La Alhambra Part 2!

If you have not yet seen part one, you can read it here by clicking on the following link!
http://longlivepassions.blogspot.com/2012/05/la-alhambra-part-1.html

This is the second half of all of my pictures from Sunday's trip!

 The ceiling of this room was supposed to mimc a night sky, and I think they did a great job!

 This is where the Sultan would sit.  It used strategic lighting since when one approached the Sultan, the Sultan could see the individual coming towards him while no one could see his face.

 I felt like this didn't even look real! So beautiful and so old!

Since this post is getting long for the main page, click "read more" below to see the rest of the photos!  They are the best photos of the entire day!

La Alhambra Part 1

On Sunday, our group had the opportunity to visit La Alhamba, and it was one of the most, if not the most, beautiful thing I have ever seen!  And it was build in the 1300s!!  It was so beautiful that I perhaps went a little overboard on pictures!  I took 367!  My friend Kelley joked that I was recreating Google Earth! :)  Once again, I will let the pictures tell the story!

This was on the side of the path we were walking on to get to the palace.  I figure it is definitely a bench fit for a sultan! (although he would have had a throne and summer palace as well...)

I have an obsession with pictures with mountains in the background!  And I love all of the white buildings!

Un jardín, one of many.

I love the dome in the background, just behind the bridge!

This is the side of the bathhouse.  Bathhouses were very important to the Muslims since they had to clean themselves before prayer, so there are many bathhouses next to places of worship.

Inside the bathhouse. 

The lion reminded me of a much smaller, but much older version of the lions in front of the Art Institute!

The circle in the center is the first visual representation of a spherical Earth. Before this, all representations depicted that the Earth was flat.

So beautiful!  It extended all around us in a perfect circle, which was inside the square building.  It is very common in Islamic architecture.

Jennifer, me, Elle, and Kelley

A distant view of El Albicín, which I first discovered in a tour from a few days ago!

I can't believe that it is in such great shape!  The detail is still very clear!

And that is it for part 1!  There will be another post for tomorrow, since these pictures aren't even the best parts!  Get excited!  Besos y abrazos!

Mi Señora!

Saturday was such a crazy, wonderful day!!  I probably should have felt more tired than I did, but I had so much energy from the day's activities!  I slept in and had breakfast at the bakery next to the hostel.  My friend Kelley and I ate together, and then bought this delicious pastry that was filled with chocolate!  My señora arrived at noon, and then we went to her apartment!  After she picked me up, my señora showed me around Granada, which is filled with all of these wonderful surprises!  She showed me the movie theater, the nearby river, many fountains, many cute shops, tapas restaurantes, bakeries, ice cream places, tennis courts, this amazing market with lots of clothing, shoes, and food that is very cheap!  Then, we ate a delicious lunch with salad drizzled with olive oil and lemon, a pasta salad with fish, fresh bread from the bakery, and a big bowl of watermelon for dessert! Then, she took a siesta while I unpacked and got settled in.  When she woke up, she made me a smoothie with bananas, milk, and cinnamon!  In the late afternoon, we went on another walk, but this time with many girls in the program and their señoras as well, and we walked around the city and later got tapas from 9-11pm.  We were returned home, I thought the evening would be over, but she asked me if I was ready for dinner! We had some vegetables drizzled with olive oil, followed by strawberries and yogurt for dessert!

At first, I was very quiet, since everything was very rapid and there was a lot going on, but my señora is a wonderful person and I feel very comfortable here!  She is so sweet, very accommodating, helpful, and very warm!  While hugs are not usually the Spanish custom, both of us love hugs!  Also, she is very healthy and we have had so much delicious food (as seen from the previous paragraph!)  It is also truly amazing how in just one day, I already felt like my Spanish improved so much, since I didn't have the option of speaking English, since my señora only speaks Spanish.  I also find it funny that as I am typing this, there have been at least 30 words that I have written in Spanish first, and then realized I had to correct!

I am a little behind, so expect another post later today! :)  And there will definitely be more updates coming from my wonderful señora!

Orientacíon Day 2!

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!

Orientacíon Day 1!

Buenos días! Yesterday was our first orientation day, and it was so much fun, and it definitely helped me to get adjusted to Granada life!  In the morning, we took a Spanish placement test and attended an academic orientation about the Spanish classes we will be taking!  I am taking Spanish Composition (228), Introduction to Spanish Literary Analysis (250), and a one credit hour Spanish Art History class (399)!  I am so excited!!  We find out our class schedules on Monday.  A group of the girls in the program and I bought bocadillos for lunch, which are these delicious sandwiches on freshly baked bread that are served at bakeries.  Then, we continued to explore during the siesta time and I took many pictures!

There are so many ice cream places!!! Yum!

After exploring, we stopped back at the hostel before our Cultural Orientation meeting, where we talked about the differences in the ways of life between the US and Spain, followed by a presentation about culture shock.  I have been sneezing a lot since I have been here, and I have learned that allergies are actually a symptom of either culture shock or jet lag, so that may explain the sneezing!

At 9:30 PM, we had a delicious group dinner at a nearby restaurant!  It was a three course meal- salad with the best olive oil I have ever had, a yummy vegetable and rice stew, and a delicious chocolate dessert that I couldn't really describe, but here is a picture!

The Spanish definitely take their time with meals, since we were in the restaurant for about two and a half hours.  However, lunch tends to be in the largest meal of the day.  

More updates to come!