Gracias + Denada = Granada

This past weekend, the program with which I am studying, took a trip to Granada. We left early Friday morning and took a 4.5 hour bus ride, which included a 30 minute mandatory break because drivers are only allowed to drive for 2 hours straight. Once we arrived, we took a walking tour of the city, which is absolutely beautiful. From our hotel room, we could see the Sierra Nevada mountains on the horizon, a breathtaking view. Since we had to wake up early the next morning, a few of us decided to try out the Baños Árrabes. We went to one that happens to be one of the oldest ones in Spain, and it was an experience to remember. We were told to start in the warm bath, which was warm enough to be comfortable, but not hot enough where it was relaxing. The second bath is the hot bath, which is equivalent to a hot tub, but shallow so the only option is lying down. Across from this bath, the hot stones. One of the most amazing sensations I've ever felt, lying down on the stones. My friend actually had to wake me up, which was a rude awakening from the dream that I was having. The last bath is the cold bath. I was only able to do about 20 seconds in this water, which felt like ice water, especially after the hot stones. Saying that it took my breath away is an understatement. After the cold bath, we were told to go into the steam room. Unlike a sauna where all you can feel is heat, the steam room was hot but the air was moist enough to feel the pores opening up as the water vapor warmed your body, relaxing it and the mind as well. In between the baths, we all got massages. They used oils along the body, relaxing every muscle, leaving your mind to forget where you were; I even found myself getting too comfortable and finding a puddle of drool below me. Amazing.
The next morning, we woke up early and took a tour of La Alhambra, which is full of history, too much of which I cannot include because that would be a novel within itself. We even climbed to the top of it, where the Sierra Nevada mountains can be seen, once again, on the horizon. After the tour, we walked back and the four of us girls sat down to Kababs, which are similar to gyros in the states. Delicious.
We walked back to the hotel and took our mandatory siestas before heading back out on the town for the night. We met up with a bunch of others and ate tapas at a nearby restaurant. The great thing about tapas in Granada- each drink that is ordered comes with tapas, so each meal is pretty inexpensive. We went to a few different tapas place and ate queso frito, some sort of taco thing with curry in it, and squid legs that still had the little suction cups on them. For those of you who know how weird I am about textures, be proud of me for eating the squid legs, and finding myself enjoying them.
After tapas, we went to El Camborio, which is a bar in a cave. Yes, we were dancing and raging in a cave. The music was awesome, the drinks were cheap, and the Spaniards were aggressive as per usual. We took a taxi back to the hotel, went to sleep for about 2 hours, then woke up, threw everything in our bags, and headed back to Alicante. I thoroughly enjoyed the trip to Granada; I found it to be much like Madrid, just on a smaller scale. There was great architecture, beautiful views, and amazing food. But after a weekend, I was excited to go back to Alicante... home sweet Alicante.

When in Alicante...

After living here for a little over a month, I am more than elated to be able to call Alicante my home. There are beautiful beaches, the university is great, and everyone seems to love life here. For those of you whom can tolerate my rants, I condone you for having that ability, and I hope you can tolerate the following...

Everyday that I've been here, I've learned something new, either about the culture, or just words in Spanish. I have classes Monday through Thursdays and everyday I take the bus to the campus, which is about a 30 minute commute. The first day of classes, as much as I hate to admit it, I was the epitome of an American tourist. I had absolutely no idea how the bus system worked, and I was even yelled at several times by many different bus drivers. Looking back, I am so glad I figured it out after the first day. Getting to the university was a struggle at first, but I was fortunate enough to catch on quickly, so as to avoid further episodes of self-inflicted embarrassment. 

The first week of classes flew by. Since everyday I encounter some sort of new experience, it makes the time pass much quicker. A handful of the new experiences were just with food and drinks, alone. They sell hot coffee in vending machines, grilled cheese sandwiches in vending machines, and even beer/wine is served in the main cafetería on campus. There are several fountains and sculptures on campus, even a few that would be considered risque in the states. 

The daily life of a Spaniard is also something that I have come to appreciate while living here. On any given day, I go to class, come home and have lunch around 2 or 3 pm, then take a mandatory siesta, forced upon everyone due to the fact that the entire city shuts down. Even if I wanted to do something from 2-5 pm, I would be unable to. After the siesta, the city reopens, and its inhabitants take walks along La Esplanada, grab a café con leche, or shop until 9 pm when everything closes, once again. Dinners are served around 9:30-10pm at night, and a few hours later is when the city comes alive and the bars open in El Barrio. Some discotecas aren't even open until about 3:30 am, and stay open until around 8 am. Then, the next day, the same cycle continues. Saturday nights are by far the biggest nights out; everything is closed on Sundays so even the people who have jobs are able to enjoy a night/morning out on the town. It's definitely an experience to be walking home when the sun is rising, the street cleaners sweeping the walkways, and the older people taking their dogs for a morning stroll....

Benidorm

Apparently, I'm not used to having an online diary so I need to step my game up and update whomever on my life in Alicante. A few weekends ago, a few friends and I took a day trip to Benidorm. It's a beautiful city, rich in photographic areas as well as restaurants. It has the ambience much like that of Ocean City, MD, for those of you whom have experienced that "unique" place, for a lack of better words. When we were in Benidorm, it felt like the states, the waiters even asked how the meal was going, in contrary to what the norm of Spain is. Usually, if you want or need anything in the middle of the meal, the only way to get the camarero is hunt them down and/or yell to them. Feels strange, but the fact that tips are frowned upon, it makes sense. While in Benidorm, we ate the best calamari I've had in my entire life. This may seem like a stretch to those reading this, but I can honestly say that it was by far the freshest and most delectable that I can remember; even without the cocktail sauce. Leaving Benidorm, it was nice knowing that I could go back to a place that I can comfortably call my home. Once the sun set, the mood changed on a dime and the rude Spaniards started to surface. Walking to the train station, the three of us girls were "hollered at" by a man on a megaphone, not to mention the fact that he was only standing about three feet away from us. Alicante, tendrás mi corazón para siempre.