España: Esto No Es La Vida Real: A Weekend Which No One Would Believe- Torcal and Granada!

So it is so amazing to travel to different places with API, but it makes it that much sweeter to come home to Sevilla! I spent this past weekend in Granada which is this gorgeous mountain city about three hours away from Sevilla. We would only be gone for one night but like my usual self, I packed four different outfits. My little pink suitcase was jam packed. I have no clue how I am going to pack for RyanAir's stupid luggage restrictions. Kelly and I were up bright and early with our little bocadillos that Maria had made for us. On that note, she made us turkey and cheese sandwiches but they weren't refrigerated which is a little worrisome but apparently that's how it goes here in Espana. We walked to meet up with everyone at 8:30 am and then we were off.

On the way out to Granada on Friday, we stopped at Torcal National Park. It is a good thing I was wearing my sneakers, because we did a two mile legit hike through insane rock formations and what not. Everything was so slippery and covered in mud because of all the rain we have gotten over the past week, making it that much harder to hike around. Being covered in clay mud was worth it. The landscapes were amazing and something that pictures can't even do justice to how beautiful it truly was. After our little hiking adventures, we all piled back onto the bus and continued on our way to Granada!

The drive there was literally blowing my mind. There were the usual palm trees lining the highway and then the occasional cactus, but then all of a sudden there were these massive snowcapped mountains that came out of no where. So in the same landscape were cacti and snowy mountains. Crazy! When we finally reached the hotel we had a few hours of free time before the flamenco show so about 15 of the girls went to this Arab bath that Granada is famous for. I feel like bath isn't the correct word to use but that is what they are called. They are more like spas. You go into different rooms and they have different temperature water, steam rooms and what not. We all got 20 minute massages as well, which might have been the best 20 minutes of my whole life. The baths were sooo relaxing and it was good girl bonding for the girls on the trip. We had about an hour before we had to head back to the hotel to shower after the baths so we decided to wander around a bit. We wandered into this teteria which is a tea house/hookah bar thing and tried some tea. After that we had the thrilling and daunting task of hiking back up the mountain to the hotel. To make a UMass reference, its literally like Ohill on steroids. Hiking up the mountain totally negated the relaxing massage but oh well.

After dinner we walked around Granada for a bit. Spain is a huge fan of awkward cobblestone streets and there was no exception. I have no idea how Spanish women walk around in 4 inch heels with no problem. I was practically falling over in my flat boots. We finally made it to this gypsy cave where we watched this crazy intense flamenco performance. It was very intimate and I was practically sitting on the singers laps. They danced with such passion and emotion that it was hard not to get drawn in. At the end of the performance, they grabbed people out of the audience to come dance on stage with them...and of course they grab the American in the hot pink pea coat. It was actually a ton of fun. I had such a blast!

After the flamenco show, we were allowed to do whatever we wanted. We went in search for free tapas that Granada is known for. Tapas are basically like little finger food snacks that you can get at bars and such. We came across this one bar that gave us free grilled ham and cheese with our margaritas. Oh how I miss grilled cheeses!!! We called it a night early around 130 because we had to get up at 730 for a walk around the city.

Getting up at 730 was so rough and I contemplated missing the optional walk around Granada. I am so glad I dragged myself up and went out. We walked around a 900 year old Arab bath and saw where Ferdinand and Isabelle were buried. As a treat for walking around all day, our trip leader Kepa bought us all churros and chocolate. We literally had enough time to check out of the hotel room after we got back from our walk before we were off the La Alhambra.

La Alhambra is this breathtaking palace and fortress built by the Arab rulers of Spain in the 12 century. Alhambra in Arabic literally translates to red palace due to the fact that all of the walls appear to be red once the sun is setting. Walking around there, you would literally think you were in Morocco or something. The intricacy and detail of the tile work is unbelievable. Some of the views from the Alhambra are hard to explain to give it sufficient justice. The palace is at the highest point in the city so you can see all of Granada down below. We walked around for two and a half hours, exploring all the fountains and gardens the Alhambra had to offer! All in all is was an amazing weekend but I am so glad to be home in Sevilla again!