Granada
My month in Granada was spent doing lots of non-touristy, not-interesting-to-blog-about things. I read a lot, listened to public radio shows via the internet while doing a giant puzzle on the floor of my room (where the desire for doing a puzzle came from I have NO idea), and walked a lot. I tried to walk three hours a day, for the exercise of it and also in preparation for the pilgrimage.
What I didn't do a lot of was Spanish...at least for the second half of the month. For the first two weeks, I was GUNG HO on studying Spanish, spending hours outside of class reading the first Harry Potter book in Espanol, creating little study sheets for myself, drilling on verb conjugations. I was having a blast.
But, I was also having sleeping problems, and often could not fall asleep until 5am or later. Eventually I got tired of feeling tired all day, and decided to just sleep if I needed to. (I couldn't switch to afternoon classes because there weren't any at my level). I ended up missing most of my classes during the third week and all of them during the fourth week. It was a bummer, but such is life.
I did manage to spend some of the off-time exploring the city, but often without my camera. Here are some shots taken on occasions when I did bring my camera:
Right:
The Alhambra is visible from many parts of the city center, and all high points of Granada. It makes for a spectacular backdrop for al fresco dining in Granada's beautiful spring weather.
Bottom:
Southern Spain is home to the Roma people (previously called Gypsies) and their impromptu outdoor street performances provided a nice accompaniment in many popular spots throughout the city.
Above:...I mostly walked in the early evening, as the low light made Granada all the more spectacular. Here's just one of the many squares I strolled through on my nightly walks....
Below:...and some miscellaneous scenes of Granada from the old Moorish quarter.
Double Decker Snooze
One of my friends from school bought a two day pass on the city's double decker bus, but decided to just use it for one day so she gave it to me for the second day. It didn't sound terribly thrilling, but I figured I might as well give it a whirl.
BORING! There were literally people falling asleep en route! And stopping to pick up new passengers every few minutes--many of whom had to pay for the excursion before getting on... argh! Let's just say: I do not recommend.
My accommodation in Granada
Since this is kind of my catch-all entry for Granada, let me just take this opportunity to share a few pictures of my accommodation (since many of you have asked about it in emails.)
The student residence was an old hotel, so the rooms were decent--not nice but serviceable. The bed was a nightmare but in general it was a pretty good deal for the $35 or so I paid per night. Below are photos of my room and bathroom:
There was also a large communal kitchen, but I didn't use it much since communal kitchens tend to lack a certain standard of cleanliness. I cooked on occasion but mostly opted to eat out. Of course, I'm sure restaurants often lack that same level of cleanliness, but at least at restaurants I don't have to see it.
By far the most distressing part of the accommodation was the Wall o' Mold that I had to walk by every day (below). It appeared to me to be several stages beyond 'out of control' so I am not sure why it was not properly attended to. But again...at $35 a night, a little mold might just be par for the course. So, I just held my breath and hoped the little mold spores kept to themselves.
What I didn't do a lot of was Spanish...at least for the second half of the month. For the first two weeks, I was GUNG HO on studying Spanish, spending hours outside of class reading the first Harry Potter book in Espanol, creating little study sheets for myself, drilling on verb conjugations. I was having a blast.
But, I was also having sleeping problems, and often could not fall asleep until 5am or later. Eventually I got tired of feeling tired all day, and decided to just sleep if I needed to. (I couldn't switch to afternoon classes because there weren't any at my level). I ended up missing most of my classes during the third week and all of them during the fourth week. It was a bummer, but such is life.
I did manage to spend some of the off-time exploring the city, but often without my camera. Here are some shots taken on occasions when I did bring my camera:
Right: The Alhambra is visible from many parts of the city center, and all high points of Granada. It makes for a spectacular backdrop for al fresco dining in Granada's beautiful spring weather.
Bottom:
Southern Spain is home to the Roma people (previously called Gypsies) and their impromptu outdoor street performances provided a nice accompaniment in many popular spots throughout the city.
Above:...I mostly walked in the early evening, as the low light made Granada all the more spectacular. Here's just one of the many squares I strolled through on my nightly walks....
Below:...and some miscellaneous scenes of Granada from the old Moorish quarter.
Double Decker Snooze
One of my friends from school bought a two day pass on the city's double decker bus, but decided to just use it for one day so she gave it to me for the second day. It didn't sound terribly thrilling, but I figured I might as well give it a whirl.
BORING! There were literally people falling asleep en route! And stopping to pick up new passengers every few minutes--many of whom had to pay for the excursion before getting on... argh! Let's just say: I do not recommend.
My accommodation in Granada
Since this is kind of my catch-all entry for Granada, let me just take this opportunity to share a few pictures of my accommodation (since many of you have asked about it in emails.)
The student residence was an old hotel, so the rooms were decent--not nice but serviceable. The bed was a nightmare but in general it was a pretty good deal for the $35 or so I paid per night. Below are photos of my room and bathroom:
There was also a large communal kitchen, but I didn't use it much since communal kitchens tend to lack a certain standard of cleanliness. I cooked on occasion but mostly opted to eat out. Of course, I'm sure restaurants often lack that same level of cleanliness, but at least at restaurants I don't have to see it. By far the most distressing part of the accommodation was the Wall o' Mold that I had to walk by every day (below). It appeared to me to be several stages beyond 'out of control' so I am not sure why it was not properly attended to. But again...at $35 a night, a little mold might just be par for the course. So, I just held my breath and hoped the little mold spores kept to themselves.
