Mad About Barcelona

After taking my UB final (Intro. to the history of the Spanish language) last Tuesday, I packed my bags and got ready to head to the south of Spain for my last trip. Heidy and I had plans to hit two cities: Sevilla and Granada. I was especially excited for Granada because when I first looked into studying abroad, I went back and forth over and over again between Granada and Barcelona.

The start to this mini-vacation was rather rocky, resembling a comical (although not at the time) sitcom.

1) I was supposed to wake up at 7 a.m, meet Heidy at the Sants Renfe train station at 8:45 at the latest, and catch the 9:09 train to the airport. I woke up at 9, and only because Heidy called me in a panic thinking she was running late. As I hurriedly got dressed and grabbed my duffle, I was still confused in my sleepy stupor as to how I unconsciously turned off three alarms, two on my ipod and one on my phone a table away.

2) Trying to find a free cab during rush hour was a little stressful. Thankfully I live on a busy street, and I finally caught one on Aragó.

3) The security lady at the airport threw out my face wash, lotion, and makeup remover. I should have known not to bring containers over 100 mL, but all three were noticeably almost empty, squeezed down to the end.

4) While waiting at the gate, we hear it's time to board. Heidy got excited and spilled ice water on both of us.

5) As we're waiting in line to board, my left shoe feels funny. I look at the bottom and notice the rubber heel on my new sandal is missing. I go to look for it where we were sitting, and see it on the ground. I try to pick it up and cannot; it's stuck. Apparently I stepped on the smallest, stickiest piece of gum.

Next episode coming soon; stay tuned!

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Sevilla

From the airport, we took two buses (the EA and 32) to get to HostelOne Sevilla Alameda. It was incredibly hot outside.

We ate lunch in the Alameda and then walked to city center. We saw the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See and then headed to the Alcázar to explore the palace and gardens.

Next, we walked around El Barrio de Santa Cruz and snacked on breaded and fried shrimp while sitting in some park. For dinner, we ate at Los Coloniales, which served really good, large portions of tapas and refreshing tinto de verano (red wine mixed with lemon soda).

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The next day, we ate breakfast at Café Alameda and then headed out to see more sites. It was so hot that we had to keep taking breaks to sit in the shade or sip on a cold drink. We ducked into a Starbucks to escape the heat, and when we left the air-conditioned oasis, the street was laden with zombies! In reality, they were students protesting education fee hikes; I thought that was pretty clever, and I enjoyed pretending like I was in "28 Days Later."

We walked through the University campus, briefly checked out an art exhibit at the Teatro Lope de Vega, and then stumbled upon the Plaza de España.

I found Salamanca's tiles!

...and Barcelona's :)

After the plaza, we went to look at the Plaza de Toros (bull arena). Neither of us were interested in seeing a bull fight.

Next, we ventured across the bridge and enjoyed some more tinto de verano outside.

As the sun was setting, we saw the Macarena and some of the old city walls.

Then it was nap time. Speaking of which, unlike Barcelona, the south of Spain actually takes the "siesta" seriously (and maybe for good reason since it's so hot!). In Barcelona, I find it inconvenient that I cannot go grocery shopping on Sundays, or that some stores and restaurants close for a couple of hours in the middle of the day. In Sevilla (and Granada), it seemed as if some places never opened. During the hottest hours of the day, almost everything remained closed.

Enjoying the leisurely pace of life, Heidy and I sat in the Alameda for a while before having dinner. The dinner was not that memorable, but afterwards we went somewhere else for dessert: tiramisu and "panqueque" (pancake) with dulce de leche.

After spending two days walking out in the hot sun, I had some newly formed tan lines and yet another pair of broken sandals.

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Granada

A three hour Renfe train ride got us to Granada around 3 p.m. I immediately fell in love with the small-town feel, curvy cobblestone streets, and Arabic influence. Sometimes it felt like Marrakesh, Part 2. When the taxi dropped us off near our hostel, we got our first view of the Alhambra.

We stayed at the White Nest Hostel, which was extremely colorful.

Our first meal was at Kebab King right around the corner, which looked just like a Moroccan tea room.

A lot of our time in Granada was spent browsing the artisanal souvenir shops, which didn't close during siesta hours.

We ate dinner at La Antigualla, a medieval-themed tapas bar with the best tinto de verano. We took advantage of the tradition in southern Spain where you buy a drink and get a plate of tapas with it.

Before turning in for the night, we sat outside for a bit, people-watched, and listened to the music of some street performers. It was incredibly relaxing.

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Our second day in Granada began with the walk uphill to the Albaicín, a district that stills has strong Moorish influences that you can see in its narrow winding streets. It is also home to the Jewish quarter.

We found the Mirador de San Nicolás, a fantastic viewpoint for the Alhambra across the hill.

Back down by the city center, there was a mini-vocal performance by a group of people dressed in flamenco outfits. Heidy and I got free hats and fans, and then enjoyed some paella.

Finally, we had our appointment at the Alhambra! I took an excessive amount of pictures, so here is a small fraction of them:

It was back to the knight-in-shining-armor-tapas-bar for a snack...

...and then to a tea room for tea and crepes.

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Saturday came and we still had most of the day to spend in Granada before heading back to Barcelona in the evening. We took it easy, walked around, shopped around, and went to go see this street recommended by our hostel because of the artistic graffiti.