Student Journals: AIFS in Granada, Spain

Melissa Walls
University of Maine
University of Granada, Spain

September

Sightseeing in Granada

Want to see all the sights Granada has to offer in one day? Want to get some sun and a cool breeze on a hot afternoon? If you answered yes to either of these questions then I highly recommend the city sightseeing Granada bus tour (the red open top bus).

For 10€ you get a ticket valid for 24 hours and a complimentary pair of headphones! In just over an hour you can take the entire tour in English (or your choice of 6 other languages). Get off and explore at any of the 11 stops including the Plaza de Toros (This seldom used venue for corridas de toros is an amazing structure. The bottom floor has been converted into several tapas bars– but they’re not open on Sunday evenings) and the Alhambra.

You can catch the mini-bus (currently running to 7 stops) to the Albaicin for an amazing view of the Alhambra from the Plaza de San Nicolás. Just below the plaza is the Restaurante Mirador, a bit pricey (4€ Sangria), but a great place for a drink and a view. Just beyond the bus stop is another plaza– de San Miguel with several tapas bars and reasonable prices.

Overall, it was a great experience– highly recommended. For more information, go to www.citysightseeing-spain.com or stop by the bus stop on the Gran Vía.

October 27

Granada, home of the Alhambra Palace, resting place of the Catholic Monarchs and the land of free tapas... If you are considering studying abroad in Spain, Granada is a great place due to its rich culture, varied climate and ideal location. Located in the southern autonomous region of Andalucia, where flamenco dancing and bullfighting prevail, more specifically at the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and an hour from the Costa del Sol, there´s never a dull moment. It´s a small but lively city of 250,000. Like many European cities where the past and present collide, Granada has an ideal combination of historical monuments and modern conveniences, including shopping at stores like Mango, Blanco and Zara. City plazas decorated with fountains are a great place to relax. Historically, Granada played a significant role in the development of modern Spain, as it was the last Moorish stronghold to fall to the Catholic Monarchs during the Reconquest. A little background information: Spain was part of the Roman Empire until it collapsed in the beginning of the 5th century. The Iberian Peninsula then fell into the hands of the Visigoths for a short period of time before it was invaded by the Moors of North Africa in 711. The Moors occupied the Iberian Peninsula until it was reconquered by the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdnando of Aragon and Isabel of Castile in 1492, the same year they funded Columbus´s discovery of America. However, the most prized possession of the city, the magnificent Alhambra Palace, constructed by the Nasrid Dynasty (1238-1492), is a shrine to the city´s Moorish Heritage.

The Catholic Monarchs chose Granada as their final resting place to symbolize the importance of the city to the Reconquest. Their tombs lie in the Capilla Mayor at the city cathedral.

It´s a known fact that Spaniards live for fiestas (and siestas), and Granadinos are no exception. The greatest thing about Granada, palaces and tombs aside, is the fact that tapas (Spanish appetizers) are free! Travel to any other city in Spain and you will be greatly disappointed to find that drinks cost twice as much and do not come with tapas, I know I was. At most tapas bars in Granada, a plate of daily tapas is served complimentary with each round of drinks; others let you chose from a tapas menu. But the fun doesn´t stop there. When the tapas bars close at midnight, the pubs open. And when the pubs close at two or three a.m., the discotecas open. Around five or six a.m., people begin to emerge from the cave (there is actually a club in a cave in Granada) and go home to bed.

The only bad thing about Granada is the excess of motos! Mopeds make inner city travel in narrow, ancient streets easier, but are impossible to fall asleep to.

November 21

With less than a month left, I´m starting to realize how soon this is all going to be over! I can´t believe how fast the past two and a half months have gone by! I´ve experienced more in the past two months than I dreamed of doing in the next ten years. I´ve been to London, Paris, Rome and of course all over Spain. I´ve seen Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower, the Colosseum, a bullfight in Sevilla, I saw the Pope! I drank coffee at Le Chat Noir in Paris, climbed the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, saw The Mona Lisa, the Sistine Chapel, The Prado Museum, The Louvre... the list goes on and on. But now that my my credit card is maxed out, I have big plans for Granada. I´m going to spend lots of time with my intercambio, practicing Spanish over tapas or churros and chocolate at all of the best spots that only the Granadinos know; and of course at my favorites places in Granada (besides the Alhambra of course), Plaza San Nicolas and the discoteca Camborio, both in the Albaicin, overlooking the Alhambra.

As much as I miss my friends and family at home now, I can already tell that once I´m there, I´m going to miss my friends and family here. Lorena for example, who works at the tienda below my senora´s apartment. I stop in to gossip with her at least twice a day; once in the afternoon on my way home and again every night on my way out to see if she approves of my outfit. She always reminds me how awful my Spanish was when I first got here and how much it has improved since. And Carlos V (like the emperor), my intercambio, who is so patient with my limited vocabulary and knows where the biggest and best tapas are served. And of course I´m going to miss my host family. Maria, my senora, and all seven of her children, and her grandchildren, who join us each day for lunch. I know they´re going to miss me too and all of the ridiculous things I blurt out at the table. I´m even going to miss the lady who forces me take a 20 Minutos (a free daily newspaper) every morning on my way to class. I´m definitely going to miss some, not all, of the Spanish customs, like the dos besos (two kisses) that Spaniards great each other with instead of a handshake, and siesta of course. Spaniards may not have the have gotten the whole meal time thing right, as far as eating dinner at 10 pm, but they definitely know what they're doing as far as siesta goes. What I´m going to miss most, but will definitely be taking back with me, is the Spanish zest for life. They really do live each day (and night) to the fullest, spending time with friends over tapas and family over lunch, the biggest and most important meal of the day. I´m not really sure how to explain it, and I know it sounds cliche, but during the past few months I have truly developed a new appreciation for life. I´ve begun to slow down (although I don´t think I will ever be able to accept the whole 15-30 minutes late idea) and take a step back to appreciate things more, from the effort that went into the tiny details of the facade of a gothic cathedral, to the relationship I have with a friend. It´s great. It makes life so much more fun and rewarding.

With less than a month left to go, I have so much to see and do in Granada. I just hope that my Spanish mullet grows out before I go home...