Spain

This weekend I went to Granada, a town in southern Spain that lies right next to the Sierra Nevada mountains and an hour from the Mediterranean Sea. It was beautiful! I stayed with a friend and her husband in their apartment right in the center of Granada.

I flew in on Friday afternoon from Brussels and was greeted by my friend at the airport. We dropped my bag off at the apartment and then went out to see the town. The streets and architecture have a completely different feel than other parts of Europe that I have visited. Southern Spain has a lot of Islamic influence so the artwork and colors used for decorations are very unique. The old cathedral in the center of town used to be a mosque that the Muslims built but it was taken by the Spanish and converted into a cathedral.

On Saturday we visited the Alhambra (it was considered for the list of the Seven Wonders of the World). It was a Muslim palace and fortress that overlooks Granada and was completed in the 14th century. The Islamic architecture is incredibly intricate and I was amazed by the details that went into each room. A beautiful stream runs through the gardens and past the palace and mosque that lie within the fortress walls. There are 13 stone towers that come up from the fortress. The Alhambra has a red glow to it because of the redish colored clay that they used when building it. Alhambra literally means "the red one."

Saturday evening we went to a flamenco concert. Granada has a large gypsy population and people come from all over the world to study flamenco music, dancing, and gypsy culture. It was really cool to see this unusual dancing that was accompanied by music on the stage.

Sunday morning we woke up and went to the main square to have authentic Spanish churros. Everyone goes out on Sunday mornings for churros dipped in chocolate... not the most healthy breakfast but it was definitely something I needed to experience! It was very delicious. We then went to the gypsy flee market and wandered around the shops. After that we went back to the apartment for some tea and fruit which we finished off with a Spanish siesta.

We went back out again Sunday night to explore the Albaicin district of Granada. It is one of the oldest parts of the city and it is in the Arab district. We took a small bus that winded up the narrow streets to the top of a huge hill. I think that this was one of the most beautiful parts of the city. Each house had a colorful piece of tile mounted on the stone wall that displayed the name of the house. There were hidden courtyards with colorful flowers and fruit trees around every corner. Apparently it is very expensive to live in some parts of the Albaicin. We then went back down to the center of the city and enjoyed tapas at a restaurant. Tapas are unique to Granada and it is when you go out to a restaurant and order a drink that comes with complimentary food. It was a wonderful way to finish off the weekend!

Monday morning I flew back to Brussels. It felt so good to crawl into my bed and enjoy the comforts of home!