Granada & Málaga

THE ALHAMBRA IN GRANADA

MÁLAGA BEACH AT NIGHT

AREN'T THEY CUTE? DAY AT THE BEACH! = SUNBURN

55 days and 23 mastered games of sudoku later...

Here I sit, sunburned, bored, stressed, and content with the weekend I've just had! I know I haven't written about Barcelona or getting left on the Salamanca/Ávila trip but I'll just have to tell you those later. For now, I'll tell you about this past weekend. This weekend (after a long week of crap classes, might I add...) I traveled to Granada and Málaga. Honestly, it was a blast. I was traveling with people I don't usually talk to all of the time at school and I got an opportunity to know Kevin and Shelby better. That was probably my favorite part of the whole trip, to be lame but honest. I really like to listen and get to know people, people sort of fascinate me somewhat. They don't have stories like mine which I love.
Anyway back to the boring part: we took a bus from Madrid to Granada but before that 5 hour bus ride we had to get to Madrid at 5:45 from Segovia. That was tough. I was sort of running late and we literally had to CHASE the bus down as it was pulling out of the station. Off to a good start, right?! Well, we get on the bus and Michelle and Caitlin B were there and made fun of us a little then brought up the fact that Shelby wasn't on the bus. Turns out Shelby missed the first bus out of Segovia which was basically our only shot to get to our bus to Granada on time. Great... But on the bus ride to Madrid, we met a guy also studying in Segovia from the States (who wreaked of alcohol...) and was on his way to Paris for the weekend. Though slightly inebriated, it was neat to talk to someone else from the States studying abroad. When we got to the Madrid bus station (After a 30 minute Metro ride) we had about 30 minutes to kill which consisted of sitting and resting a bit and worrying about Shelby who, at that point, had just gotten to Madrid. Well, needless to say, she missed our 8 am bus and had to catch a different one at 11:30. Yikes! So when we arrive in Granada after a long bus ride with 8th graders (best quote of the trip by one of the 8th grade girls was, "My parents are worried I'm going to get pregnant and ruin my life" ...yes little girl, many other people on this bus also speak English and are laughing at you...) we arrived to a beautiful day and a beautiful hostel in Granada. Once there, Kevin arrived! (He took the train to get there) But turns out his ride in wasn't completely fool proof either. He lost his passport and didn't have a phone to call the director of the program to let her know. So at least we got the drama out of the way, right?! After setting in a bit, we started making our way to the Alhambra. (Which is basically an ancient palace thing that the Moors built in the 14th century...yeah that's the 1300s...it's OLD! And you can read more here if you're interested: ALHAMBRA ) After this 25 minute stroll through the central part of Granada (which is BEAUTIFUL by the way) we made it to the Alhambra (which was all uphill also, I'll add...thanks WKU for training in "hill-mastery") and I was absolutely astounded at the size of this thing! GIGANTIC! And with gorgeous gardens and views of the city! (Which Granada sort of looks like Greece with the white buildings and all) It was pretty fantastic to see! (And while we were here before our reservation to see the Nazarine Gardens, Shelby finally caught up with us! Boy, were we glad to see her! :) ) So after we had seen everything we could, we headed over to a look out spot that looked out on the entire Alhambra and fortress (plus it was sunset and just absolutely beautiful...when I made it to the top of THAT mountain, I didn't care so much that I had just walked 30 minutes in less than appropriate shoes uphill! At least I was fashionable as well!) Once done hanging out at the look out, we ate the BEST ice cream I think I've ever had! (I had dark chocolate and tiramisu if you must know) and was satisfied for the night. As exhausted as I was (along with feeling like I was getting sick) Caitlin and I headed to bed super early. The only thing I didn't like about this hostel was that we shared a floor with like 10 other people and they came in at about 5 am and our room being in the foyer-area, we heard EVERYTHING. But that's alright! We had an amazing free breakfast the next morning.

