Andalucía Adventures: Sevilla and Granada

One just can’t live in Spain for 8 months without seeing some of Andalucía, Spain’s southern region. Really, most of the Spanish stereotypes come from that region (and partially from the Madrid area as well): toros, bullfights, flamenco, guitar music...all very much part of the Andalucían culture. NOT part of Catalunya! :-) Anyway, the number one place I wanted to see was Granada, mostly to see the Alhambra. Sevilla was also high on my list, mostly for three reasons: I could meet up with Katie, who lived about an hour or so away, it’s one of those “main” Spanish cities you have to visit, and I have some scrapbooking stickers at home that have things of Madrid, Barcelona, and Sevilla. I can use them all now! :-D Heh heh. If time and finances permitted it, I would have also liked to go to Córdoba and Ronda, but perhaps I can do that...on another European adventure. :-)

Having a Friday off with Andreu’s schedule and the next Monday off with Olga’s schedule in early April, it seemed the perfect time to travel: it was spring, before insane Semana Santa when everything would be expensive and crowded, and it was early enough where it shouldn’t be sweltering hot in Andalucía.

It was waaaay cheaper and faster to fly rather than take trains, so I took a train to Reus and then a bus to the airport and flew to Sevilla from there (the small airport that Amanda and I used to go to Paris). The plan was to take a bus from the Sevilla airport to the city center, check in the hostel, see the cathedral, and then meet Katie outside of there to head to the alcázar. However, the bus I was hoping to take was too crowded, so I had to wait another 30 minutes for another one. I did finally get on one, and it wasn’t too hard to find the hostel! It was in the 80s, and not being used to that kind of weather in Catalunya, I was like....ew! I’m sweating! :-) The hostel was absolutely beautiful, which is very rare for hostels. It was very...Andalucían, I guess. Plants everywhere, tile...kind of a rainforest plus Mexican feel. It’s hard to describe, but it was my first taste of that culture, and throughout the weekend, I just kept mentally comparing Andalucía to parts of Mexico. Strange, huh?

The price was also fantastic, and instead of a 4-bed female dorm, I was given a 2-bed female dorm for the same price! I technically was supposed to have the top bunk (always a pain), but for whatever reason, the other girl moved her stuff to the top bunk, clearly marking the territory. That worked with me! :-) I then got a text from Katie saying that she was outside of the cathedral, so I made my way over there to meet her.

We decided to look at the cathedral together, and it was there when I officially tried using my NIE card (my “visa” of sorts...what makes me legal in Spain) as a student card. It works!! Stephanie, my BCN friend, told me that it counts as one, and I just never thought about using it like that before. So...I was kind of aghast at all of the months I could have been getting discounts, but at least I figured it out at some point! :-)

The cathedral was really neat, but I’ll be honest: there are only so many cathedrals you can see before...well...they get a little old. It still is one of those things I “have” to do when I visit a place, but seriously? There are soooo many cathedrals in Europe! :-) The best part of this cathedral was seeing where Christopher Columbus (as in THE Christopher Columbus) was buried!

The alcázar was definitely the highlight of Sevilla, minus seeing Katie again. :-) It’s incredible!! It was totally different from the alcazar in Segovia, which I loved as well, but it just had a completely different feel. This one was very...haha...well, again, it just reminded me of Mexico. I don’t know why! I loved the arches throughout, which reminded me so much of Spanish classes, and outside...sooo many cool plants, garden areas, and various water things! It was a perfect time to travel. Things were actually blooming! We saw several peacocks in one area, which was a lot of fun! I also liked seeing fish and ducks. :-)

It’s kind of hard to describe Sevilla...it’s nice, but it’s kind of overrated in my opinion. I liked the “quaint” feel of the city, which is hard to have for cities, and there were a lot of horse-drawn carriages throughout the city. Really neat, but the “presents” left by the horses were kind of gross. Especially since they walked right through the street that leads to my hostel. :-) But I did enjoy hearing the clomping of their hooves!

Another thing to mention about Andalucía in general is the tile. It’s very typical there, and the region as a whole has retained much of its Arab history. The regions in Spain are so different from each other, and each one I’ve seen has a special culture and history. It really is a country of countries!

Anyway, Katie and I caught up on life, which is always fantastic. It’s just been so neat to have a friend and former classmate in Spain. And for being so far apart, we’ve gotten together three times! We ate some tapas/light food and later went to Valor, which is the epic chocolate “restaurant” (cafe) that we first discovered in Valencia. That place is sooo cool! :-) To be, it will always be a Katie/Sarah place. :-)

We also walked around some of the city and saw a few more things, such as the outside of the bullring and the Torre de Oro. After Katie left to go back “home”, I also walked around more and spent sometime by the river. It was really pretty there!

I headed to my hostel later on and just relaxed and used the (free!) computer available. Amanda and I had been in MAJOR England planning since post-Paris trip, and I assumed that weekend traveling would give me a break from obsessing over everything. Ha! It was a pleasant evening and stay at the hostel, and I left the next afternoon to take a train to Granada.

