Last Sunday (August 11th) and Monday my friends Matt and Lisa arrived in the Granada. They came here to complete and start their EuroTrips, respectively. This was definitely one of the highlights of my summer. Not only did I get to hangout with some people that I love to spend time with, but I also got to share the place that I have loved so much this summer. Monday I showed them around town, to some of the great views of the city and La Alhambra, and a local pub called Hannigan and Son's. Tuesday we went and got some tapas (which of course any one who visits is amazed by... buy a cheap beer, and get free food... who wouldn't want that?!) After, we went to find a karaoke bar, where we showcased our All-American songs while an old Spanish couple made out near by (guess we set the mood?). Wednesday, we went shopping at some of the Arabic markets, and had one of the best dinners of chicken with couscous and lamb made with prunes (AMAZING!!). That night we had a night tour of La Alhambra... I had been there before, but at night it is completely different. It's still amazing but in a slightly eerie way that I totally enjoyed.
Thursday Matt had to start his trip back to the good 'ol US of A, so we had to part ways. Fortunately it was also a holiday, so Lisa and I embarked on our trip to Madrid. We got in that afternoon and wandered around el Parque del Retiro. We got to see the Palacio de Cristal and Monumento de Alfonso XII. Pretty impressive! Friday was our day of Museums... first we went to El Prado. I've never been much for art, but for the first time I actually really enjoyed it all, I would even say I was moved by some. I got to see works by Velazquez, Goya, Picasso (all of which I learned about last month) and many more. Afterwards, we went to the Museum of Reina Sofia. Luckily right now they have an exposition of Dalí, so we got to see most of his work as well... awesome but REALLY STRANGE! I would have to say the most impressionable piece I saw in both museums was La Guernica by Picasso. Before I never understood cubism, and thought all art of that type was ridiculous and made no sense... but after learning about the history of Spain behind it, the meaning with in it, and seeing the immensity of the piece I was truly blown away!
That night Lisa and I flew to Barcelona. Everything went smoothly, until we tried to find our hostel from the bus stop... luckily two friendly Australians noticed our lost faces and assisted us the rest of the way. Since we hadn't eaten dinner yet, we hit the streets to find some food at 1AM and came upon a bocadillo shop (think those sandwiches may have been sitting out ALL day... oh yeah and its HOT there... YUM). It also started to rain a little on that late night expedition, which at least gave us relief from the humidity. Anyways we ate in a little plaza by our hostel and then rested up for the next day.
Saturday morning we hit the streets for a day of Gaudí. If you have never heard of Antoni Gaudí, you need to look him up right now (but for real... DO IT!). He's like the Dr. Seuss of architects in Spain, from the 19th and 20th century. We got to see La Sagrada Familia, Parc Güell, Casa Batlló, and La Padrera. I can't even begin to explain how amazing everything there is, but his work is breathtaking, visually stimulating, funky-awesome, and the list can go on and on... Later that night we went out with people from our hostel to la Festival de Grácia. They had crafted dragons, animals, insects and such filling the streets, as well as concerts going on at various stages. It was quite the experience, and we danced the night away to authentic Spanish music. Sunday morning Lisa had to leave to embark on the rest of her EuroTrip, so I wandered through Barcelona on my own. I walked down La Rambla (main touristy street in central Barcelona) and found myself at the port (which is ginormous, and also has a mall on the pier). I spent a couple hours there until I was hungry for lunch, when I got some pintxos (essentially tapas/ small servings of different foods). After I went to the Arc de Triumf and a park nearby it. It was a nice relaxing day to myself. That night I caught a plane back to Granada, but I was definitely not ready to leave, Barcelona was so awesome!!! and I can see myself returning someday...
Monday, I went on a hike to Cahorros again with my program. Tuesday we went to the Arabic baths (still AMAZING), and that night I have an intercambio with another Spaniard that I met. Yesterday, we saw La Guerra Mundial Z (World War Z). I pretty much understood it all in Spanish, and was definitely really jumpy!! That night I did a group intercambio with a class of Spaniards. We went to tapas and I watched my first MLS game, no better place than Spain where all the angry Spaniard are cursing in Spanish every second of the game. We also went to a karaoke bar where we chose songs for each other in our target languages. Man are Spanish songs difficult (especially when you don't recognize them very well). Today, I am finished with school for the day, and am going on a bike ride later this afternoon. Right now I'm just trying to get my fill of everything Granada...
I have 9 days left here. I'm so thankful for the experiences that I have had so far, and am by no means ready to be done...
No comments:
Post a Comment