Things I will miss about Granada

My Spanish Family
Jim and Emilio
Mirador de San Nicolas
Paseo de los Triste
Magnums Ice Cream
Kinder Buenos (chocolate)
Plazas
European Fashion
European children
Barcelona futbol
being able to walk everywhere
old Spanish senoras that walk arm in arm
the architecture
churros with chocolate
spanish ice cream flavors
schawarmas or kebabs
seeing all the rastas
european scarfs
speaking spanish
the family farm
bocadillos
tappas
tinto de verano
fanta limon
claras
olives
manchengo cheese
alioli sauce
hormiguerro ( a spanish night time show)
the gypsies on the streets with their stupid twigs
accessible travel
and so much more that I can't even think of......

Back to barcelona

I could not leave Spain without one last trip to Barcelona and of course to see Jim and Emilio. This time I brought my friend Ann with me and got there early Friday morning. That Friday Ann and I toured Las Ramblas, saw everything Gaudi including the Sagrada Familia and Parque Guell. It was so relaxing and finally good weather. This semester was weird weather for Spain and it was finally a little bit warmer. Just strolling the streets was great. I noticed a lot more tourists this time in late April more than I did when I was there in February. When we came home from a great night, Jim and Emilio made a great dinner for us. We tried to keep the conversation in Spanish the best we could. After dinner and a great deal of wine we were ready for sleep because it was off to the Picasso museum Saturday morning.
That morning we went to the picasso museum while Jim wrote and Emilio had work. Ann and I loved the musuem because the building was beautiful and it had so many of his personal works. My favorite was his whole interpretation on "Las Meninas" the famous painting by Velazquez. It took us a good part of the morning. After touring, Ann and I went with Jim and Emilio back to Sitges. It got a little bit colder out by this time of the weekend but it was no big deal. That night Jim and Emilio encouraged us to see the night life. It was fun and not too late of a night on Spain's terms. We only came home around 4 am! That morning it rained so no beach for us. Instead we had the best catalan meal with Jim and Emilio for Siesta. They made us hand rolled pasta that was filled with meat and also calsotts. Calsotts are sweet onions that are seasonal. We dip them in a type of salsa that was awesome. I definatley did not go hungry this weekend. Sitges was beautiful and I honestly can't wait to return to Espana just to go to Barcelona again. What a perfect last hurrah!

Discovering Madrid

At this point of our semester most of us were getting pretty exhausted. With only 3 weeks left of school, we had a lot of school projects and exams. I knew I could not leave Spain having not been to Madrid. Lindsey, Martha and I took a bus from Granada that was 5 hours long Friday morning. Upon arriving we found our hostal close to the street called Gran Via. This is the equivalent of our main streets and there is a street called gran via in every city. Our hostal had three beds with a shower in our room but no toilet. It was the weirdest set up, but the best we could find for the weekend. After getting settled we headed out to see the Plaza de Espana and the Palacio Real de Madrid. The Palacio Real was beautiful and supposed to be Spain's equivalent of Versailles in France. The Palacio Real was created by a Spanish King that grew up in Versailles and wanted to make palace bigger and better then Versailles. I personally still like Versailles in France better.
The next day I separated from the group and went to Segovia for a day by myself. I knew if I didn't go there I would regret it. Segovia has one of the two castles that Walt Disney modeled the Disney World Castle off of. I went all over the city and saw the roman aqueducts, a beautiful cathedral, and of course the castle. It was a great day. On my little trip out there it was amazing to see the difference in the landscape from central Spain from the south. Everything was much greener and it seemed there were actual established suburbs of Madrid. Granada is definitely smaller and a whole other world in Spain compared to the other cities.
Saturday night we went to the Reina Sofia and saw Picasso's Guernica. It was awesome to see that in person because we learned all about it in my art history class. After we went for dinner at a place that offered wine, bread, salad, entree, and dessert all for 12 Euros. I had the best fish I have ever had there. That night we met up with some of Lindsey's family friends where they showed us the night life of the city. By the time that was done, around 4 am, I was exhausted.
Sunday before we left we took a stroll through the parque retiro and saw the Pardo museum. All in all the weekend was great and jam packed.

Week two with Stan and Lana

Rule number one: never rent a car in Europe. It's perfectly fine until you get lost or turned around or miss an exit. However one of those three is guaranteed to happen approximately every 15 minutes. This is what Stan, Lana, and I experienced when we made our trip to Portugal. However, I did enjoy Portugal very much even though a daily pepto bismal was required on days spent driving so that I wouldn't get severe heart burn.

