Journeys through Spain

The past two weekends have been spent traveling to Granada and Madrid with my program. I was excited to go on these trips because 1) I want to see more of Spain and 2) they were already paid for and planned. I am very passive when it comes to traveling; I am willing to go along with what everyone else wants to do as long as I don't have to plan it. 

First up was Granada. We took a bus there, I think it took around 3 hours. Halfway there, the bus stopped at a rest stop. I didn't want to leave the bus- how exciting could a rest stop possibly be? I finally decided to stretch my legs and  proceeded to walk into the greatest rest stop ever. There were samples of olive oil and goat cheese. That is all I will say. We got into Granada around 1 and checked into out hotel. Our hotel was actually pretty fancy. There was a gorgeous terrace on the 8th floor. After settling in, my friends and I decided to walk around Granada. The most obvious difference between Seville and Granada is the mountains. Seville is completely flat, but Granada is surrounded by mountains. You can even see snow at the top of them. As we walked around, we noticed other differences. The University of Granada is very popular, and the influx of university students makes the city feel much younger and hipper than Seville. There were vintage stores, cupcake boutiques, and other tiendas chulas that you cannot find in Seville. After free time, we were taken to the capilla real to look at the bodies of Isabel and Fernando. It was only slightly less weird than it sounds. When I die, please don't stick me in a church for all eternity. That night, we went out for my friend's birthday. When I say "go out" I mean get 1-2 drinks and then go to bed. I do not have the money or energy to go clubbing. In Granada, most bars give you a free tapa with every drink. This is something I wish Seville had, it would save me a lot of money.

View from the hotel terrace

The next day we went to the Alhambra. What can I say about the Alhambra? It is incredible, and I think it is something that everyone should see before they die. It is crazy to think that Spain let it go to ruins for centuries because they refused to appreciate and accept their Islamic history. 

View from the Alhambra

Overall, two thumbs up for Granada. 

Last weekend, my program took us to Madrid. We got to take the AVE, the high-speed train. By bus, it takes about 6 hours to get to Madrid from Seville, but it only takes 2.5 hours on the AVE. The AVE was awesome and I feel like I can never take a normal train again. Their is tons of leg room, and TV's! On the way back they played Blue Jasmine- THE UNDUBBED VERSION. In Spain, this is a miracle. The AVE also tells you how fast it is going at all times- it was usually between 250-300 km/hour. 

After checking into our hotel (a rather fancy Best Western- I know that sounds like an oxymoron), my friends and I went to Chueca, the gayborhood of Madrid. It reminded me a lot of the gayborhood in Philly. Amongst all the overpriced "artisan" cafes,  tiny boutiques, and rainbow flags, I felt like I was back in the US. That afternoon, we went to the Prado and the Reina Sofia. I didn't get to spend as much time at the Prado as I wanted to because I was with my program, so I don't really have an opinion on it. However, I did get to spend more time at the Reina Sofia, and I can say without a doubt that I do not understand contemporary art. However, Guernica was cool. They are very strict about no pictures, so I had to sneak one.

Rebellious photo of Guernica (I had to pretend to take a picture of Caroline)

The next day, we had a couple free hours. My friends and I went to El Rastro, the Sunday flea market. It was great! I got a sweater for 3 euros. Afterwards, we wandered through el Parque del Retiro and went to the Palace (though we refused to pay the 5 euros to go inside). I feel like I did not get enough time to form a true opinion of Madrid. From what I saw, Madrid felt to me like any other major city. I didn't really feel like I was in Spain. It doesn't have the immediate charm of Granada or Seville. I expected to love Madrid, but I was mostly lukewarm.

Crystal Palace in Parque del Retiro

I have a tendency to think that the characteristics of Seville are representative of all of Spain, but that's not really true. Each city of Spain has its own local flavor, and it is interesting to compare them. I think I will secretly always like Seville best.