Carnaval, Granada, and SO MUCH RAIN

Hola! I have had another fun two weekends here in Espana! Last weekend, I ventured out in the cold with thousands of people from all over Europe and beyond for CARNAVAL! Aparently this holiday is celebrated all over Spain, and it is crazy! We hopped on a bus around 9 pm, surrounded by hundreds of kids my age dressed to the nines in costumes. Some were REALLY clever. For instance, one Spanish guy dressed like a character from Avatar- it was amazing! He painted himself totally blue and even had contacts, it was perfect! I dressed as a ladybug and joined the SPICE GIRLS, new friends here, as their manager. We arrived in Cadiz a few hours later, where thousands in the streets were dancing and partying. We hopped back on the bus after some greasy American burger king and returned home to Sevilla around 4 am. I slept the whole way home after a very fun night.

 Cadiz, however, was one of the only nights here in the past 2 weeks that was clear. The forecast, surprisingly, has been rain rain rain for so long that I simply put on my hunter wellies and grab my umbrella every morning without looking out the window. The rain really brought down my week here because no one really wants to do anything when it's raining all day long. The worst part is that everyone says that this weather is so rare- that is NEVER rains in Sevilla. But of course, the forecast continues to predict rain for the next week or so ahead... It also made me very homesick, as all I could do was go to class and come back to my tiny room to sit on the computer all day... And running in the rain? NOT FUN, especially since it is empty down by the river.

HOWEVER, I was not going to let the rain get my spirits down for our FREE trip with CEA to Granada this weekend! We boarded the bus at 8 am on Friday and headed about 3 and a half hours away to the beautiful Andalusian city. I wasn't expecting much from Granada, but let me tell you- it was amazing! We arrived at our beautiful hotel and put down our bags around 12:30 pm. With free time most of the day, some of the girls and I ventured out to look around. We saw the Alhambra from afar, a huge palace built by the moors atop a hill across from the city- we would be touring the palace the following day. We walked by the magnificent cathedral and down the narrow streets, which were dotted with fun authentic shops selling scarves, souveniers and delicious teas and spices. We decided to try the arab teas at a "teteria," and took one of our program director's advice to try the Pakestanian tea- it was delicious! In fact, the seven girls decided to get a different pot of tea each and have a tasting of all the teas. It was so fun sitting together on the pillow seats in the dimly-lit, arab decorated cafe, sipping the different and varying flavors of our teas... Such a great memory! Later we went back to the hotel to freshen up for a night out. We first went to a tapas bar for dinner- and the best part? When you order a drink in Granada, they bring you FREE tapas! So, our vino tinto and tinto de verano paid for our delicious dinner.... and we saved money, which is always a plus in Europe. After the tapas bar, we ventured to an Irish pub and later to a dance club to join some other kids from our program. It was a great day filled with authentic activities, I feel like I really experienced the Granada culture!

The next day we had a huge and FREE breakfast in the hotel- it was so nice to eat cereal and fruit in the morning! After pastries and two cups of coffee, I was ready for a full day of siteseeing. We ventured out into the city in the afternoon and toured the cathedral. It was beautiful! The building itself was in the Renaissance style- white and symetrical (yes, I've learned all about Renacimiento in my Cervantes class and my adorable professor would be so pleased to know that we talked about his class the whole time!). The inside, however, was a mixted of Renaissance and Barroco, or Baroque with very ornate altars and dark, shadowy pictures. The inside was so massive and detailed, we were in awe of how untouched and perfect it still looks today. After touring the cathedral, we went to another bar for FREE bocadillos, or small sandwiches, with procuitto and cheese on delicious baguettes- simply amazing. After lunch, we regrouped and got on the bus to tour the Alhambra... I can't even begin to describe this palace. It was built in the 14th century by the Moorish emperor at the time. The palace occupies a hiltop overlooking the city on one side and the snow capped Sierras on the other. It is also surrounded by a massive fortress. As we walked through the building, I was in awe of the beauty of the detail in every room. They built the ceilings with intricate patterns resembling the night sky so that went the sat on their pillows and looked up they were looking into the heavens. They made the patterns by making moldings out of clay. There were also hundreds of pieces that fit together like a puzzle in the ceiling, which they could take down and clean individually. It was incredible to imagine them taking the pieces apart and putting them back together correctly. The palace seemed to go on forever as we viewed beatiful courtyards, gardens, and fountains. The view from the top was definitely the best. After touring the palace, I am not surprised that it is one of the biggest tourest attractions in all of Spain. After a long day, we reboarded the bus to Sevilla. It was an unforgettable weekend!!!

Today was also a wonderful day in a surprisingly sunny (at times) Sevilla. I went for a run early in the morning, in hopes that I would be hot enough to come back and the cold water from the shower in which the hot water is currently broken (I know... horrible) would feel good... WRONG. It was breathtakingly cold and I never want it to happen again!!!!!!!!!!! After that though, I had a great day! My run was sunny and long and beautiful by the river. My lunch was finally edible and delicious fish. I had a coffee outside without a coat and my raybans lookin fly. I ate the most delicious frozen yogurt in the centro and drank the bestttt magarita fresa (strawberry). And I went to mass at the cathedral! What a perfect day. The 10-day forecast calls for rain rain rain, but I am not going to let it get me down! So much to look forward to- Barcelona this weekend, then Morocco, then Ronda, then maybe Geneva with Brittany, then Paris + London with Colgate!!!! Stay tuned...

Hasta luego!