After arriving to our destination in Lisboa (Lisbon), Portugal we were pleased to find that the Holiday Inn was up to our standards. We walked around a got a taste of some of the night air before retiring for the evening. We had an early start the next morning. Sunday morning we first saw a little flea market where I found a porcelain bowl for 5 Euros. From there we climbed up to see the Castle of Saint George and see breath taking views over the Atlantic. The Castle wasn't that big, but my mom really enjoyed the guitar player in the middle of the court yard. The entire city was very hilly and a mixture of old and new buildings because there had been an earthquake in the early 20th century. We made our way down and saw a beautiful cathedral. It was Palm Sunday so we got a chance to see their version of a procession into church to celebrate the beginning of holy week. At this point we weren't thrilled yet until we went to restaurant for some traditional Portuguese food with Fado music. The best place to hear this is in the Barrio Alto. We spent a 3 hour meal listening to different music that was beautiful. The women singing had low cut shirts and intense makeup. It is nothing like the Flamenco I have seen in Spain. Our waiter spoke 5 languages and advised us well. However on the taxi ride home we nearly died because the driver thought it would be a funny joke to pretend to run over some locals. We freaked and he advised us they were his friends. Next he asked us where we were from. We said, “Chicago” and he responded with gun gestures and said Al Capone. We laughed because the Capone has been dead for about 70 years, but everywhere you go people still think the same about Chicago.

Monday was our spiritual journey to Fatima, Portugal. This is the location where three Portuguese children saw visions of the Virgin Mary. We thought the sight would be more compelling, but it was a tad bit commercialized with all the chapels and churches built on the sight. The other people around us where from all over the world. Many took the journey on their knees by crawling and praying to the chapel where the visions where scene. It was quite intense to see how others practice their faith, yet awakening for us three all at the same time.

After Fatima we had half a day left and decided to go see the Lisbon summer get away city, Sintra. This city is the real Disney World. Every single engineer of Disney World had to of been to Sintra to copy the natural romance of the city. This town is the home of the old royal family’s summer castle. This castle has views of all of Lisbon as well as the Atlantic Ocean. The castle was placed on top of the mountain and painted with different colors and the rest of the city trickling down the mountain side. Our first day there Stan drove up the mountain to get a view of the castle. We nearly saw our deaths when we tried to make a three point turn and full turn around on a one way road that was parallel to the mountain. The driving over this whole trip had been more than stressful and enough to make anyone need a strong drink. All in all that is one city we decided we have to make it back to, we loved it so much that we went back the next day and left for Spain much later than planned.

It might not have been such a good idea to leave so late cause we did not get into Sevilla, Spain until 8:30 pm. Then there we didn’t get to our hotel until 1:30 am. The whole city was impossible to get around because of the religious processions going on. It also didn’t help that every street was one way too. I spent the whole night going back and forth in English with my parents and Spanish with the locals to get the correct directions since our mapquest was no longer useful with the processions on every street. These religious processions are known to be the best of all of Spain in Sevilla. Brotherhoods from churches all over carry different statues of Jesus, Mary, and different scenes from the Stations of the Cross. Usually 20-30 men carry these statues in a precise choreographed manner. There clothes consist of outfits that have hats that resemble the same style from the klu klux klan

Im assuming now that the kkk has a derivative from this type of religious brotherhood but the two types are not related today. They can’t even see in front of them, but are directed instead. Training is required for months to perform this and the whole city comes out to see it. Along with the procession local orchestras accompany with intense music and drums that put the fear of God in you. When we returned to Granada we saw processions that were almost the same. My parents rented apartment was right next to a church that hosted some of the processions. From our balcony we could see these fabulous processions everyday for the rest of holy week. The bells and drums never got old. For Easter we went to church in Cathedral of Granada where Ferdinand and Isabel are buried. My mother made homemade tomato sauce with pasta to celebrate my parent’s anniversary and Easter all in one day. It was nice for us to celebrate it this way because Good Friday is more celebrated in Spain than Easter Sunday itself. So for us it was one last mommy meal to hold me off until my arrival home.

