Granada!

I was exhausted on Thursday of last week after staying up until 5 watch the UNC-Duke game (and then waking up at 8 for class). And what a disappointment that was! I don't think my heart has ever sunk so fast as when that last second 3 pointer by duke went it. Still doesn't seem real. But I guess I should just be thankful that I was even able to watch the game at all. Luckily the ACC live broadcasts games over here even though ESPN360 doesn't.

On a happier note, this weekend was definitely the best excursion our program has been on so far! We all left Saturday morning to go to Granada which is a city about 3 hours away by bus. From the city you can see the Sierra Nevada mountain range covered in snow. When we first arrived we had 2 hours of free time so we all decided to walk around and explore some. The city felt much smaller than Sevilla but in a good way. We walked through an outdoor market for a while and wound up at a tapas restaurant. In Granada when you buy a drink at a tapas bar you get a tapa free! So with my tinto I got a free bocadillo which was pretty sweet. After our down time we were given a tour by our professors of the Capilla Real and the cathedral in Granada. At this point I think I've seen enough of the inside of chapels and cathedrals to last a lifetime. The inside of the cathedrals are absolutely freezing at this time of year since they're typically made of marble and are designed to keep heat out during the summers. After our 2 and a half hour long tour, a smaller group of us went and got drinks and tapas again. (In general I ate way too much on this trip which will become all too clear in the rest of this paragraph). At 9 we all met back up at the hotel for dinner which was surprisingly delicious. We were given a salad and soup bar to start, pretty delicious salmon (which Colleen and I have both been craving--although this one was not nearly as good as my mom's), and finished up with some sort of Spanish version of ice cream cake. After that we were given the option of going on a paseo to the top of a cliff to see a view of the whole city, but luckily some other girls didn't feel up for the trip either. Granada at night was about 15 or 20 degrees Fahrenheit and with the wind from the cliff I don't think I would have made it back alive. Instead a group of us took a cab to meet up with a girl's friend who is studying at the university in granada. We all went to a tapas bar and had the best tapa I've had while in Spain. Goat cheese on a small piece of bread with honey on top. Sounds a little weird but it was amazing! After that we went to a chupiteria (shots bar) and then  to an irish bar. We only ended up staying out for 2 hours or so, but it was still a lot of fun. Granada is much more of a college town than Sevilla so the nightlife seemed a lot more lively. Hopefully I'll be able to go back when it gets warmer!

View of the Sierra Nevadas

We woke up around 9:30 Sunday morning and went to the hotel's buffet breakfast. I actually got to have eggs for breakfast for a change! Although the other options were fairly limited to the typical Spanish breakfast options of toast, ham, cheese, yogurt, pastries, and cereal, it was by far the best breakfast I've had since I've been here. I'm hoping at some point I'll get pancakes or an omelet for breakfast, but I'm certainly not getting my hopes up! We then checked out of our hotel and went on a 3 hour long tour of the Alhambra which is an Arabic city and palace from the 14th century. It was absolutely beautiful! Plus my Spain and Islam professor Fernando led the tour for us so he told us lots of interesting facts.

View from one of the towers at the Alhambra

Part of the palace

Gabi and me!

When our tour ended we got back on the bus and headed home! We only made one stop for lunch at a food court where I had a kebab pita thing and then I was back in home sweet home Sevilla. Tomorrow is Luis's 13th birthday and I think Colleen and I have finally figured out the perfect gift: Skittles. Apparently they are really hard to find in Spain. Our family was under the impression that they are only sold in Malaga. They were even supposed to make a special trip there this Saturday to pick up chorizo and skittles for the kids. For some reason they ended up deciding not to go and so Colleen and I looked into every candy store we passed in Granada trying to find them. Turns out they are very difficult things to find...especially when you're looking for them! Luckily a friend of ours told us that in Los Remedios (another neighborhood in Sevilla) there is an American candy store that sells them. So tomorrow right after my 9 am I'm going on a mission to find skittles. Personally I've never been a huge skittles fan but hey if it makes the 13 year old who already has everything he could possibly want happy then I'll go to great lengths to buy them! I'm interested to see what birthdays are like here though because no one seems to be very excited about Luis' birthday so far. I always felt like my family acted excited a few days before my birthday, but here it doesn't seem to be a very big deal. We'll see. I do know Pilar is making a layered cookie cake with dulce de leche so that is something I'm very much looking forward too. I'll let you guys know how it goes!! Hasta luego!