It was a three-hour train ride, and Katie mentioned to me in Sevilla that the view is really pretty. She was right! Just...land as far as the eye can see. And it’s so different from what I’ve seen in Catalunya and even the center of Spain. Really, if you want to experience Spain, it seems best to visit ALL of the regions. Each is so unique!

I decided to take a taxi to my Granada hostel, which turned out to be good just because the side-streets were confusing at first. However, once I got used to everything, I was pretty happy with the location! I booked a private room, which is always nicer, and the staff was very helpful as well. I also liked the fact that they spoke to me in Spanish. Most, if not all, of the places I’ve stayed in Spain just automatically speak to me in English, and I always like the practice and experience to use Spanish. :-) But wow...Andalucían accents! I’ve heard it before and get better with understanding it every time, but it’s odd. They cut off the end of words, drop S’s, and basically speak differently than everyone else in Spain, haha. Props to Katie for working with that for 8 months! :-) I will say that I started imitating their accent towards the end of my time in Granada. It’s a good thing I didn’t live there! :-D

And Granada is AMAZING. I loved it! The two main things that I didn’t like about Granada and Andalucía in general is that it’s really hot (and this is in early April. Just imagine what it’s like in July!), and it’s crawling with tourists. What really bothered me were these ladies who were “selling” some sort of herb or branch outside of the cathedral, which is a popular location for tourists because there was a hop on/hop on bus stop right outside. Anyway, the women are very pushy, and their “gimmick” is all about “giving” you this little herb as a “gift” and then chanting a prayer or blessing of sorts in Italian, from what I could figure out. Then, after they stick their finger on your forehead, explain what the lines on your palm mean, and tell you what a great life you’ll have, they ask for a euro. Without even realizing it, I got trapped into one towards the beginning of my time in Granada, but I just apologized and walked away with out giving any money. The second time it happened, she convinced me that the branch was a gift, and I tried to be polite to endure everything else. It was then when she demanded money for the “blessing” when I realized what the whole thing was about. Grr. I felt kind of bad and gave her maybe 20 cents or something, which she was not happy about, haha. I finally frankly told her that the whole thing was deceptive and a trick, and I think she was both afraid that others would hear me AND realized that I wasn’t going to give her a euro. :-) So anyway, all that to say that if you go to Granada, watch out for those ladies, hee hee!

But on to the cool stuff! I purchased the ticket for the Alhambra (the main thing to see in Granada, and quite possibly in Spain as a whole) months in advance thanks to Katie’s advice, and it was for the next morning. I decided to head over to the Alhambra area so everything would go smoothly the next morning, but before I did that, I saw the cathedral (nice, but...you know, another cathedral :-D), wandered around, looked in some shops, etc.

And it was in one of those tourist shops when I heard one of the most beautiful melodies I’ve ever heard. I wasn’t even especially interested in the stuff in the store, but I just stood there, soaking in the piano music playing overhead. I had to know what it was! The man at the counter was helping an older couple, and I patiently waited until he wasn’t busy. I then asked him what the song was, and he showed me a CD: Endless Blue Sky by Kevin Kern. Turns out that he’s an American artist! :-) The other couple stayed to listen to our conversation, and we all thought it was funny that I came all the way to Spain to discover an American artist that I loved. :-D I wrote the title down, and I’ve listened to some of his songs on Youtube since then. A CD or two by him is definitely on my wish list now! :-) Absolutely fantastic.

Later, in another shop, the couple who stayed to listen to my conversation saw me again and started talking to me. It turns out that their both from different regions of Spain but live in Tarragona. Yay! I felt a special Catalunya connection with the elderly couple, and I had to smile to myself that I once again just ended up in random conversations with people! :-)

Eventually, I wandered up to a park-like area on the way to the Alhambra. There was so much amazing nature in Granada! Streams, trees, fantastic views, and such a peaceful, reflective atmosphere—quite different from the touristy feel outside of this area! And what I loved sooo much about everything was the smells of flowers, plants, and trees. I really wished that smells could be recorded. :-) Ahhh...

I saw a statue of Washington Irving, whose writings about the Alhambra were very influential. I figured out where I’d need to be for the next day, and I decided to peek in the Alhambra bookstore. There were SO many books by and about Washington Irving!

I woke up pretty early the next morning and took a bus to the Alhambra area. Actually, I enjoyed the walk the day before and wouldn’t have minded doing it that morning again, but it was so early that it was 1) cold, and I was wearing short sleeves and 2) that “in-between time” where drunken teenagers are walking around and haven’t gone to bed yet. Yeah. Kind of creepy. When I got off the bus, it was still a good hour before the Alhambra opened, and since I already had my ticket (note of advice to anyone who may visit the Alhambra: buy your ticket beforehand! It was fantastic!), I decided to wander around the wooded area. There are so many neat nature trails!

