. It was one of the best trips of my life. I always knew I would like Italy (what's not to love?), but I had no idea that I would fall in love with it as much as I did. Our group flew out of Málaga airport and landed in Rome in the evening. We checked into a very nice hotel and went out in search of our first Italian meal. My friends and I found a great restaurant and instantly made friends with the staff - facilitated by our comical lack of even the slightest bit of Italian. The waiter didn't understand a word we said, and we couldn't understand him either. 

It was strange to feel a reverse kind of culture shock - a yearning for the ease with which we get around in Spain. To give you an idea of how difficult communicating was - I accidentally ordered a $7 plastic car with a tiny ice cream cup in the middle...obviously not what I wanted, and the staff had a good laugh watching me pack it into my purse to take home. We ate there two more times while we were in Rome. It was fun getting to know the staff, and even more fun getting to know the menu.

The next day we went on a bus tour of the city. We got a quick look at a lot of things but didn't spend a significant amount of time in any one place. Later that day my friends and I ate some pizza and gelatto by Vatican City before heading to the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel.

The Vatican Museum was incredible. It just kept going and going and going. My favorite parts were The School of Athens by Raphael, the Roman statues, and of course Sistine Chapel.

That night we went to Trevi Fountain. While at the fountain we met three Italian navy boys. They bought us roses from a vendor at the fountain and invited us to have a drink. I was a little hesitant to hang out with them because I thought it would quickly turn into a night of creepy unwanted attention. We had a lot of fun, and I was only half right in my assumption. Although one of them didn't waste any time in putting his arm around me and spitting out the only English phrase he knew "I kiss you?," the other guys were very nice. Only one of them spoke some English. His English wasn't enough for us to have full conversations, but we were able to learn about their families and the city without too many problems. When it was time to say goodbye they asked to see us again the following night. 

The next night we got together and watched part of an equestrian show at the carnivale celebration. We also went to the top of the Spanish steps to watch a fireworks show. The night was perfect, except the part when the same creepy guy from the night before tried again to kiss me. We went back to Trevi fountain, threw coins into the fountain, and said goodbye since we were leaving the next day. It was great to have Italians show us around Rome. They pointed out a lot of things that we wouldn't have noticed on our own and we had a lot of fun meeting them.

One thing we all wanted to see without a doubt was the colosseum. We had fun goofing around posing as gladiators. It was cool to imagine what it would have been like to be in the colosseum with the crowd, the lions, and the gladiators.

We also went to the Royal Forum where there are ruins from the ancient city.

The Pantheon - originally built as a temple to the Roman gods.

We went to Vatican City and saw St. Peter's Basilica. It was incredibly busy with tourists but we were able to make it inside. It was very impressive and the size and grandeur is impossible to describe. We paid a little extra to climb to the very top of the cupola. It was well worth it. We had an awesome view of the city and of St. Peter's square.

On our last day we had lunch in Plaza Navona. It's a great plaza. It has beautiful fountains (by Bernini!), street musicians, and art. 

Here are links to two different photo albums:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2181857&id=27218371&I=e8d7a

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2181862&id=27218371&I=9c87a