Granada otra vez...

ISA took us to Granada this weekend, and it was awesome to go back to the beautiful city. We left early Friday morning from Sevilla and took the 3 hour bus ride through the mountains to the Sierra Nevada to the historical city, arriving just in time for lunch and exploring before the sun went down.

The girls and I went to the Royal Chapel and saw where Ferdinand and Isabel, the Reyes Catolicas, are buried and then went on an adventure to find a coffee shop with a view of the mountains. It was a fun couple hours just getting lost in the city and finding some of the most beautiful residential areas and secret/non-touristic areas of the city.

Later that night we traveled up to the top of the hill opposite the Alhambra and got to see it all lit up at night. The buildings are absolutely beautiful. It also got everyone excited to go and see it the next day. We also went to the gypsy caves in the hills to see a flamenco show by one of the gypsy families. Because I'm taking a History of Flamenco class I could actually tell the differences between the different kinds of music, and Kyle, one of the boys on my trip and in my class, was just as excited about noticing the differences as I was.

After the Flamenco show we went back to the hotel and decided that we would go out to a discoteca for some Spanish dancing. We ended up going to this awesome Salsa bar where there were these amazing dancers who taught us how to move. The bartender was great too. My friend Sam got to go behind the bar and show off her skills because she asked for a drink that he had never heard of before. We had a blast, some a little more than others, but it was definitely a lot of fun.

The next morning I got to return to the GORGEOUS Alhambra. Even though it was a completely different time of year from last time and the gardens were not nearly as alive and colorful, the history and architecture are still awe-inspiring. It was also a lot more interesting this time to go on a tour that was in Spanish and learn about everything with the Spanish vocabulary instead of the English translations. I also felt really smart when everyone else didn't know what the tour guide was saying and I got to explain to them the history of the buildings and gardens.

Right after our tour of the Alhambra we headed back to Sevilla. I was asleep for the entire ride home, but it was definitely needed after a late night Friday and the fact that the Sevilla-Barcelona futbol game started at 10pm that night. Sam and I meet up with some of the other ISA students at one of the Irish pubs nearby to watch the game, which unfortunately ended in a tie, but it was still a lot of fun to see all the crazy fans.

So the traveling has officially begun. This Thursday I'm leaving for London to spend the weekend with Joanne, which I'm very excited about!!! We're going to have a blast! I'll post again when I get home from that trip Monday morning! ¡Hasta Luego!