I was able to walk around peaceful Granada while it was still kind of dark up until it became light out. It was so tranquil and special. Haha, and as some of you know, I was walking along a trail, and a frog jumped out in front of me and then hurled itself over a nearby gorge. Whoa! Suicidal frog! It both amused and startled me, and my main thought was that I wanted a picture of the frog. I peered down the gorge and...yeah. It wasn’t going anywhere! Poor froggy. :-)

The Alhambra area FINALLY opened, and I was debating if I should wait around to see a certain palace section that you can ONLY see at your designated time, or if I should look at the other nearby parts of the Alhambra. I first wandered to one area and saw a LOT of cats lounging around. Several let me pet them, and a couple showed up later and started feeding them. :-) I thought it was kind of funny that I’ve seen a good 7-12 cats hanging around the Alhambra in Granada AND the Roman Circus in Tarragona! Cats rule! :-)

And from that point, my adventure in the massive and incredibly amazing Alhambra truly began. There are several sections, and it takes several hours to go through everything. Fantastic views of the city, well-preserved architecture, things I’ve learned in Spanish classes, a taste of the Arab/Muslim influence and history in Spain, palaces, arches, fountains...what an experience! The only sad part was that I wasn’t able to see the famous lion statues outside where they’re supposed to be. They’re being better preserved or something, so they were inside a building...AND we couldn’t take pictures. :-( But it was still neat to see them, and I have such vivid memories of studying those lions for a Spanish exam! :-) Again, to see so many things that I’ve studied in real life...whew. Inovidable.

And the last part of the Alhambra adventure was walking through the massive and amazing gardens. Ahhh...to see things blooming! Early April is such a lovely time to see Andalucía! I loved a section that had stairs with streams of water running down the railings, and everything was just so beautiful! The only thing I regretted was not packing a lunch or eating a better breakfast. I was pretty hungry and thirsty! After I felt like I saw everything (I had until 2:30 to see everything, but I was done before that), I found a café and recuperated. :-) If you ever do visit the Alhambra, pack a lunch...there were so many spots that would’ve been great for a scenic picnic!

I’d have to say that seeing the Alhambra was the highlight of my time in Andalucía. Granada as a whole is “up there” on my list of favorite Spanish cities. Toledo is still THE coolest city to me, but Granada is near the top!

I also went to another park later on, and if someone couldn’t afford seeing the Alhambra (but trust me, if you make it to Granada, you can afford the Alhambra!), this would be a good alternative, at least in terms of the garden areas and atmosphere. It’s still so hard to describe the sensation I kept feeling in southern Spain. So...different. A good kind of different. I honestly don’t think I’d like to “live” there like I like living in Catalunya, but it definitely deserves several trips. The arches are so incredible, the peacocks are fantastic, the flowering trees are EPIC, the smells are...are...just so invigorating, and everything just made me want to run around screaming, “I love Spain! I love nature! I love life!” And a special moment was seeing a peacock and cat walk right next to each other as if they were friends and do it everyday, which is quite possible. Ah. I totally loved that park.

I still had several hours of daylight to do things, and it involved a combination of more wander/city exploring, tasting random pastry things (there was something that was typical from Granada...but I forget the name now. It was really good! I also had some freshly-squeezed orange and strawberry juice. THAT reminded me of Mexico! :-)).

I also took a bus up to see the mirador de San Nicolás, which is the best view of the Alhambra. I was so exhausted by that time that I fell asleep in the bus and felt groggy the entire time over there! I stayed long enough to get some pictures, walk around the neighborhood just a little, pop in a small store and buy a snack and (yet more) water (I bought a LOT of water during this trip! :-)), and then took a bus back down. Lack of sleep and a lot of walking that weekend had definitely caught up with me, so I really didn’t do anything dramatic after that. I did wander to an Arab bath area, but when I popped in and realized it’s like a spa or something, I was like, meh. Boring. :-)

In addition to the very famous tile, another famous thing in Andalucía (origins from Granada) is...wow. Now it seems hard to explain. Okay, it’s with wood, and they make several designs with it. Coasters (yes, Amanda, that word makes me laugh every time!), jewelry boxes, chess boards, anything you can imagine with wooden pieces...they have it all! And I liked the designs and kind of wanted to buy something, but it was almost like I HAD to buy something like that. So much pressure! I was really close to buying a fairly expensive musical box, but between the cost and, most importantly, thinking through the future luggage space I’d have when I left Spain to meet Amanda in England, I opted for much cheaper, much thinner, much more portable, and still cool coasters. So yay!

The next morning, I took a bus to the Granada airport, and everything went smoothly to get back to BCN. It was a very pleasant trip and a good way to end my “major” Spain travels. It was great to see Katie again, and I’m glad I was able to see Sevilla and Granada! It would feel weird not seeing those two cities and living in Spain for 8 months.

And if memory serves correctly, which it probably doesn’t, that should sum up the Andalucía trip! FUN TIMES!