Vale (means ok)

BUENAS TARDES!!

sorry that I haven't blogged in like, at least a week. I know you are all just dying to hear all about my life. I apologize immensely and thus will tell you all about it pronto.

Well, last week on Tuesday everyone in the program had to meet up at our university for our 6 hour chartered bus ride down to Granada! It was actually a lot of fun, everyone got a good nap in and it was cool to see Spain flying past us. Once we got to Granada we had some free time, so about 6 of us girls all went to explore the city, and it was SO ADORABLE. I really, really, really like Granada. The streets are really cute and there are a lot of plazas, etc. Then we decided to get some ice cream....at Hagen Daaz or however you spell that. Very spanish, I know...Well anyway we were sitting outside when this group of 4 boys walked up to our table and one literally RAN into our table, which was really weird (my friend Beth grabbed her purse on impulse b/c she thought he was trying to steal it, it was hilarous.....you probably had to have been there). Anyway, about 3 minutes later they all just walk up to our table and pull up chairs and literally surroud us and just sit down. We were like, what the hell is this?? They looked like 16 at the oldest. Well, they wanted a picture with us (or really i think my friend Steph who is blonde. and also he said she was guapa so of course he'd want a picture), but I told him in Spanish that he would have to pay to get a picture with us. I think that may have surprised them because we had all been speaking in English to eachother so they probably didn't think we understood them. Anyway, they sat there the whole time we ate our ice cream even though we told them to leave, but it was actually really funny. We were kind of being really mean to them, asking if they were 14, etc. And one said I looked like Hannah Montanah. (who actually IS about 16/17 years old, so that's kind of a slap in the face...) Anyway, then all of the sudden they just got up and left. It was an interesting start to the trip.

Then we all met up and took a guided tour of Granada, and our tour guide was very nice and knowledgable. But he kind of kept repeating words in English which was annoying b/c it wa slike dudeee we understand your spanish! But he was just trying to be helpful. Well we went into the cathedral which was beautiful! no pictures allowed inside though. Then we went up a mountain to where the Arabs/Muslims lived back in the day (Before 1492 when the conquista happened). The roads are really narrow b/c it provides more shade so everything is cooler, (like the houses shade eachother) and they are harder to attack! While walking up I even heard people speakin Arabic! Anyway, we climb this HUGE mountain thing that is very exhausting, then we come to the MOST amazing view of La Alhambra, the last thing that the Arabs did. It's this huge palace thingy that is seriously amazing, but were only able to live in it (the sultan i think?) for not very long b/c the Christians conquered them shortly after and changed the mosque into a church and stuff. (Actually, I think the only mosque that wasn't destroyed and rebuit as a church is in Cordoba, but we didn't go there).

Then we climbed down the mountain and had some amazing dinner! it was great. Then Beth and I decided to go have some wine after dinner and we made friends with our waiter (read: he thought we were really annoying. And also thought we were German...) but we had a really good time!

Wed - we actually WENT to La Alhambra...it is just impossible to describe so I'll put up pictures. We had a guided tour and stuff too. It was awesome! There's even a little room where Washington Irving stayed, he wrote stories about it. Also there's a "summer" house, literally across a little moat where they would go to live for the summer, I guess to physically remove themselves from the normal palace part, even though the weather and temperature, etc, is exactly the same. But the gardens were fabulous, there were a lot of patios and cool mosaics and everything!

Then we left Grandada for Sevilla! We took a little bus panoramic tour but did't really get to see anything. Then we ate and then I went to sleep because I was SO TIRED. Traveling/touring is very exhausting...

In Sevilla we had a tour of the Cathedral which was HUGE and super cool! We also climed up to the very top tower where you could see all of Sevilla! But the best part was the story of Christopher Columbus...his remains are in the cathedral! the thing is, they tried to give his remains to America, but we didn't want them apparently, and then to the islands and no one wanted him. He crossed the Atlantic 15 times while dead, and only 4 times while alive! So now he's laid to rest in Sevilla. however, with all of that traveling, they lost a lot of parts of his body, so they only have a part of his head and then an arm and his pelvic bone, etc. But then 3 places claimed to have his bones! So they did DNA testing and they found that some of the bones they had in Sevilla weren't his at all, but some were, so they have his real body. And they know it is his DNA b/c his son is also buried in the same cathedral! (i think). Anyway, it was a good story.

Then we probably walked around the city more and ate a lot of yummy food. I honestly can't remember...?

THURSDAY

We woke up and went to the museum of Flamenco! We took a 45 minute flamenco dance class which was super fun and also HILARIOUS! Then we learned about how it came to be and how it's a mix of so many different cultures (cuban, indian, etc) and it is a very awesome dance. I like it a lot.

Okay i've realized that I've mixed up a lot of the days but oh well....

Then on Friday we went to the Palace of the Spanish Kings and queen and it was very beautiful, similar to La Alhambra, and there were peacocks outside which i thought was really cool!

Then Friday our professors left us and we hopped on a train to Cadiz, a city in southern spain on the beach!!! our hotel was AWESOME, although we fit 6 people into a 4 person room...but it all worked out great! Then we went out and tried to find this specific club and couldn't find it which was annoying but whatever, we had a good time. On Saturday we spent the day at the beach, and a lot of people got sunburned pretty bad...but I managed to avoid anything too bad! Then we bought bagettes and brie cheese and wine and just sat in a plaza and ate and drank, it was sooo much fun! definitely an amazing dinner. :)
Sunday we left Cadiz and had to go through sevilla then back to Madrid. It was really nice to be home (yes home! crazy but it really did feel like home) with yummy food made by Sol!!

Monday we had more orientation stuff talked about our classes. Then we went out to Malasana, a district with lots of prostitutes and stuff. Okay that sounds bad, but it was SO much fun! We went out to a gay bar (although there were straight people there too...evidenced by the oldish couple making out in the back...) and it was seriously so much fun! they played the best music!
Tuesday we learned all about Galicia, where we are headed tomorrow, the north western part of Spain! They even have their own language, Gallego, it's a mix between Spanish and Portuguese so I can kind of understand it, which is really awesome.

Well we have to catch a flight tomorrow at 9, thus be there at 8, so gotta leave the house by 7 so I need some sleep! love you all!! Talk to you on Sunday!! xoxox