La ciudad de Granada

This is the first week in Granada! It's beautiful here! The city has loads of tall buildings with Moorish inspired and beautiful architecture but also with snow capped mountains peaking up beside them. The pictures don't nearly do justice as to how gorgeous the city is. I can't believe I  get to live here for 4 months. Ever study abroad student probably says the same exact thing but believe me its the truth! When we first got here I was a bit intimidated by the language, I knew I was obviously going to a Spanish speaking country but the bar that was set for my program ended up being a lot higher than I thought. After a week I'm already feeling more acclimated and with my classes starting too I can't wait to learn more about the language. I am thankfully in an apartment where I am living a short 10 minute walk to the center of the city and not too far of a walk from campus.

Our apartment is a little ways away from a lot of the home stays people have with the program but its located in a nice area near the main street Calle Gran Via and is close to campus, Universidad de Granada. Upon entering the city this past week, we had different walking tours and trips to get acquainted with the city while getting familiar with the area. I'm for sure not a city person, but Granada is pretty small compared to other cities and is easy to navigate. You can go run a few errands and pass two ancient churches that literally look as though they have popped off a postcard. My Spanish is slowly getting there as I am able to read and understand the language much better than I can speak it. Little things you do not think about such as asking for change or ordering food you have to think about now, its a cultural change but it;s interesting!

A couple of friends and I hiked to a unique spot at the top of the city in the area called Albaicin where the view was literally at the top of the world. The area gave for a unbelievable panoramic view of the city and the mountains. Hands down one of the prettiest sunsets and most breathtaking views I have ever seen! We also got to see the amazing views and take a tour of La Alhambra, a Moorish Castle located in Granada. The history of La Alhambra is that when the Muslims ruled Spain, they built the castle at the top which has the amazing view of the city below and the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

This past weekend we were able to travel to two cities in Spain, Toledo and Madrid. Toledo is known for its religious history, beautiful Cathedral and also its swords. A majority of the swords in the world are made here, for example the swords from Lord of the Rings. The view from the lookout point of the city is another spot I cannot even believe I got to see.

Toledo was unreal! We then traveled to Madrid for two days where we toured the Royal Palace and also went on a 3 hour bike tour of the city seeing the parks and different sites. Fun fact, biking in 30 degree weather is no bueno but it certainly made for an adventure. Wandering around Madrid with some friends I was able to see the different Plazas that are staples to Madrid with all the shopping and restaurants. For being such a big city as the capital of Spain, Madrid in no way felt overwhelming and was a great place to visit! To spend a semester there I feel would not be the place for me as I am not a huge city person to begin with, but Granada is a small city and is much more my cup of tea! Lots more trips and pictures to post so I will keep this as updated as I can! (I swear I brought 4 SD cards to take pictures with, it might take me a little to shift through all the pictures!)

We didn't expect Madrid to be equivalent to New England

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