Granada

So I spent yesterday and the day before in Granada with my two friends Bret and Daedre. Granada is an amazing city. I understand why its the #1 tourist destination for Spain. I was kindof bummed that we only had two days, but at the same time I felt like we got to see almost everything we wanted to. On the first day we checked into our hostel, which was super cute! It had a very chill vibe (just like the rest of the city) and was very open and natural. There were even a bunch of hammoks hanging in the courtyard and a treehouse. I liked it a lot.


After that we decided to walk around the Albyzin and Sacromonte for the afternoon. The Sacromonte is where the gypsies have their cave dwellings and it has a beautiful view of the Alhambra in the distance. The Albyzin is the Arab quarter and it is full or head shops, artesan shops, and tea/hookah restaurants. You can find Morrocan food, trinkets, and jewelry there, not to mention tapas. We walked to the river which separates the Alhambra from the city, and then walked along the river back to the main Plaza and eventually back to the hostel. Granada is the last city in Spain which still serves tapas for free when you order a drink at a tapas bar. Its great! For dinner we went to 4-5 tapas bars and tried all kinds of delicious free food! It was a great day.

We went to bed really early because at 6:30am the next day we woke up and hiked up the mountain to the Alhambra to wait in line for tickets. We were able to get tickets and spent the next 6 hours wandering around this beautiful place. The best part? Watching the sun rise over the city.

The most famous part of the Alhambra is the Palacios Nazarines. It was pretty but I liked the gardens better. The Alhambra is the place where the last of the Muslim kings lived before the Spaniards finished taking over Spain. It was definitely beautiful and majestic, just like you would expect a Moorish Palace to be. 7,800 people each day are admitted into the Palace and each is given a half hour time slot in which they can enter. You are free to stay inside as long as you want. The rest of the Alhambra, however, is mostly free and it is full of gardens and other interesting buildings. I could understand why it is so famous, and it was definitely worth waking up early!

The palace itself is very intricate on the inside, great for pictures!

So, with that comes the end of my spring break. Well, almost. Tomorrow Isaac comes and it is a festival day. Entierro de las Sardinas is a day when Murcians celebrate being Murcian. There will be a big parade and at the end of the day they will burn a giant statue of a sardine. I am not entirely sure why. After that, its back to class on Monday, and a quick trip to Valencia on Wednsday and Thursday.