Week one with Stan and Lana

Well right before my second week off this semester, my parents came to visit for a two week vacation. When the arrived after a long time of traveling both of them were so thankful to be and the apartment that we rented. It had a perfect location in the center of the city and close to my school. The first dinner my mom made chicken legs cooked in olive oil. We made the best dues we could with what we had to cook with, but the meal was truly wonderful. I really needed some American mommy meanls. After they adjusted to the time after a good nights sleep I took them to meet Franciso, my favorite Spaniard, for a wine and tappas tasting with Kelley's family. This was a 4 hour shindig and opened my mother's eyes to the world of cooking with olive oil. We tried 3 different oils along with meats and cheeses, gazpacho, olives, hams, and spanish food galore. Not to mention the 4 different wines too. This really got us into the mood of enjoying Spain and all the wonders it has to offer. My mom's oilve oil tastebuds will never be the same.
That week I also took my parents to the Mirador de San Nicolas so that they could see the best view of the Alhambra. After they made the trek up there they loved it. Both of them kept commenting on how good the air smelled. So for a while we looked at the Alhambra, and listened to the hippie music. On the way back down we took a different route and saw the paseo de los tristes and did some shopping in the Moroccan styled shops. This paseo is a path of the sad because it used to be a place for people to visit a cemetery. However now it shows beautiful ruins on the side of the Alhambra and is no longer a cemetary as it was centuries ago.
On Friday we went to the Alhambra. My mom got some good ideas for her garden and got to look up into the city where we were the day before at the Mirador de San Nicolas. I tried to be the best tour guide, telling them everything I have learned about the Alhambra, considering this was about my 6th time being at the palace. I wore them out that day. On Saturday we started out trip to Portugal, more to come on that part of the trip.

Climbing a mountain on your twenty first birthday: priceless

So this weekend was hectic with the past couple weeks of school just not letting me have a moment to think. Friday at 8:30 in the morning we headed off to the Alpujarras mountains in Spain. These mountains are in the Province of Granada and south of the city of Granada. I truly had no idea what was in store for me. We arrived at our pueblo (town) that was our starting point. We meant our guide who never broke a sweat, and fixed our backpacks to lighten our load. At approximately 10 am we started a vertical hike to the next pueblo in the mountain range. The scenery was beautiful, except I didn't get a chance a see it until we hit horizontal paths (I was too busy counting the seconds until my thys would stop burning). Once on flat land we could take in the aroma of the fresh cherry blossom trees and fresh air. If anything I had allergies that weekend because I had never smelled air that fresh in my life. After going up and down, and up and down some more we stopped and had lunch that consisted of us making little sandwhiches from local meats and cheeses. We stopped right by a great little waterfall and took everything in. After our meal we walked for about another hour and a half. It was so amazing it felt like we were in a Pocahontas movie or something. Around 5 o'clock we were done for the day just waiting for dinner.
I couldn't sleep completely that night because I knew that the next morning was my birthday and also because I knew I had such a day ahead of me. This day the first hour and a half was the most streneous becuase it was our climb to the mountain peak. Some of us girls found ourselves singing "Living on a prayer" by Bon Jovi because the song says that we are oooo we're half way there ooooo living on a prayer....this mind set was so necessary at some points. Once we got there everything faded because we could see the rest of the world below us.
We continued the day down a mountain that was part of the Sierra Nevadas instead of Alpujarras. That was my favorite sight I have ever seen in Spain. I think it was because it was more green and if I looked to my left I could almost touch the clouds. It was absolutely beautiful. For lunch we stopped at a spot where there was natural carbonated water because of so much iron in the water. It tasted carbonated, but not as strong. We followed a path after to see some great lookouts, a shepherd and his sheep, and a 400 year old tree. I honestly could not of asked for a better birthday! More pictures and an update to come.
After I went out to a Italian restaurant and out with my friends. It was definately a night to remember!

¡Un día al campo!

Today was a great Sunday. I feel like it was one of my favorite days in Granada so far. I got to go to the campo or the family farm with my family. This farm was the farm that my host father's mother owns. She has other family that lives on the farm in other houses. The grandmother of the family has an apartment in Granada and this is where they go during the week sometimes in the summer or on the weekends.

The drive was about 20 minutes outside of Granada. We drove though so many olive groves that there was no way I could find my way back if I got lost there. The house itself was pretty cool. It had a standard layout of one great room with a large fire place. This was how it was when it was first built, the "Abuela" or grandma added a new kitchen and extra rooms on the first floor as well as a whole second story. We started the day out as the men did some yard work, of course making the Sunday meal. We cooked a lot of potatoes, and I mean a lot on the hearth fire. It was quite an extravaganza to see another culture work together to make the family meal. After the potatoes they put big slices of bacon on a tool to cook over the fire. The bacon tasted like BBQ and I was quite satisfied to have something American tasting.