Then that afternoon we headed on a bus to Málaga. These bussed run pretty often so we caught one at 2 (though the reception guy at our first hostel told us Málaga was gross and the beaches suck, but it wasn't going to break our spirit! The Costa del Sol is a coast and that makes me a happy girl! He was just bitter about something...) We got to Málaga an hour after our bus left and we sort of with some trouble found our hostel. I think we've done really well on our hostel choices so far! All with breakfast and nice rooms and everything I could ask for! So after getting to our hostel, we went for a night walk on the beach after eating some dinner and a trip to the grocery store. This night walk was gorgeous! Plus we scoped out a spot to hang out at the beach the next day! So Sunday, we literally just sat out at the beach ALL day! We went out there pretty early in the morning and then clouds started to move in which made it quite cold. So we were not happy and came inside to hang out for a bit. Once the blue skies came back, we knew it was going to be a good day for the remainder of the afternoon. The sun felt SO good! It was so relaxing just to be on a beach not thinking about any of those Segovia school worries! I fell asleep several times at the beach (that what staying up until 5 will do to you...partly due to the German girls who were snoring at unbelievable volumes!) but it was so nice to just relax and fall asleep. Well, me being stubborn decided I didn't need sunscreen and ended up frying just a tad. So now I'm a little burnt but it'll turn to maybe a little tan I'm hoping so everyone can tell that I went somewhere fun this weekend! My skin loves the sun and so do I and I loved Sunday! After the beach, we made some dinner and just hung out and bonded and talked all night. It was great! Then now, Monday, it's time to go back to the cold land of Segovia. Not cool! Today is cloudy and sort of cold and not so fun. We've basically just been sitting here all day and time is CRAWLING...At least we're not waiting until that 1 am bus! We'll be leaving at 10:30 instead! Which still means Tuesday classes will be somewhat of a nightmare but I'll get through and I'll get everything I need to get done...somehow. Well, I guess that's all for today! Hope you enjoy reading my boring blog posts! I know they don't do this trip justice! It's been amazing though sometimes I wish I had closer friends here to share it with. I'm just ready for all of this homework drama to be done with. One of my teacher piled 4 mini paper things on us last week. It's tough, it really is. I mean, after all, everything is foreign. It's been a good experience but I honestly cannot wait until London and Dublin and then my long trip home! =] See you all soon! (34 days actually! And to explain the title of this post, I've been here for 55 days, obviously...but whenever I grab my phone to call someone back home, I end up playing sudoku. I never thought I was very good at sudoku but Spain has made me a master! I just like to get my mind off of missing home) Anyway, like I said, see you soon!

Barcelona to brighten your day!

I'M PRETTY SURE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS OUTFIT SCREAMS AMERICAN TOURIST

SAGRADA FAMILIA

Barcelona for Carnavales! Photos for now...

GAUDI'S CASA MILA

GROUP SHOT

EL BOSQUERÍA: LARGE MARKET
CANDY

FRUITS AND VEGGIES

EMU EGGS

MANGO PINEAPPLE JUICE
I don't care if this is the ugliest picture, I was excited about my juice!

THE BEACH

BEACH! Can you spot the nudist?

METRO REFLECTION

Valencia! and the Mediterranean Sea! Part 2

THE AQUARIUM
Flip Flop Fish

MICHELLE

DOLPHIN SHOW

SUNSET AND PALM TREE

Valencia! and the Mediterranean Sea! Part 1

SCIENCE CENTER

BRIDGE

ME

WE FOUND THE BEACH

FLAGS OF VALENCIA AND SPAIN

BEACH: note the mountains!

CAITLIN AND I

OUR HOMAGE TO THE USA: we had to...

MY HOSTEL

ORANGE TREES!

An overdue blog-post-marathon! (Feb. 25 - March 1)

After a tough week in class, I deserved a weekend in Valencia! I had 2 tests and a paper due this week and on top of all that, after a last minute decision to go to Valencia this weekend, my credit card company declined my card while trying to buy bus tickets because apparently I was trying to rent the whole bus...Don't ask. After already reserving my hostel though, I was nervous about not being able to get there! So I had a friend purchase the tickets for me and I paid her back! Problem solved the day before I was supposed to leave! I was also nervous because I was going with 2 girls who had a hotel and sort of do their own thing and I really didn't want to be left in Valencia by myself. But all was good! Here's how my weekend went!

Friday, Feb. 25: I woke up at the crack of dawn to walk to the bus station because my bus to Madrid was at 5:45 a.m. It was a little strange walking to the bus station while young people are out in the streets from the night before but that's just what they do here. I was a little nervous walking to the bus station by myself with all of the drunks out but I made it without having to call anyone or feeling unsafe at all. We got on the bus to Madrid just fine but I had realized I didn't print out my bus tickets because the night before, when I planned on doing that in the Center, KIIS took us out and bought us drinks instead. So when we reached the bus station (after a free Metro ride bc the ticket things were broken) I had them print out my ticket. I was worried but it wasn't a huge deal at all! We had time to waste so we sat in a cafe for a bit and walked around some but then it was time to go! I had 2 seats to myself on the 9 a.m. bus to Valencia which I was super happy about! Plenty of room to spread out! But there were 3 couples in front of us on the bus that were very loud and annoying. PDA is very common here, which sometime is sweet and it was very sweet to see how much they like each other but at the same time, I want someone's shoulder to lay my head on..NOT FAIR! But whatever, I fell asleep and wrote for this blog so sorry if this post is a little sappy. I was feeling philosophical this morning which I tend to do a lot but you probably already knew that. So, here goes:

