Granada, La Rabida, y vida en España

 It seems like just yesterday I was getting Barcelona’d, however, it’s been three weeks since then.  There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that time has started moving faster since my arrival here. Days seem like seconds and weeks seem like minutes to me. Anywho, here’s what I've been up to the past three weeks.

Two weekends ago (February 5-6) we took a group excursion to Granada, which is roughly a two-hour drive from Seville. Located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and only an hour from the Mediterranean Sea Granada has a unique location. Upon arriving we immediately went on a tour of Capilla Real de Granada. This mausoleum is the final resting place of Ferdinand y Isabelle who were two of Spain’s most important rulers. Under their rule the Christian Reconquista of Spain was completed, Columbus sailed to the new world, and Spain entered a golden age.

When we were done touring the Capilla we were given some free time for lunch. So, like any college students would, we hit up a Moroccan restaurant for lunch and hookah. The hookah left a little to be desired but the atmosphere and company made it worth the time. One of the interesting aspects of Granada is how much Muslim influence there is within the city. From the early 8^th century until 1492 Granada played a key role in the Muslim kingdom of Al-Andalus. This influence is most notably seen in the Alhambra, which was a Muslim palace and fortress complex.

 View of the Alhambra from the Palacio De Generalife

Speaking of the Alhambra, after our Moroccan adventure we met back up with the group and all headed to what is one of the most visited places in Spain, if not Europe. The Alhambra is quite possibly the most massive complexes I have ever seen. Complete with gardens, fountains, and rooms dedicated to sacred geometry. It truly was a spectacular place.

Reflection Pool

 Fountains and gardens in the Palicio de Generalife

It's kind of hard to see from this picture but the roof gets smaller with each layer as it goes up. Absolutely no nails or adhesives were used to hold the wood in place, which is what makes this room so fascinating.

On Saturday we were given free time to do whatever we pleased or go see a Jeronomite Cathedral. While the cathedral sounded nice, we grabbed a cab and headed to the ski town of Sierra Nevada instead. After a 30 minute scenic drive we arrived at the snow-covered peak. Some of our group decided to rent snowboards and get lift passes, I decided against this though because we only had half a day left and it didn’t seem worth it. Rather than tear the mountain apart I chilled out and ate churros con chocolate whilst enjoying the remarkable view of Granada.

 Sierra Nevada

The next week went by in what seemed like the blink of an eye. Matt and I finally got a key to the local climbing gym after a month of trying. This has made life significantly easier because now we can go whenever we want regardless of the day or hour., which is quite convenient to say the least. Along with climbing I’ve taken a few trips to the river for relaxing time with friends. One of the things that sticks in my mind about this place most is how little everyone cares what you’re doing. As long as people behave themselves the mindset here seems to be no harm no fowl. 

 Buenos momentos al rio

Last Friday we took a group excursion to see La Rabida, which is a church Christopher Columbus spent two years at before sailing to the new world. While there he discussed the possibility of the earth being round amongst other things with a Franciscan Friar by the name of Jiménez de Cisneros. Jiménez was important because he had been Queen Isabelle’s confessor, which gave Columbus the ear of the queen. Outside the church / museum there were exact replicas of the Santa María, Pinta, and Niña. The that surprised me about all three ships is how small they were. Even the Santa María, the largest ship, was much smaller than I had imagined it. It is amazing to think that the Atlantic Ocean was crossed on such small vessels. 

 Niña (far left) Santa María (center) Pinta (right)

When we were done viewing Columbus’ ships we headed to the beach to see this side of the Atlantic.  It was pretty sweet to say the least; it was complete with sand, water, overpriced restaurants, and a giant rock that myself and a few others climbed. Said giant rock was actually a Roman Ruin of some sort, or so we think.

 Guns up!

Barcelona

"Barcelona is a verb and I can conjugate it" pretty much sums up my weekend. This was quite possibly one of the most amazing cities I’ve ever visited. If anyone is actually reading this blog I’d like to preface this by saying this is going to be a long post. I simply can’t bring myself to leave any part of my adventure out.

