Catedral, y más

Yesterday we had an amazing tour of the Cathedral and Royal Chapel of Granada led by our two instructors.  Sadly, I knew near to nothing about the history of Granada prior to going, and therefore found this experience to be incredibly enriching.  Both of these buildings were constructed under the direction of los Reyes Católicos, Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand, who conquered the city and forcibly Christianized the Moors.  These buildings contain primarily Gothic art and architecture, which in my opinion is quite dark.  Quite interestingly, the art and architecture present combines both religion and politics, as religion was a sign of power during this time.  I was astounded by the violence that was depicted in these supposedly religious sanctuaries.  In the Royal Chapel, we saw the actual tombs of Queen Isabel, King Ferdinand, their children Juana la Loca and Felipe el Hermoso, and their grandchild Prince Miguel, who died at a young age.  They were located underneath these grandiose sculptures of the royal family; the whole thing was interesting yet fairly creepy.  There was a small museum in the sacristy that harbored Queen Isabel's large collection of Flemish paintings.  This type of art is so interesting to me, as characters in these paints have such a unique look to them.  The cathedral was equally fascinating, particularly the fact that the cathedral was so well lit by natural light, unlike most cathedrals I have been to which have been quite dark.

Unfortunately, photographs were not permitted inside the buildings, but I got some wonderful photos during out break.

The facade of the cathedral: completely symmetrical except for the tower off to the left (because of this the cathedral cannot be considered complete).  In its entirety, the cathedral took 200 years to complete.

Friends in front of the cathedral

View facing the cathedral

The plaza in front of the cathedral: a man serenading me with Spanish guitar

Last night I went with some friends to explore the city a bit and try out new tapas bars.

Our meeting place, los correos (the post office) that I mistook as the name of a bar... oops?

The actual bar we meant to go to!

Hannigans, and Irish pub, in which, unfortunately, everyone spoke English

We came across this interesting, Middle Eastern-inspired tapas bar which had the most amazing free tapas! We received plates full of hummus, falafel, and so much more. ¡Que delicioso!

¡Nos vamos a la tapatería!

I am only just beginning to get accustomed to the Spanish schedule, which is vastly different than in America.  Here, people sleep late, as nothing opens until about 10 AM (unless of course you're a student at the University, in which case you are at school by 9!)  The first part of the day lasts until about 2 PM, when everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) goes home to eat "la comida," the main meal of the day.  The meal can last up to two hours, as Spaniards eat much slower than Americans, enjoying the company of the whole family.  Afterwards, people generally take "una siesta"- a nap or rest.  Then, around 5 or 6, people are back out en las calles for the second part of the day.  The streets are packed, and people of all ages can be found out and about.  Dinner is usually eaten around 9 or 10, but the streets remain crowded until about 1 or 2 AM.

Unfortunately, I am having a very difficult time adjusting to the time difference, and I therefore sleep about as much at night as I do in the middle of the day due to insomnia- hopefully this will subside soon enough.

Ok so this is very strange to me: Franklin and Marshall College is a small liberal arts school in Pennsylvania (I have a good friend who attends F&M).  Apparently (if I am not mistaken) the story goes that a pair of French designers were in America and found a Franklin and Marshall sweatshirt in a consignment shop.  They liked the "vintage, all-American" look of the gear, and it inspired the concept for their clothing line.  I have seen people wearing F&M gear all over the city, and apparently it is now one of the most popular brands in Europe.  I actually told one Granadian wearing an F&M tee shirt that Franklin and Marshall is a college in America: he had no idea.

Last night, some of my classmates and I went out after dinner for drinks and tapas.  Tapas are the quintessential cuisine of Spain: they generally consist of an assorted variety of Spanish-inspired 'finger foods.'  Granada is one of the few cities left to uphold the law that every bar must serve tapas for every round of drinks ordered.  This is probably the best law I've ever heard of, unless of course, you didn't want to gain a bunch of weight abroad! Nevertheless, we ventured to La Bella y La Bestia (Beauty and the Beast), a bar that boasts of having "the best free tapas in Granada!"  Here I had my first sangria.

Sangria- this one was about a 50/50 fruit to drink ratio... nonetheless, it was muy delicioso

Our drinks came with three free plates of this: papas fritas, sándwiches de jamón y queso, y ensalada de pasta

New friends!

Afterwards, we went to Café Futbol, una cafetería notoriously known for its churros con chocolate.  Fueron fantásticos.  

