Hannah - Madrid - Week 5

Hi everyone,

This past weekend, I went with Chris, Ashley, and Kelli to Granada. The trip started out a bit chaotically because Ashley and I missed our ride to Granada at 8:30 in the morning. After riding the metro for an hour, trying to find the bus station, we finally got our bus tickets and arrived in Granada at five in the afternoon. By then, I was just relieved to make it there after a hectic morning!

Our hostel had a terrace on the top floor where we could get a view of the whole city. We could see the cathedral, a field of wind turbines, and the mountains in the distance. What surprised me most was how spread out the city was. We explored the city center and visited the cathedral. Off some of the main roads are Moroccan shops that are set up. They sold jewelry, bags, shoes and other small goods that  Later that night, we enjoyed some of Granada’s famous tapas. We went to bed early that night, planning to head up to the Alhambra the next morning. The Alhambra is famous for its Islamic architecture and I was really looking forward to visiting it because I remembered learning about it in my high school Spanish class. Because we didn’t purchase tickets beforehand, we went to stand in line for tickets at 6:30 AM. It took an hour and a half to get in but the view that was waiting for us definitely made it worth the wait. I was impressed by how spread out the Alhambra was. When considering the massive size of the towers and the fact that they’re located on top of a steep hill, you have to wonder how they were able to build everything.

The view from the top
of Alhambra

amazing fountain at Alhambra!

The most intriguing part of Granada for me was that it didn’t feel like I was in Spain at times. The architecture, the atmosphere, and the types of restaurants were so different from Madrid that it was interesting to see that Spain, while it may not be known for diversity, still consists of a mix of several cultures. I had a great time in Granada and I'm excited for the next few weeks to see what else Spain has to offer!

Hasta luego!

Hannah