This last week has been full of fun things. Last Wednesday I went with my program to the Alhambra and had an extensive tour through it. The Alhambra is a World Heritage Site and draws many visitors to Granada. The Alhambra is made up of unique palaces, fortresses and royal quarters with beautiful interiors. Also part of the Alhambra is the Generallife, made up of beautiful gardens and fountains, which was the summer residence of the Nasrid kings. Granada has a very unique history because it was the meeting point of Islamic and Christian cultures. For some amount of years Christians, Muslims and Jews lived in Granada in harmony. When walking around the city you can see the different evidence of this harmonious living of the past. For example, there is an old quarter in the city called Albaicin which shows the Islamic influences and traditions. This part of the city is made up of narrow streets and squares and has many places with North African cuisine and teashops. In other parts of the city are strong Christian influences especially the Cathedral quarter. The Moors ruled Granada from 8th century AD until 1492 when Ferdinand and Isabella conquered it and reclaimed Christianity here.
Last week I also went to a bullfight with my program. They have 13 days of different bullfighting here as part of the Corpus Christi celebration which took place last Thursday through Sunday. We went to a noon bullfight and saw many matadors kill 6 bulls in all. I didn´t know at all what to expect but it was very interesting. It was neat to sit in the stands with the Spanish people and follow their reactions to the show. The bull would be let in the ring and 3 matadors would be in it waving pink capes and riling the bull up. Then they would throw these spears that looked like piñatas into the bull´s back. At that point the 3 matadors would leave the ring and the main matador would come out and do his thing. When he did a really good job the crowd would shout ¨Ole! Ole!¨. At some point they would fall usually because of blood loss, confusion and weakness etc. and they would kill him by piercing him at the back of his neck. Sorry this may be gruesome for some of you..... I apologize. Keep reading I´m almost done talking about it. While I didn´t enjoy watching the bulls die I enjoyed observing the crowd and atmosphere. When the bull would fall the whole crowd would wave white handkerchiefs in the air. There was also live music being played throughout the fights which made it very authentic.
Friday I left with 4 other students from Abroadco for the town of Nerja, which is on the Costa Del Sol on the southern coast of Spain. It was a nice weekend getaway for us just to relax and lay on the beaches because it is so different from the city life. The town was very small and we walked on narrow streets to get to the coast. Everything was white with blue paint and flowers in the balconies. It reminded me of what Greece would look like. Our hostal was very nice and felt more like a hotel. It was the same price as most of the hostels I stayed at in Italy yet was so much nicer, so I really recommend coming to Spain if you want to get more for your money and a beautiful country. I didn´t do a good job speaking Spanish this weekend since I was with 4 other Americans and many people in Nerja speak English. Many British people come down for their holidays and spend time in the sun. I hope to start speaking much more Spanish this week with all of my classes. It amazes me how I could get to such a different town than Granada and to the coast in just a 2 hour bus ride. It was a nice time and I was sad to leave!
Some things about my time in Spain so far that are random and I want to share: Granada has multiple bridal shops and shoe shops that I walk past every day. Ashley and I love looking at the beautiful dress displays on our way to class. Our host mom Eloisa makes delicious flan for dessert and we´ve had it twice already. Good thing I´m walking so much. They always serve Coca Cola with lemon and in fancy glasses when at a restaurant. Healthcare is free here, which I was surprised to hear. I learned they can get organ transplants and sex changes done here for free (well they pay through taxes!). The whole city is pretty empty from the hours of 3 to 6 pm or so due to the siestas here. Ashley and I have taken a few siestas but haven´t made a habit of it. Yesterday, we returned from Nerja and met a 22 yr old girl from Sweden who is also living with our host family for the next 3 weeks. Her name is Felicia and is very nice and speaks very good English and Spanish. She is advanced! We should have fun living in a full house (8 people!) for the rest of June since that is what I am used to at home. Eloisa, the daughter, likes to quiz me on my Spanish skills and loves to play hand games with me. Darrio, the 3 yr old loves my feet and will play with them forever. So funny. I also learned today that there was a small earthquake in Granada on Saturday morning. I was in Nerja so I didn´t know about it, but we talked about it in class today. Apparently, they are common here and are always small. Interesting.