After the meal, all of the men took a little nap and the women talked for about an hour. It was nice to be in this family atmosphere listening to Spanish gossip. What I have come to understand about people is that at the end of the day we are actually more alike then we are different.

Also after lunch two of the little grandsons, my little host brother included, wanted to go on an excursion out into the farm. Apparently they do this all the time. Their tradition is to get a backpack of food and go wander for a couple of hours. I seriously thought this was so cool and wished I was 10 again to have the innocent freedom. While the little boys did this, we cleaned up and went for a walk around the property with the grandma. I met two other American girls studying abroad in Granada that were staying with the grandma. So us 4 went in search of wild asparagus. All over her yard is olive trees and some family garden plots. There was also a common water fountain with a basin used for washing. There are actually fish that live in that basin all year round too. It was so nice to get this introduction. I could probably spend the rest of my life in Spain, and never know all that there is too know about Spain.

Watching Spring

So these past two weeks have been filled with slow events. Last Friday I woke up and was almost late for my Cordoba trip in the Southern part of Spain. Cordoba has been significant in all that I have learned here in Spain because it was the capital city when the Islam kings had power before the Spanish Inquisition. While there we saw the famous Mezquita (Mosque) that is insanely old. In the backround of my picture you can see all the arcs and columns that it is famous for. It was a nice little day trip and the driving to get there we saw different scenery then all the olive tree groves that are close to Granada.
Sunday of that weekend, me and my friend Ann went to the beach in Malaga, which is south of Granada. We were afraid of it being topless, but luckily only one women went topless. She just happened to be old, with the saggiest chest anyone ever saw. And her husband was the harriest man to walk the face of the earth too. I guess Europe's topless beaches are gonna have to break our American minds in some how. However, after seeing that we can tuffen out some more beaches. We ended a lovely day of tanning by ordering some calamari and alioli sauce and watching the sun set over the beach.
The past couple of weeks has been busy with tests and projects so it has been good that it has been low key. However yesterday was one of my best friends, Kelley Westerberg's 21st birthday. It was quite a shindig if I do say so myself. It would be a bigger deal to be turning 21 at home, but here the drinking age is 18. So it was legal for everyone to relax and celebrate the birthday girl. We went out Thursday night to a chupiteria. A chupiteria is a place that specializes in shots. Don't worry we were safe about it, but it was fun because they had all different kinds. I'm not gonna lie, one of the most intense shots was called "Chicago". We had to have that one to honor our home city. It had tequila and was actually quite gross. The next one was called "USA" and was cool because the was red, white, and blue. After the festivites of some warm up shots, it was off to the discoteca in the caves, called Camborio. What a great way to spend your birthday in a discoteca overlooking the Alhambra. It was a long and fun night!
Because in Spain when you go out you stay out until 6 in the morning, we pretty much needed all friday to recouperate from being so tired. So it wasn't until about 6pm that we got ourselves together and took a walk to the best spot to enjoy the view of the Alhambra. There we watched the sunset, listened to the gitanos/hippies play their spanish flamenco music, and got Spain's best ice cream later. Everything is in blume on the streets you can smell the flowers and all the citrus scents from the orange trees on the streets too. Besides that relaxed state of mind, yesterday was the first day of spring. This means a celebration obviously for all the youngins of Granada. It was a mad house trying to navigate our way through the city because all the people were walking in an opposite direction to meet and botellon. Botelloning is a concept where you get alcohol and walk around the streets and drink. However there is a meeting point in Granada for people to do this, and this was where they were headed. People had coolers that two people needed to carry! I guess it's just the Spanish way of life to celebrate like this! We did not participate as to some locals it can be controversial because the cops some times get ivolved. But it looked like everybody was having a good time on the streets. It was crazy, seriously what a life!!


Also on a side note, it has come to my attention that a company from England wants to change the name of the Sears Tower. Seriously, first comiskey park, then marshall fields, we can not let this happen to the Sears Tower. Comiskey Park was changed to US Cellular field, and the ironic thing is that my cell phone doesn't receive service there and its outside!! Macy's has the most horrible customer service I have ever delt with and they are no where near as clean as Marshall field's was. A name change can mean serious business for us. Let's not let people take our customs away from us! What's next a change to the name of Giordano's, the John Hancock, or even better Lake Michigan!!!??!?!?!? Please use your power to protest and go to this website and sign a petition to tell those BRITS TO BACK OFF!!
Sign here: http://www.itsthesearstower.com/

More Paris S'il vous Plait!