Random UPDATES:
I love the moon here. It's so bright! I also love that it's feminine 'la luna' in Spanish and the sun in masculine 'el sol' It makes the moon much more graceful and more of a phenomena than just ;the moon' In Spanish it's more of a symbol. Like when it's depicted with a statue of Mary: if the moon is below Mary's feet, she is already the mother of Jesus, but if the moon is shown above her, she is pregnant. Interesting the things you learn while touring the cathedral with your 20th Century lit class. That reminds me, I miss the stars in the US. I know they're the same ones over here but where I am, only 4 or 5 can be seen at one time.
I'm also in a country that doesn't believe in anything 'to-go'. All I wanted the other day was a cup of coffee but I wanted to bring it to the Center. But no, coffee to-go doesn't really exist here. Also, 'to-go' in Spanish is 'para llevar' which means 'to wear' which I find funny because coffee is the last thing I'd want to wear in the morning! But 'para llevar' also means 'to carry' so I guess that makes more sense.

My taller with Jesus is going really well. An update on my art class! I'm really excited about how my art project is coming out! I keep meaning to take pictures of it after every time I go but somehow I forget. Otherwise, I'm sure they'd be up here.

It is getting a bit harder to be away from home. Yes mom, I know I'm not missing out on anything and I'm having a great experience here but it's difficult still! Especially when I'm hearing all about spring break plans that I'm missing out on. Sometimes all I want is a hug and space of my own. After 3 months, I still don't think this'll feel like home. Also, mom and dad, remember you were shocked to know I decided to do this in the first place!! :) and now look at me! I'm on a bus to Valencia being independent! Thanks for being proud of me and for helping me out! I'll be at the airport in 2 months with BIG hugs for you both!

This morning when I woke up, my senora had set out breakfast for me which was really sweet but all I have to say is that I don't know how I feel about drinking chocolate milk that has set out all night. We'll see how I feel later on in the day! They do that here though! They just set out whatever it may be: soup, milk (which isn't refrigerated anyway..don't ask me why. Neither are eggs) bread, margarine, marmalade..it's very strange! And I wonder why my stomach hates me...

Also, being here has shown me how possessive we are of things in the US. In the US we need our own plot of land that we can call 'ours' whereas here, they all live in apartment-style homes and have no real land of their own. It's probably something in American history that dates back to the very beginning of out country but still! And with whatever my suitcase could hold, I'm realizing I don't need all of the things I have at home. Now, I'm not going to go home and do a giant closet purge but I'm very surprised at how little I need.

Friday (continued after my bus ride rant of random updates) We arrived in Valencia's bus station without the slightest clue as to where we were or where to go. I figured we'd get the other girls checked into their hotel and then walk to my hostel however, they had no idea how to get to their hotel or how far it was from the bus station. Luckily, I had been emailed directions to my hostel so we start there, hop on the 79 bus after asking a few questions at the Information desk, then ride the 79 around the city. We went in an entire circle listening for the exact stop that my email had told me to get off at. That stop didn't exactly exist but we knew what neighborhood we needed to get off at, so we hopped off there and looked at the map at the bus stop to decide where to go next. Following the directions via email, we arrived at my hostel (despite the loose translation) Rassafa youth hostel was pretty nice. An old man names Jose ran the place, showed me where I'd be staying and where everything was. Turns out I had a 3 bedroom hostel room all to myself for the night! (Yes mom, I know you told me not to go anywhere alone...but it's just what I had to do) So after finding my hostel and changing into shorts, we decide to walk to the other girls' hotel. (luckily I had written directions on how to get there for some reason...) After much walking and getting lost once, we found it. (Let me just say, I knew how to read the map and I knew which way to go but this girl was convinced she's good at just knowing which way to go...WRONG!) So after getting turned around, we made it and checked them into the hotel which was actually quite nice (though I had to show them how to work the lights. It's not that these girls were dumb, I just knew I was right half of the time on this trip but no one listens to me!! It's scary how much I'm reminding myself of my sister while in Spain...[not a bad thing, Rach]) After checking them into the hotel, we went to walk around and explore Valencia which included finding the beach! (Which we also go lost...clearly not due to my lack of directional skills but probably to my lack of wanting to take charge and tell people they're wrong...very wrong.) So we did a lot of unnecessary walking today. Oh well. Our feet hurt at the end of the day and all we wanted was some good old fashioned American food and the girls were set on some TGIFridays so we finally found that and were able to sit down for a while. It was seriously the most amazing meal, too! Expensive and not at all where I would pick to eat in the States but it was heaven after a day full of bus riding and walking! After dinner, the girls walked me to my hostel and I goofed off on the internet all night.

