Epilogue: Granada

Let me start by saying that I MADE IT BACK TO THE UNITED STATES.  There; everyone can breathe now (hopefully you haven't been holding your breaths since my last post in July)!  Well, it's now January of 2013.  Cádiz was so last year, right?  Wrong!  As I was recently re-reading my blog, the abrupt end of my story hit me in the face and I realized how unfinished it seemed.  The story didn't end when we left Cádiz, after all; it concluded with visits to Granada and Sevilla and of course the flight back to New York.  My final three posts will cover these last three parts of the trip.  I will begin the end of the story with our travel to Granada on Saturday, July 28th.

It had never felt so good to be finished with classes.  For the first time since May 14^th, I had a break from classes and schoolwork!  I sure did enjoy my freedom to the fullest by having a wonderful time in Granada.  Like I said before, our bus left Cádiz at 9 A.M. on Saturday morning.  The bus ride took about four hours, and the scenery included beautiful views of the Spanish countryside, just like those of the trips to the cities which we had already visited.  I passed the time by listening to my newly-downloaded Spanish music (which I am still obsessed with) by reading the second Hunger Games book, and by napping, of course.  Needless to say that the ride flew by.

Once we pulled up to the front of the hotel, we could instantly tell that it was very upscale.  We were right – it was a four-star hotel with snazzy rooms, delicious food, very nice amenities, and a beautiful rooftop pool with views of the surrounding city and Sierra Nevada Mountains.  Since we were all starving, the first thing we did was locate a restaurant for lunch.  €8 for a drink, salad, pizza or spaghetti, and ice cream was the best deal around.  Afterwards, we returned to the hotel for siesta time and then continued up to the rooftop pool.  This is what the pool looked like:

And here are some shots of our views from the roof:

Imagine what we would be able to see if we were all able to stand on our own roofs!

After some quality pool time, it was time for dinner: a delicious buffet right in the hotel restaurant.  The only problem with eating at hotels was that portion control was in my own hands, not those of Charo.  And I came to realize how difficult it was to control myself.  But nonetheless, the food was delicious.

After dinner was some Olympics-watching in our friends’ room.  It was quite cozy with 15 of us in one room.  It was comforting to be watching Team USA and helped me to feel a little closer to home.  After a bit, we called it a night.

Sunday, our second day in Granada, began with a tour of the Alhambra, a beautiful ancient Moorish town behind high walls that we passed through.  The architecture and artwork were beautiful, and there were gardens that were absolutely breathtaking.  Here are some photos:

View of the city in the distance 

Neat architecture - view from the center 

View from the center with reflection pool 

More beautiful architecture 

Inside the building 

Another building

Enrique showed us some handmade works of art:

Then we continued on to the gardens:

View of the building from the gardens 

 More of the gardens

Ancient architecture 

Good old summer days 

Neat walkway 

View of the old city 

More of the old city 

 Good photo op

Picturesque fountain 

Very intricate detail on this building 

So European

After our tour, we had free time back in Granada until dinner.  A group of us explored the city, which we found to be beautiful and a little more modern and fast-paced than Cádiz.  We came across some side streets full of little souvenir shops and gypsies selling various items on the streets.  It was very enjoyable to explore the area.  Once back at the hotel, Minn and I took a four-hour nap.  Yes, four hours.  Remember when I said that finally being free from classes was the absolute best feeling?  I actually had time to partake in such forgotten pastimes as reading and sleeping for once. 

After dinner on Sunday night, the majority of our group, including our Faculty Program Coordinator and two grad assistants, boarded a minibus to an authentic restaurant  featuring a flamenco show.  It was the neatest little place, complete with pots hanging from the ceiling and artwork everywhere else:

The show, which was a story about a wedding, was incredibly lively and full of energy.  It was great to experience something so unique to this region’s culture.  Here are some shots from the show:

The "bride" and "groom" 

Close-up 

Flamenco dancer with authentic Spanish flamenco costume and fan

Afterwards, we returned to an area overlooking the Alhambra to take pictures of the beautiful lit-up landscape.  Around midnight, we took a short tour around the area and learned about its history.  I had never been on a tour at midnight before, but it was great!

Nighttime view of the city 

Alternate view of the city 

 I thought that this picture seemed very European

Spanish pride

We returned to the hotel once again and went to bed soon thereafter.  Our two days in Granada had been eventful and relaxing at the same time – just how I liked it!  Next (and final) stop: Sevilla!