I can't rank the different trips I have had because each one was at a different time, and gave me a different idea on the world. Paris, France was nothing like I had imagined. Every part was different and a mix between artistic, romantic, classic, strong, and just downright fabulous. I even thought the air smelled better than normal. After a 3 am bus ride and a 9:55 am flight from Sevilla to Paris Kelley, Ann and I finally found our apartment that we rented for the weekend and set out to see the Eiffel Tower. This was the perfect way to start our day. We made sure to stay there until dusk to see the light show that they off every hour. After admiring something I had waited to see my whole life, we took a boat ride down the seine river. The view was beautiful and we saw everything from Notre Dame to the Louvre lit up at night. By the end of this we were exhuasted, went home and slept very well.
Friday was our non-stop day. We woke up went to the Arc de triomphe, down champs elysees, saw the madeline church, a marker of where King Louie and Marie Antoinette were beheaded, special gardens close by, musee de orsay that had many impressionist works, Notre Dame, and ofcourse the Louvre. What a day, I couldn't feel my feet by the end of it. Out of those I really like the musee de Orsay because I got to see some of my favorite impressionist works by Monet, Mary Cassatt, Edgar Degas, and Renoir, and of course Van Gogh! It was so cool to look at their signatures and know that they stood in the same distance from their paintings that I did. Another highlight was Notre Dame because we went to the top of the bell tower. This was our spot to see the whole aerial view of Paris. We also liked to think of the Hunch back of Notre Dame. Some how everywhere we go our thoughts went back to Disney movies we saw as a kid. I know my Auntie Mo would not of liked this because the stairs to get to the top were never ending in twisting tower that we couldn't see the end. But we made it and loved it. Before the Louvre Kelley and I tried crepes on the street made with Nutella. O MY GOSH. Totally necessary to do before you die. Kelley and I were sad when they were done. We made it to the Louvre at 6 for our free student entrance and saw the Venus de Milo and ofcourse the Mona Lisa. Two biggies to check off our list. By this time we were deader than the trip to Paris.
Saturday was more relaxing as we went to Versailles and saw the hall of mirrors where countless balls took place, the wedding of Louie and Marie, and of course the signing of the Treaty of Versailles that ended WWI. I tried to take a picture of myself in the mirror. I mean if mirrors could talk I could be included in history! I know how corny. After this we headed back to Paris to check out the artist's quarter Monmatre. By far this was my favorite part of the trip and Paris. This place had such a great vibe. We saw the Sacre Cour church, Van Gough's house, Paris's last vineyard, and even Moulin Rouge. I did get to try a French quiche!!! The foodie in my was stoked because we cooked all of our own food, so to get some of the culture this was was good. This weekend was so jam packed that I cannot even possibly tell you everything. As a professional traveler I am proud to have done all that in 3 days.
Overall, the people were great. Some were impressed that we spoke Spanish. They also were nicer if we asked if they spoke English before bombarding them with English questions first. All in all Paris is a city that I cannot possibly know all about in 1 visit. I can't wait to go back!

Barcelona Baby!!!!

So I know I haven't posted in a while, but I have so much to inform. This past week I spent with my Auntie Mo. It was great to have someone here that I could show them all the great spots that I've found in Granada. I took Auntie Mo to Mirador de San Nicolas to show her the great view of the Alhambra and to get her excited for our trip there. Not only did she have to get adjusted to the time change, but the walking and crazy roads of Granada. Everything here is so old that most of the times there are tiny rock formations to walk on instead of cement. After her adjustement to this old world, she was finally ready to see the Alhambra on Sunday. She really enjoyed it because she got to look at the Mirador de San Nicolas where we were the day before. For me, this was my second time at the Alhambra. There are more flowers and trees budding, and I knew my way around this old monument. Who couldn't ask for more on a warm 70 degree Sunday.

Monday was the beginning of our quest to Barcelona to see my new Uncles and my Auntie Mo's good friends, Jim and Emili. They have a beautiful apartment that has an incredible view. The architecture everywhere in Barcelona is awesome. It made me think of what people who have never visited Chicago must think when they come there because we have great Architecture too. It seemed like everywhere I turned in Barcelona there was a Gaudi building. I saw the Sagrada Familia which is a building that Gaudi never finished building. The best way to describe it, is that it looks like a frozen melted sand castle. Gaudi was actually run over by a tram while looking at his beautiful work of the Sagrada Familia in the late 19th century. When I was there, there was construction on it to finish according to Gaudi's plans. I have no idea how this guy thought of his designs in his mind, but they are absolutely beautiful.


