A couple of weeks ago I had one of the most fun, albeit a bit stressful, weekend trips with AFS.
I "skipped" school friday, in order to get to the airport on time, where I met some 20 other kids who are staying all around Catalonia. After an uneventful flight, we landed in the tiny tiny Granada airport and headed into the city.
The hostel we stayed at was adorable, three floors with a sort of courtyard/balcony deal going on so the whole thing felt very open. It also had some strange decals of flowers and butterflies and that sort of thing, but who are we to judge?
The first night was the most fun. The kids from the Madrid group had not yet arrived so we were still a smallish group. Now, the thing about Granada is that it was originally an arab city, and so it's streets are crazily twisted and awesome, so as we went up these streets that wouldn't fit even two people across and these staircases that wind their way up and up and up, we (I) mostly got the sensation that should I get lost from the group I would have no idea how to get back to the hostel. Anyways, we finally got out of the labyrinth-y streets and into a courtyard where, as soon as you turn around you get a breathtaking view of the Alhambra. I mean, stunning. It was night already when we got there, so the whole city was lit and towering above it was the, also lit Alhambra. Gorgeous. As if it could get even more magical, we ate at a restaurant that had that same view, which made us feel like we were dining on top of the world. Paella, clams, sangria, nothing could have made the night more typically spanish, and I loved it.
Here is a picture (from the internet, I didn't take any really cool ones) of the view from the "Mirador"
The next day, we visited some cathedrals, then climbed the hill to see the actual Alhambra up close and personal. It was all very cool, and Granada is a beautiful city, but nothing quite topped the first night.
The only thing that came close was the last day. We had free time all morning, met up for lunch, and then had more free time in the afternoon. Now, after some AFS drama, I was pretty ready to just be alone, relax, and walk around, so that's exactly what I did. I went down alley after alley after alley and went into tiny little shop after tiny little shop, just enjoying the city. My favorite shop was a little coffee and tea shop which I found after maybe five different turn down increasinly sketchy alleys. The store barely held it's three rickety tables and small bar, but it smelled delicious and I decided to stay. The lady behind the counter was very nice, and I ended up getting my cafe con leche for only one euro because we had had such a neat time talking.
Anyways, it was, overall, a very fun weekend, one of the many that will make it very hard to say good bye to this country I have fallen so deeply in love with (although I am definately looking forward to seeing you all in the U.S.A.!)
Much love from Catalonia.
