Granada and Nerja

This weekend, we took an excursion to Granada and Nerja. They are about 3 hours east of Sevilla and near the coast of Spain.

First, we visited the Alhambra, a which is a huge area containing palaces, forts, and gardens. It was used by the Muslim leaders before the Christians ruled Spain.

A view of Granada.

The Alhambra is known for having beautiful tiles covering many of the walls.

After visiting the Alhambra, we had time to walk around the city of Granada. We ate tapas for dinner at a small restaurant, where you get a free tapa with your drink!
In Spain, there is gelato on basically every corner and it's delicious!

Later that night, we went to one of the highest points in the city to take pictures. It was a very exhausting walk. There was literally snow on top of the mountains in the distance.Julia, me, and Colleen.
Next, we went to a popular flamenco show. The dancers were incredible.
The next day, we went to Nerja which is on the coast. We visited caves there, but weren't allowed to take pictures with flash so I don't have many good ones. Occasionally, they have concerts in the caves, but they're very expensive to attend. The acoustics must be amazing there!

This is the beach in Nerja where we spent most of the day laying out and swimming. Instead of sand, the beach is covered in small rocks. We found some really beautiful pieces of sea glass there.

First Days in Sevilla

Our first full day in Sevilla. Our first stop was the royal palace.
Getting lost in a labyrinth.
Gardens of the palace.

There are tons of horse and carriages around the cathedral and all of Sevilla.
The Cathedral of Sevilla, which is the 3rd largest church in the world. I pass this everyday on my way to class.

The tomb of Christopher Columbus.
View from the tower of the cathedral.

A bullring.

Toledo

RIP



Here is my deceased straightener. Luckily, the weather in Spain is so nice that I never do anything with my hair anyway!



This is an overview of the city of Toledo, which is between Madrid and Sevilla. We stopped here for one night before arriving in Sevilla! Toledo has a unique mixture of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim cultures.

The following are some pictures of El Alcazar, a fortress.







A synagogue we visited.



A Gothic Cathedral.




More pictures of Toledo.

Madrid!

The plane ride to Madrid went smoothly and they didn't lose my luggage. Yay! When we arrived at the airport, the program directors met us and some other students and we took a bus to our hotel. There are 30 UF students in the program. The hotel was very nice (the lobby was all marble!) and there was a Spanish basketball team and a soccer team staying there. After we rested for a couple of hours, we took a bus tour of Madrid. It is beautiful! Madrid reminds me a lot of big cities in the US but it is much less crowded. I was exhausted from traveling on the first night and went to bed at 9pm.

On our second day in Madrid, we did tons of sightseeing. First, we walked to El Prado Museum, which is one of Europe's largest art museums. It has many paintings by El Greco, Velazquez, and many other artists from Europe.

Next, we went to the Palacio Real, or the Royal Palace. It was very large and exquisite. The inside is made of mostly marble and concrete.

Below is the church that was part of the palace.

To end the day, we went north of Madrid to El Escorial, which was primarily a summer home for the royal family. There are many tombs of old kings and other royals there. The building also houses a modern monastery and boarding school.

A street near El Escorial. Most of the restaurants in Spain offer outdoor seating. The food is very different from America, but I have already found many things I like. In Spain, the waiters are paid very well so they do not go out of their way to be friendly. Their tip is included in their salary so you do not have to tip waiters here.

After all of the sightseeing, we rested for awhile and then ate at an Italian restaurant. Later that night, we went to a discoteca (nightclub) that is very famous in Madrid. It is seven stories tall. Everyone stays out very late here, so we did not even go to the club until 2 am!

Hola!

Hi! As you probably know, I am about to be in Sevilla, Spain for 5 weeks for my study abroad program through the University of Florida. I am very excited and nervous at the same time! I will try to update this blog as much as I can (as much as possible considering the wireless connection I have access to), so check here for updates and photos! I leave for Madrid, Spain on Tuesday, May 11 from Miami with a connecting flight at JFK in New York.

To prepare for my trip I have begun reading "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert or en español, "Come, Raza, Ama". I have already read this book and seen the movie, but I figured it would give me some practice with Spanish as well as some inspiration for traveling abroad. Chao!