Málaga, ¡Qué increíble!

At the end of classes last week, my flatmate and a mutual friend of ours decided that we were ready for a new change of pace and headed to Málaga for a day at the beach. The city is situated approximately 85 miles away from Granada, and the bus ride was about one and a half hours. All of us slept on the bus due to the absurd hour that we left in the morning, but once we woke up, we gazed upon the blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Once off the bus, we walked towards the nearest beach from what we could tell on the map. The beach was gorgeous, filled with tourists and locals alike taking in the sun and the warm air.

In fact, the beach was so relaxing that at one point, we all fell asleep for a few minutes! We then decided that we would find downtown and search for somewhere where we could eat. On our way, we spotted a park for what we thought was made for children. However, there were adults using it, and the equipment was made for exercising. 

For example, the man on the left is on an elliptical... I guess it is convenient for anyone to work out then.

Finally, we found a cafetería to eat at near the downtown area, and I got to try el jamón ibérico for the first time. This ham is known to be one of the best hams in the world, and I will definitely agree with all the spectators. The taste is very difficult to describe, but it has a full, rich flavor. After eating, we agreed to discover a part of Málaga called Pedregalejo, which is an old neighborhood located east of the city center.

Here is a view from the beach where we stayed. From afar you can see a merchant vessel, which is because Málaga is a large port for various types of ships, including cruises. The pile of rocks to the right have people climbing on them. My flatmate and I did this, also, and saw many barnacles attached to these rocks along with other sea creatures. It was quite fascinating. 

Celeste was conspicuously taking pictures of us while exploring the rocks.

Finally, as we were heading back to the bus station for what seemed to be forever, we ran into another El Corte Inglés. This store is a department store, as I would compare it to being Macy´s, and sometimes it has a grocery store within it. When we first came here, they had a sale called Rebajas, which was essentially a sale on almost everything there. I bought a swimsuit for €15, or approximately $21 U.S. Dollars. The next week, after rebajas, the suit was selling for €56, or $79 U.S. Dollars! I consider myself very fortunate that I decided to put the money into purchasing that.

The thing that sometimes surprises me the most is seeing or hearing things in English. Málaga, from what I understand, is a popular destination for British people on holiday, so there were a lot more things in English in this city than Granada. Thus, the welcome signs all over are part of what brings tourists back, for the most part. 

Somos turistas en Granada, pero está bien.

Today, after having orientation for our academic part of the study abroad experience, we received our cell phone so that we can contact each other during our stay. We walked around el centro some more, and it is amazing how their daily life is different than in the United States. Here, it is common for the people to walk around the streets at all times of the day, especially at night. El centro is always crowded with people, except for el almuerzo, which is the lunch time followed by la siesta. While the word itself means "nap", it is just a time to relax after eating quite a large lunch. We eat between 2 and 3 pm, and after eating you have the choice of taking a nap for approximately twenty minutes or watch the news. I have done both, but unfortunately due to jet-lag, mis siestas last almost two hours.

At around 7pm yesterday, our group got together to go see El Albayzín, which is an UNESCO World Heritage site. To get there, we jammed about thirty people in a bus that probably wasn't made for a group of that size. I was with a few girls standing in the back, and it was a scary, but harmless ride up the hillside to Albayzín.

Also, I have never been to San Francisco, but after this trip, I can understand how steep the roads are. Here are some pictures climbing up the hill to San Nicolas

The Alhambra

When we got off the bus, we were told that we were in the Plaza de San Nicolas, which has to be one of my favorite places in Granada. This plaza overlooks the Alhambra and all of Granada, and I managed to take some awesome pictures of the area. La iglesia (the church) de San Nicolas was behind us, and the most interesting part about it was that there were words on the church in Latin. I was able to recognize this from studying Latin roots in my Spanish linguistics class last semester at Illinois State University. For this, I am not too sure on how old the church here was, but I will try to find out in the next few weeks.