Later on that day we also went to Parque Guell.
This was a home designed by Gaudi for a wealthy family that is now turned into a Park. I was stoked because once I got there I realized that America's Next top model had a finally show filmed there. They had a run way show in the crazy caved pathways that are there. This was the reality tv show junkie in me that was excited. I told Jim it reminded me of Disney world. He thought I was nuts but all of Gaudi's work is colorful and wavy like something out of candyland or a child's imagination. Anything Gaudi I now love.

After a day in a half we went to Sitges to Jim and Emili's second house. Sitges is a great beach city south of Barcelona in Catalunya. Just like in Barcelona they speak Catalan and Spanish. It was weird to have the menus there in another language as opposed to just Spanish like I'm used to. That night we saw a parade for Carnival. Sitges has the biggest mainland celebrations for Carnival. All I have to say is that it was nuts. The floats and dancing was more than I could handle. It really was a lot of fun. Everybody in town was in this parade. We really need to party more for fat tuesday.

Thats not all we did in Sitges though. The beach front was beautiful the next day even though it was quite obvious of all the partying the night before. After a morning stroll, some shopping, and touring we went for Paella. This traditional dish was something I was waiting for since I got in Spain. It is a rice dish that varies with seafood or meat in it. We had the seafood paella. Lucky for all the walking I do in Spain, because I would be 400 pounds with all the good food.

For my last day in Barcelona, Auntie Mo and I finished up some shopping and site seeing when we came back from Sitges. Barcelona and Sitges was the perfect addition to my first vacation from school in Spain. I really feel like I know Spain better after being some where different than the southern part and speaking Spanish in another area too.

Back home in Granada Auntie Mo and I ended our vacation with a trip to the Arabic Baths. This place was a recreation of Arabic baths used in Antiquity where we could relax for 2 hours between a cold, medium, and hot bath, and a sauna. We were lucky to get a 15 minute message included. If you ever come to Granada this is a must do. Check out the website to see where we were because we couldn't take any pictures: http://granada.hammamspain.com/index.php?nSeccion=1

I'm including a picture here of the real ancient Arabic Baths found in Granada that Auntie Mo and I visited after our wonderful encounter with the new relaxing ones.

Over all, another successful week! Thanks again to Auntie Mo, Jim and Emili!! Next weekend I'm on my way to Paris!!

¡No pasa nada, en Granada!

This weekend was a successful weekend spent in Granada. Traveling gets tiring after a while, and wears on my Spanish speaking ability. That's why some touring in Granada was necessary for this weekend. Thursday night was fun because we discovered some of the discotecas right here is Spain. It's so much fun to go out in Spain because you never know who you are going to meet. Us girls met some people from Madrid that on Thursday that we could even meet up with when we travel there later on in our semester. Not only that but it helps to practice your Spanish with locals when you go out too. I have come to actually find that some vino or cervezas actually make my Spanish come natural : ) I have no idea how to explain that one cause without alcohol the thought process is much longer to speak another language.

Friday was a beautiful day that got up into the 70's here in Granada. My friends Martha and Ann came with me to the best look out point in Granada. Its called Mirador San Nicolas. From there we ate our bocadillas that our señoras made for us and spent two hours basking in the warm sun, listening to the hippies play their Spanish Flamenco music, and looked out onto the beautiful Granada scenery. I felt like I had to pinch myself because it didn't seem real. In our casual day time we met a family that was from the Catalonia region of Spain. They had a conversation amongst themselves where they went in and out of 3 languages. We of course noticed the English and Spanish and later learned that they speak Calalan the language of Catalonia. The two young boys were fluent in all three and were both under the age of three. We were all baffeled because we wish we could be like those boys. It is so easy for them. Seeing this European lifestyle really opens my eyes to the necessity of languages here. It is not as necessary in the US, but I wish it was. I really feel that it is a gift to be taught another language at such a young age because not only does it brighten your future but it widens the amount of people you can communicate with and have relationships with in the future. Maybe someday there will be more stress put on Americans to be bilingual.

