Tag Archives: Spain

Si no has visto Granada, no has visto nada!

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Hola, I’m back! Still soaking in the sights, reading, napping, eating, and doing a little studying on the side. Still in love with Barcelona, still missing home. I can’t believe its been over a month, time sure does fly when you’re having fun… it would seem I have a lot of catching up to do! Needless to say, a lot has happened since I last wrote. I think I’ll just try and take it one weekend at a time…

October 13-19 : There is a saying in Spain, “Si no has visto Granada, no has visto nada;” which means, if you have not seen Granada, you have not seen anything. I went with my program to Granada (17-19) and from the moment I stepped off the plane, I knew it was the truth. Back in October it was still quite hot and humid in Barcelona, Granada’s cool crisp morning air was a nice change of pace and reminded me of fall back home. I’m a mountain girl; I don’t snowboard or ski, but I sure can appreciate a good view and I’ve missed the snow capped mountains in Oregon. Granada’s view of the Sierra Nevada Mountains (the original ones- no, Granada is not in California) did not disappoint! When the sun came up, it was a nice heat, one that warmed your skin without the sticky, sweaty heat you get in Barcelona. Granada is beautiful, I could spend hours telling you all about each and everything that makes it special; the unique street lamps, wide side walks, narrow alleys, fountains, parks, green grass (quite possibly my favorite thing about Granada!), old buildings, beautiful architecture, and the Alhambra – just to name a few. Not to mention the food was fantastic! I love that in Granada you can get a Menú del día for under 10 euros, I have grown accustomed to having a starter, main dish, dessert and coffee for lunch. While in Granada we took a tour of the Alhambra, several neighborhoods, and the cathedral, we saw a flamenco show, took a dip in the arabic baths, enjoyed a tapas dinner and had the most amazing arabic tea; and of course we did some shopping, you can’t leave Granada without getting a pair of harem pants!

I’m so glad that I got the chance to travel to the south of Spain, the culture is so different from that of Barcelona. The Arabic/Muslim influence is prominent in Granada, making it feel almost like an entirely different country! Also, in Andalucía (the southernmost autonomous community/region in Spain), when you order a drink at the bar you get free tapas! I wish I had more time to travel to every region in Spain, they’re all so different, each so unique. Though I absolutely loved Granada, I was glad to be back home in Barcelona on Sunday!

Big City Life: I’m going to take this moment to come back to the present because big city life is something new to me and funny things happen almost everyday – if I don’t share now I will probably forget later! My commute to school in the morning consists of walking, and taking the metro. Tuesdays and Thursdays I just take the metro two stops, get off and walk to school. However, Mondays and Wednesdays I have class at the Sant Pau campus and I need to change lines. Last week I forgot it was Monday and almost didn’t get off in time (I only transfer after one stop!). Today I remembered it was Monday when I got on the train but somehow forgot that I needed to transfer at Diagonal and completely missed it. Yes, I have been taking this same route to school for over two months now! This has happened before but last time I had a partner in crime and we had a good laugh, so did the ladies sitting across from us. Anyway, already running a little late because of this I finally make it to my final train and by the time I get on it’s so packed there is no room for me and the doors start to shut, but I made it! Close shave. One guy gave me a knowing smile because stuff like this happens all the time, crowded metros are nothing new. However, when I tried to turn around and face the doors, I realized that my hood and hair were trapped in the door! I don’t know if anyone else noticed, but I had a good laugh to myself and waited patiently for the doors to open at the next stop so I could be released.

Cambio y fuera,

Elani

Granada
Cathedral in Granada
City Lights
Free Tapas!
Alhambra
Alhambra
Generalife
Flamenco

Pre-Barcelona Departure

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In one week, I depart from Portland to the east coast. Wow, has this winter break flown by! Instead of flying directly from the west coast to Europe, I decided it would be more manageable to break the flight up. I’ll be visiting my family in New York for 3 days before departing for Barcelona, Spain. I like this idea for many reasons; it shortens the travel time and I have the opportunity to ease my way into the trip!

After months of preparation, the time is nearing for the biggest adventure of my life so far! Though my family is very supportive, I will be honest in saying the trip is not coming at a perfect time. My dad is pretty ill and leaving him will be very difficult. After many hard conversations, encouragement from my family & friends, and my own longing to travel to Europe- I have become less apprehensive about the trip and more excited.

For Christmas, my mom gave me a Lonely Planet guide book to the city of Barcelona. After reading all of the exciting reviews of the numerous restaurants, museums, markets, and day trips… Everything is becoming more real and the possibilities for my 4-month adventure are endless. I am living in an awesome neighborhood in the city center, merely a block away from my university, the beach, and in the heart of all of the action. I’m looking forward to meeting my roommate, Bryn, who is from Portland, ME (funny, huh?). We are living with an elderly host mom, Estela, is an apartment with her perro (dog). I look forward to meeting them & becoming acquainted with the city.

With years of Spanish language and culture classes, I’m very excited to experience the Spanish lifestyle first-hand. I’m anticipating some culture shock, and I imagine I will be a little hesitant and overwhelmed initially. However, one of my main goals is to really immerse myself in the experience by putting my Spanish to use (even though I’ve heard many Spaniards would rather practice their English with you if given the chance!). So after the initial adjustment, I fully intend to come out of my comfort zone and demonstrate the old saying “Practice makes perfect” in regards to my Spanish.

If there is one larger goal for my excursion to Barcelona, I would say it rests on the hope that I take full advantage of all of the culture has to offer. I want to visit sites I normally would not be interested in and try foods I typically shy away from at home i.e. seafood! I want to return home in 4 months knowing I took part in all the opportunities presented to me.

Katy

This is only my…

Aside

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This is only my second week in Spain, and I´ve already done so much.

One of my favorite things so far has been a hike with a group of other students to the Christ figure that watches over our city of Oviedo. When we left for the hike I was under the impression that it would be an easy stroll… I was wrong. We first walked to the edge of the city, than through a suburban type area before reaching the start of the actual hike. It was very steep the whole way up and took us about two hours to walk up, but only 40 minutes to walk down. As difficult as the hike was, it was worth it when we reached the top and got to see the Christ figure… and the amazing view of the city.

On Saturday I went on a field trip lead by the University of Oviedo to the city of Leon. I liked to get to see some more of Spain, both once we arrived in Leon and from the bus windows on the drive. It is amazing how much variety exists in the landscape here, and how much variety I have seen just within in my district of Asturias.

I look forward to getting more familiar with the area that I am staying in, but I also enjoy getting to see other parts of Spain, and to see how Oviedo fits into the larger Asturian culture.

— hasta luego, Annelise