We also tried "La Alhambra Cerveza," which is Granada's very own brand of beer.

Overall it was a great night, and classmates became new friends. 

First Day of Class

This morning we ventured downtown for the first time to attend our class meeting.  I cannot describe in words the magnificence of Granada.  The ancient Moorish architecture and narrow cobblestone streets rest upon a backdrop of the rolling Sierra Nevada Mountains.  

The city center

Of course, my own personal paradise would not be complete without every store imaginable that could cater to the desires of a 20-year-old female.  As my host mother walked us down the main street, I had to use a great deal of self-restraint not to stop outside of every store.  Upon reaching our meeting point, the street opened up into a large plaza, called Puerta Real.  Here there are restaurants, bars, and (my favorite) ice cream stores!  Another landmark here is el Café Fútbol, which is rumored to have some of the best churros con chocolate in the entire city!

My roommate and I in front of la Fuente de las Batallas inside la Puerta Real

Here we met up with the rest of our classmates as well as the two instructors in charge of our program.  They gave us a small tour of the area and led us up a small incline to our school.

Centro de Lenguas Modernas, where many of my classes will be held

The University building is gorgeous.  It is a very old building designed by the Moors.  Inside there is an open two-level patio, behind which the classrooms are located.

The alley just outside the University

The café across the street, where the vendor boasted of prices "¡muy económicos!"

This evening my class met up again to take a tour of the city, led by our two instructors.  Emlyn and I arrived early, so we decided to do a bit of exploring.  

 We discovered this magnificent church, located in the middle of everything, right next to a giant department store- el Corte Inglés!

We also found Fuente de las Granadas, one of the famous fountains in Granada

From this location, one even has a distant view of el Albaicín, which we will be touring on Saturday

Upon returning to our group, we learned how the "Puerta Real"(one of the main sections of the city) got its name.  The name "puerta" meaning "door" originates back to the time of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand, who entered the city at that very place, through a door which once existed.

El Ayuntamiento de Granada (Town Hall) with 3 flags (from left to right) Andalucía, España, y Granada

 La Plaza Bib-Rambla-one of the main plazas in Granada with many delicious places to eat outdoors.  My best friend Lauren will be living here when she arrives!

La Catedral, located directly behind Plaza Bib-Rambla.  Here we were serenaded by the beautiful sound of Spanish guitar!

Behind the cathedral is the Mercado de Artesana, an ancient outdoor market that was initially used to trade silk.  Today one can find jewelry and clothing here, but the Arabic influence remains evident.

We ended our tour with a small hike up a portion of el Albaicín, to a stunning view of la Alhambra.  Unfortunately, it could not have been more obvious that we were American tourists, and we may have disrupted the solitude a bit, but I hope to return to this view soon, if I can find my way back!

My First Day

I arrived yesterday to a very warm welcome after countless hours of traveling.  My host mother is incredibly friendly, and although I can only understand about half of what she says (maybe less) we seem to communicate fine with a combination of speaking and charades.  She immediately sat me down to a giant plate of pasta and salad.  Although it was delicious, I had almost no appetite due to my lack of sleep.  My host mother was so generous though, and allowed me to sleep right up until dinner time.

Mi dormitorio

I have my own room, which is both enormous and beautiful.  I have more than enough closet space, and a desk for studying.  Now that I've unpacked and settled in it is really starting to feel like home.  From my window one can see Calle Arabial, one of the main streets, which although is on the outskirts of town, is nonetheless quite busy.  The breeze that comes through the window is ideal, and even though outside it is quite hot, because of the breeze there is no need for air conditioning.

Mi gato, Kiko

Today we picked up my roommate who will be living with us and studying in my program as well.  I had a wonderful lunch with my roommate, my host mother, and her daughter.  Afterwards, my roommate went to her room to take a nap and I went to the park across the street to explore which was both enormous and, needless to say, gorgeous.

 Though it is in the middle of a city, there were trees and flowers everywhere

 There were benches everywhere as well, and though one can't see from the picture, there were actually a lot of people there for a Monday afternoon

 There is even a mini workout area

 An outdoor area for events

 A beautiful pond 

A giant playground is located at the far end

We had a delicious dinner of tortilla española y jamón (a personal favorite of mine- a dish consisting of eggs, potatoes, and ham).  After dinner my roommate and I explored the nearby area, and found a few coffee shops we might venture back to, as well as a 3-story mall just down the street.