Saturday was a great day. My favorite day yet, maybe even my favorite day in my life. For most of you who know me, you know my love of food. I actually think food and I are more emotionally involved than anything. I know it very well, and it knows me very well. To celebrate Valentine's Day together, us girls went wine tasting after visiting a local market. The place where we went wine tasting is known as La Oliva and is close to my school. First we tried some different olive oils and then we had 3 delicious different wines with a selection of tappas that complimented each wine. Oh my God, I was in heaven. Every olive oil tasted different. Francisco our host explained how olives are essentially like apples. A green apple is different from a red one, and all taste different depending on when you pick them. This is exactly how olives are and changes how olive oil is. It was amazing. Our first white wine was a dry wine, but definately not sour. It was from Granada and my favorite of the day. We had many tappas that complemented it. The pate was phenomenal and so was the sardines that were flavored in a lemon olive oil. I know that would have been my dad's favorite. Another thing that Franciso did was take a piece of whole grain bread and have us spread some avocado on it and place a piece of Jamón ibérico (Iberian ham). The flavors and aromas blended so well. I know that avocados can be fatening, but what a great difference to mayo or mustard!

Our red wine was delicious that was paired with a goat cheese that had been rolled in aeromatic herbs and another cheese that was a combo of goat and cow milk. This last one was comparable to parmesan but out of this world. We also had an assortment of chorizo, salchicha, and black sausage (Spanish meats). I could not of been happier. The last wine was a desert wine that he paired with spanish pastrys, candies, and chocolate. Taking the time to enjoy everything and compare the food really gave us a new sense of Spanish food and culture. It was amazing because I couldn't want anything more in life, let alone on my trip to Spain.

On the way home Kelley, Amy , and I went and saw Granadas Bull fighting ring. It felt old to look into, but definately something I would like to maybe see in the future. I don't necessarly support the slaughtering of animals for fun, but it is Spanish culture. What a better time to really see Spain then when they are practicing a old custom.

This weekend was great. Today was spent catching up on relaxing, homework, and my Grey's anatomy. I just wish this feeling of content could last forever!

Kelley, I don't think we're in Europe anymore....

So this past weekend was insane. I had so much fun and feel totally accomplished to check off my list that I was in 3 continents in 1 month: North America, Europe, and Africa. Only rock stars on tours do that. Anyways, Morocco was beautiful. I was surprised to see that it was really green in North Africa. We took took a bus and a ferry and another bus to get to our hotel in Morocco. I believe the town we stayed in was called Tetouan at a 4 star hotel called Dreams hotel. I roomed with my friend Kelley Westerberg and enjoyed the nice beds, strong shower pressure, and view from our room. Saturday was the beginning of our journey at 7 am. Our guide's name was Arabic so he referred to himself as Michael Douglas because that's his favorite American movie star. The entire trip he went back and forth between Spanish and English. We saw live market in Tetouan and exchanged our Euros for Dirhams (Moroccan currency). The market itself was interresting but also overwhelming. At times there were smells that were horrible, and then you would walk by an old women selling fresh cilantro and mint.
After the market they took us into this beautiful "art gallery" and showed us the handmade rugs of the Moroccan women. They had different ones of different sizes and demonstrated them in a large room for all of us to see. We could hold on to some if we were interrested and discuss the prices later. In Morocco most places do not have set prices, they barter. After the demonstration was over different men/venders came to get you and discuss with you prices personally. I had three things that I was interrested in and the guy offered 375 Euros for all of them to me. I was completely discombobulated because the men don't give you time to think, all they do is ask your price and then suddenly they shake your hands and tell you its a deal for 100 Euros. So for 100 Euros I bought a hand crafted rug from Morocco. I keep telling myself that it is a magic carpet because I have no idea why I bought it or spent that much money. Whatever the case my grandchildern will enjoy this rug, correction magic carpet, because it has to stay in the family for many generations. I'm thinking of selling blood to actually pay for it. I guess I have a lot to learn in life when it comes to being quick on my toes. I'm going to blame this on the fact that my mom didn't have that little brother I wanted and neither did my Auntie Mo. If I had a little brother, it would have been easier for me to not buy that rug.
After this, me and some other people were still in shock. We got to ride camels in Tanger which was a highlight of my life. One more thing to check of my list, riding a camel in Africa. But I actually think the camel was half dead. Before ending our long day we got to see the point in Tanger where the the Mediteranean sea and the Atlantic meet. There was a light house to mark the spot and off in the distance you could see Portugal. It was mid afternoon and beautiful. I actually saw a vender selling hand carved elephants, turtles, and camels. Ever since I was a little girl I wanted a little elephant. So I bought one where the Mediterranean sea meets the Atlantic ocean. I really felt my journey was complete.
Sunday we spent touring a town called Chechaouen. It is located in a mountain range that used to be apart of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in Spain before the two continents split. The life there was cleaner and more intruguing than the other two cities we saw. The people did not hassel you to buy things from them either.
The trip was successful. The food was ok, not my favorite as I consider myself to be kind of a food conosouir. They used cuscus in many meals. Also we had to buy our own drinks on the trip. It is also not healthy for foreigners to drink the tap water so we didn't do that. We did drink a mint tea that was delicious, but one thing that I really enjoyed was a desert of oranges. The thing that made it great was that they sliced oranges and sprinkled sugar and cinnamon on top of the oranges. It was so fresh and perfect to end a meal.
The people are mainly Muslim in the areas that we went. If we say women they were just doing their shopping for the day. It was only men out socializing. In the apartments that we saw usually 5 families of about 5 or 6 people each live there. That means about 25-30 people. It is just different. Most people that we met were atleast bilinguel. If people saw us they spoke Spanish to us assuming we were European and listened to our guide. We met many people that spoke 4 languages, Arabic, French, Spanish, and English. This really makes me think that Americans are lazy when it comes to studying.
The trip home was long and I learned a lot. I couldn't help but feel mesmerized by the scenery and thankful for everything and everyone that got me to that point in my life. I might have come back with a lighter wallet, but going to see things like I saw changed my perspective on life and people in one tiny weekend.

