- I went to Granada for the weekend! For those who don't know, Granada is a 3 hour bus ride outside of Sevilla & known for La Alhambra, a giant castle/fortess/garden/palace that sits on top of a mountain. Before its capture in 1492 by Catholic King Ferdinand & Queen Isabel, La Alambra was home to the Muslim Nazarí dynasty. This building is ginormous (see the background building of the photo below)!!!!
- I experienced my 1st hostel, ever...& let me just say that they are not my cup of tea! It was decently clean but smelled like cigarette smoke & was absolutely freezing at night.
- I have never walked more in my life than I did these past 2 days. Day 1--we got somewhat lost on top of a mountain and walked for about 6 hours straight. Day 2--another 6 hours of walking while exploring the city. My legs are not so grateful right now.
- I have also never seen more hippies in my life than I saw in Granada. I'm talking dreadlocks everywhere! They were about the equivalent like modern day gypsies, spending the day hanging out on top of the mountain, occasionally trying to sell jewelry to the visiting tourists.
- I had to watch out for cars, motorcycles, & bikes 24/7 because in Granada they do not stop for people, reallll funny.
- I witnessed my first strike/protest! I'm not sure what it was for, but here's a video
- I visited La Alambra and spent almost 5 hours exploring the gimormous place. It was BEAUTIFUL. It's hard to believe that the whole place was created thousands of years ago and is so much more appreciated after a brief history lesson. The fortress part was my fav.
- The view from the top of the mountains in Granada was stunning. I'm sure I took at least 50 pictures of just the view. It made me wish Sevilla was on top of a giant mountain.
- My travel buddies--Sarah & Kaitlyn-- & I stumbled across the bus used by team Spain for the World Cup. Coolest thing ever. There was a fee to enter the bus, so we figured a picture on the outside would be sufficient.
- We met a family from Dallas, TX in Granada! The couple graduated of SMU and moved to Spain for Campus Crusade for Life. It's amazing to see how God placed these people in my life while traveling to Granada, He sure does work in mysterious ways :)
- We took a local bus in order to get to the main bus station (that goes Granada-Sevilla), but accidentally got off the bus a few stops too early. With only 30 minutes until our big bus left for Sevilla, & no idea where to go, we power-walked through the streets until somehow stumbling upon a helpful sign. We arrived at the big bus station with 20 minutes to spare & super exhausted. Had we not made our bus, we would have been stuck in Granada for another night...thank goodness we are smarties! haha
All in all, Granada was a success. Next week I go to Madrid with my roommate Katie & we get to see our friend Ardena! Then Pisa, Florence, Rome, Barcelona, Paris, Cádiz, & Morocco--rough life, I know! Just kidding. I am very blessed.
No comments:
Post a Comment