Saturday Feb. 26: Today, I had breakfast provided by the hostel =] then checked out and walked to the girls' hotel! It was a very pleasant walk I must say! The Holiday Inn in Valencia has a baggage room so we checked their backpacks as well as mine for no charge! It was lovely not to have to carry around our backpacks! Later, we went to the beach to lounge around before going to the biggest and best aquarium in Europe! The beach was wonderful! The weather was in the 70s so it wasn't quite sun tanning weather but it felt so good in the sun, that I'm so excited for summer now, it's kind of ridiculous! After spending a few hours on the beach, we headed over to the Aquarium after getting a quick and cheap lunch. The aquarium was amazing! We saw fish from all over! It was better than any museum! Let me just say that! I wish we had time to go to the science museum too but after the dolphin show, the 'City of Sciences' closed. So, we ventured to the bus station to find a place to eat dinner before boarding our bus at 1 a.m. We found a HUGE mall and a place to sit and eat and east a few hours. At about 11, we decide we had overstayed our welcome at the restaurant so we walked to the bus station and found a bench to sit on. Turns out the luggage across from us belonged to a homeless man that was staring at us THE ENTIRE TIME! Literally, he did not take his eyes off of us. With the uncomfortable vibes, we decide to walk back to the mall and sit outside to waste more time but not across from strange men. We ended up finding some free internet to help pass the time then went back to the bus station with an hour until our departure. Unfortunately, we all had to use the restroom. I know I have public restroom fears already, but this place was the MOST DISGUSTING bathroom I've ever set foot in. Desperate times call for desperate measures tho, I guess. So we survived that adventure, luckily with plenty of hand sanitizer! Finally we got on our bus (with some sketchy looking people. I try not to be judgmental but I just simply would not feel comfortable sleeping next to some of these people) Thank goodness there were enough seats so that mot everyone could have 2 to themselves so I moved so I had 3 seats to myself for sleeping. Not a whole lot of sleeping happened tho. We arrived in Madrid and had to make our way to the bus station by Metro to get back to Segovia at about 5 a.m. Turns out, the Metro doesn't open until 5:30 a.m. and the first metro train doesn't come until 6:05 a.m. So more waiting around time.... Finally we get to our other bus station and there is supposed to be a bus at 7. There isn't and the place to buy tickets is closed...perfect. So another hour of waiting in the bus station until 8 a.m. for our bus to Segovia. I got back to Segovia at about 9:15 a.m. and took a much needed shower and started my day which was sleeping, eating, watching Friends in Spanish, more sleeping, then Cafe Colonial. It was an exhausting but pretty good day in the end!

Monday Feb. 28: Class starts back up! I got an A on my first paper, which I was PUMPED about! Walked to class in the snow after a weekend at the beach...talk about weather shock!

Tuesday March 1: IT'S MARCH! I'm so excited today is the start of March! I have a test tomorrow! And I'm traveling to Barcelona this weekend for Carnavales! (Friday-Tuesday!) It will be a blast and I'm excited to go somewhere different! However, I have a paper and a presentation due the day we get back so I'm going to need to get that done before I leave! So that's pretty much the rest of my week! Class and school work! Then Barcelona for 5 days! From here on out, this semester is going to go by so fast! We only have 21 more days of classes and I have 2 big weekend trips coming up. That's going to make days fly here. Then after our finals, we have 11 days to explore Europe and I will be going to London and Dublin with 3 other girls and everything for that is booked! It'll be a good and fast 2 months here! Here goes nothing!!

Fun stuff =]

My favorite ad here in Spain! (with english translation!)
COKE ADVERTISEMENT

Some awkward ads that come on during family lunch: Keep in mind, this is DAYTIME television!
IKEA
CHOCOLATES

Another of my favorites! I'm not sure if it's the hedgehog or the song that has captured my heart:
HEDGEHOG AD

A moment of my favorite show here: ...hello Mario Casas! ;)
EL BARCO

These live on top of the church next to my house:
STORKS

well, that's all for now! Maybe I'll think of some other vids for you later! Enjoy! =]