UPDATE: I read on the Internet that this church was built in the 16th century, or between 1500-1600 A.D.! Also, this church was built after the Moors were driven out of Granada (1492), and a mosque used to be in its current place. I find it so interesting that I was standing in such a historically significant place!

Another spectacular view of the Alhambra

The name of the church in Latin

After navigating the winding, steep streets down to our destination, we arrived at La Casa Blanca (The White House), which is a small tea cafe to enjoy many kinds of tea and warm beverages. This place was intrinsically decorated to show Arab influence since the Moors had control of this area for several centuries. 

I apologize for the obscurity of this photo, but it is of the small table and pot of sugar that was found all over the cafe. I do not have a picture of it, but there are couches surrounding the perimeter for a more close feel with those who you are out with.

I was in awe with the ceiling decorations

I forget what these were called, but it was a flaky pastry they gave to us with a sticky, sweet sauce and something similar to sesame on top.

 

Yes, Coca-Cola is everywhere! Of course, as anyone who has traveled to another country can tell you, it does taste different than in the United States. However, it is quite difficult to describe how it tastes in contrast. 

I ordered the Tropical Fruit tea, in which I was able to pour three full glasses from this pot. At home, loose tea has the best taste, and this is a great example of this.

To the right is the sign for the tea cafe we went to, along with the sign to the left for a restaurant down the street. I liked seeing that they put Arabic on the sign. For being a city so influenced by the Moors, this has been the only time I have seen Arabic. However, I have yet to explore the many parts of this beautiful city.

My next post I will write about my trip to Málaga, a coastal city on the wonderful Costa del Sol. 

Bienvenidos a Granada!

I arrived in Granada last night! After about twenty-six hours of travelling, it was nice to come to my home stay and meet my host mother, Rosario. She is a very nice lady and I enjoy having extended conversations in Spanish with her.

To summarize my travels, I took a plane out of Chicago and landed in London, where trolleys (yes, trolleys as in Harry Potter) were free and abundant. I spent about 5 or 6 hours waiting for my flight, but I was able to tour the wonderful London Heathrow airport. In a lot of international airports abroad, they have stores full of goods that you can purchase and have it be tax-free. I'm not too sure what happens when you go through customs, since they probably would charge you for the item.

This picture is of the waiting lounge in the London Heathrow airport. The thing that I found most interesting was that in the United States, everyone waits for their plane at the gate. However, everyone waits here until it says that their gate is open. Otherwise, the gate doesn't open to the posted time, so I guess it is a convenient option for travelers to lounge and enjoy the stores.

I then took a flight to Madrid, and upon arrival I found out that they had lost my luggage in London, but they were sending it over 3 hours after I had arrived. Because of that, I called the study abroad program and my parents and told them that I would wait for my suitcase. After I successfully obtained my suitcase, I navigated Madrid by a city bus and the Metro (subway). I finally left Madrid and headed for Granada by a bus, and this is the time that I got to sleep for a bit.

For the times that I was awake, I got to see some beautiful scenery, which is shown below. 

I am not sure what these mountains were called, but they were located in the Castilla-La Mancha autonomous region of Spain. For those who are familiar with Cervantes' "Don Quijote", this is the region that is referred to.

Finally, I arrived in Granada and here are a few pictures from the area:

Plaza de Toros

Genil River, next to my homestay

Granada, from above

Orange trees. Word of advice from my friend: Don't eat. They're sour.

The cathedral in Granada. This picture does not truly represent its grand size. 

Me, in front of a fountain in el centro.

Paella con gambas and pasta con calamares.

My school

The street I live on, with my flatmate Aurelie in the bottom right-hand corner.

Hola a todos

Hello to all!

I will be travelling to Spain on August 28th, where I will be living for the next four months. This will be available to all who would like to keep track of mi vida granadina, my Granadine life.

My goal is to post weekly on Sundays.

I am very excited for this experience, and I hope that you will follow me along this journey!