Friday morning I departed Seville via Ryanair at 10:20 and arrived in Barcelona around noon. I then proceeded to take the train into the heart of the city getting off near La Rambla, which is one of the cities major streets but more on that later.  Lucky for me I had friends waiting near the train station so I met up with them as soon as I arrived. Without checking into the Hostel Sun & Moon we began exploring the city. 

Our first destination was the Sagradad Familia, a giant cathedral designed by Antoni Gaudi. Proclaimed a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI in November 2010, it is without a doubt the most spectacular building I have ever seen. Construction began in 1882 and as of right now the projected completion date is sometime in 2017. For over and hour I was awestruck by the design and found myself staring at the same spot for minutes. Pictures do not do this building the justice it deserves at all. Gaudi was a true genius for designing such a magnificent place and it’s a shame he had to die before it was finished. 

After taking our sweet time at Sagradad Familia we headed to Barcelona’s Arc de Triomf. After seeing the cathedral there isn’t much to say about this, however, it was still a fun sight to see. At this point it was about time to check in at the hostel and prepare for the exciting nightlife of Barcelona. The Sun & Moon lived up to my expectations of what a European hostel should be. Once I had my key I walked into a room with three bunk beds and a couple of Asians chilling with the lights off and laptops open. With no response to my attempted conversation I immediately walked out, went to my friends room, and slept there for the weekend. Each room was equip with six lockers and beds with only a pillow. Blankets and towels were extra so I decided to forgo the needless luxuries.

Friday night was quite an experience in itself. Barcelona transforms itself at night from a relatively safe tourist trap to sketchville. Outside of the hostel locals were trying to sell everything from umbrellas to cocaine. I strayed away from these dealers and hung out with some other tourists from Germany and France. The interesting thing about my new friends was that Spanish was the common language, a language none of us spoke well at all. According to the French girls, who spoke little Spanish and less English, myself and the other Nick were “fluent” in Spanish…. What a joke.  However, trying to converse with Europeans in Spanish is an interesting time. We were able to convey our thoughts for the most part, which is all that truly matters. Nonetheless, I was glad to be using my Spanish outside the classroom in an unfamiliar setting. Due to the fact that Barcelona is extremely touristy, most everyone spoke some English so I hadn’t been forced to use my Spanish too much.

Saturday morning we started our day relatively early around 10. First stop, the café next door for café con leche. In my 19 years on this planet I’ve drank coffee maybe twice. However, since my arrival in Spain I have a cup three to five days a week. When in Rome I guess. Anywho, after getting my fix we headed to a cathedral near the hostel. It was nice, however, it paled in comparison to the Sagradad so we didn’t spend much time there.  

At this point everyone had different agendas for what they wanted to see in Barcelona. Tyler, Ansley, Kelly, and myself headed over to the Picasso museum while the others went their own way. While I am not a huge art buff there was no way I was not going to see a museum dedicated to one of the most unique artists of all time. Picasso truly was a magnificent artist and viewing his work was time well spent. Tyler started feeling sick after the museum so he headed back to the Sun & Moon while the rest of us headed to Park Güell.

However before taking a taxi to Gaudi’s famous park and home we explored Las Ramblas and it’s open-air market. Complete with street performers, tourist shops, and street vendors selling some strange things. It reminded me a little bit of San Francisco only much better. There was a giant open air-market so we stopped in there and ate some strange fruit whose name escapes me at this moment. As it was almost lunchtime we bought some cold pasta to go and took it with us to eat at the park.

After a ten minute cab ride we arrived at Gaudi’s famous Park Güell. On a hill overlooking Barcelona and the Mediterranean Sea Gaudi outdid himself with his unique style of architecture. Words can’t really describe this place so I’ll leave it to the pictures. Needless to say, eating some fresh pasta while overlooking Barcelona in such an amazing place was priceless.

We’re taking a group excursion to Granada with Tech on Friday and Saturday so I’ll have updates about that trip next week.