Just an update before I, ya know, take off to Morocco for the weekend!!

Well the most constant thing this week has been the rain. I have a pair of boots that have not dried in 5 days. I have been wearing flats because they can dry by the estufa. This week has been low key with the anticipation of going to Morocco tomorrow. I'm most excited about riding a camel. This is one of those things to check of my life list. There will be more to come about Morocco, but for now I want to fill you in on some random things I have noticed/learned this week in Spain.

*Gay marriage is legal here in Spain.
*Spanish families (at least my family) get into their pjs before dinner at 930.
*They don't drink milk regularly like we do. And if they do its the real good stuff with lots of fat.
*The federal state monetarily funds the Catholic church so they do not depend on donations as the church does in the US.
*The word pulpo means octopus, but put in context means creepy guys. It is used a lot of those touchy feely spaniards that tell women how guapa they are. The same goes for the word buitre which means vulture. Those describe the men who stare about the room looking at all the women. Its funny how some how people of all cutures are so different, but end up thinking the same.

Thats it for now....

Sevilla "no8do"

Sevilla, Espana was simply beautiful. We crammed so much into this weekend that I now consider myself an professional tourist. We arrived on friday to see the cathedral there and the Giralda tower. My favorite was seeing where Christopher Colombus is buried in the Cathedral. We all took pictures of discovering the Americas with him. The feeling was so weird to be staring at the grave of the person who is to thank for part of my existence as the way I am. All of my past history teachers would have been proud. After that seeing the Giralda tower was so neat. This was the only part that wasn't reconstructed in history and is Moorish architecture. We went over 30 flights up to see the city from that view.

Besides all of this, I saw the Real Alcazar which is a palace that different kings have lived in. The gardens went on forever. I think the only person with a backyard like this in the states would be Oprah or Martha Stewart. Saturday night we saw flamenco from the city where it began. Some girlfriends and I watched in true Sevillian style by drinking the traditional southern Spainsh drink, sherry, or fino as the locals call it. It was absolutely disgusting and strong but the flamenco made me forget the horrible aftertaste in my mouth.

Today was spent treking around in the rain. As the ultimate tourists, nobody could stop us. I actually wore flip flops because atleast this way my feet would be dry when I came in a building. All my other shoes were already sopping wet. I got so many odd looks from people, but whatever I am American and comfort is always necessary. After walking around more we stopped for lunch and found this great place in the heart of Sevilla. We ate sandwhiches on tiled stairs in the deli that were absolutely deliscious. Going to quaint places like this really made the trip. After that we finally saw the Plaza de Espana. I have no idea its importance, but it is a huge building in Sevilla that one must see in their life. The rain even stopped just in time for us to get there.

Now being home in Granada I feel like I know Spain even better. Tonight at dinner I understood more and know that traveling and getting the full culture is the best way to learn a language. I can't even imagine how I will feel in another month from now.