Today was a wonderful day! In the morning we had a housing orientation, and then multiple tours around the city! I took 211 pictures, so I will let them do the talking!
I saw this sign on a recycling bin/donation box area and loved it! I'm not sure if you can read it, but the middle one says to get excited about recycling! (In Spanish of course!)
This is pasta from an adorable pasta shop about one block away from CEGRI, where I will be taking classes! They make their pasta from scratch, and every day there is a daily special! This is pasta "con salsa tomate de cherries con cebolla", or a cherry tomato sauce with onion.
Along one side of the Cathedral, there is this beautiful tea market, that probably has over 100 kinds of tea, along with beautiful looking dried fruit and nuts! I can't wait to shop there!
It is hard to see Las Sierra Nevada Montañas in the background, but I love how they are everywhere!
On the tour we walked through many outdoor markets, filled with beautiful, colorful items! This was by Calle Elvira, which has been inhabited by the Muslim population for hundreds of years, since before 1492!
A distant view of La Catedral (or Cathedral) from El Albacin! All of the following pictures of any white buildings are El Albacin, which is also part of the historic Muslim quarter. Granada Fun Fact: Granada was the last European city with Muslim control, until the Christians kicked them out at the end of the 15th Century. However, there is still much Muslim influence, and Granada is actually one of centers for Islamic Studies in Europe.
I just thought this window was gorgeous! I love how all of the buildings have balconies and lots of flowers!
More images from the top of El Albaicin.
This post is very long, so I am putting a page break in here. Please click on the "read more" to access the rest of the pictures!
THE ALHAMBRA!! I don't know why the pictures are in this order, but the following pictures are all of the Alhambra Palace, which I visited on Sunday!
Another amazing Granada fact: They maintain these beautiful, yet very old buildings by preserving the outside while renovating the inside, and then later completing restorations as needed on the outside. The same goes for the elaborate stone paths. When they are being restored, the top layer is carefully removed and numbered, while the bottom layers are removed and replaced. Then, they carefully put the top stones back in the same exact pattern! And everything is at least 500 years old!
Some of the girls who are on the trip with me!
From el Sacromonte, which is the old gypsy quarters.
This might be my favorite picture from the entire day!
Kelley, Jennifer, and I ended the night with some ice cream! I tried a cassata, which is basically many layers of ice cream in the shape of a piece of cake, which is then put in an ice cream cone! So delicious!
All in all, it was such a great day, and I loved exploring the city! On Saturday, I meet my host family and I am very excited!!
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