A Granada

I flew out early yesterday morning...aka woke up at 6 am for a 8:30 flight.

I got to Granada at around 3 pm and then took a bus from the airport, and didn´t arrive at my hostel until 4 pm. I was immediately struck by the warmth of the city and the unusual plant life. Each city I´ve been to on this vacation has been completely different, both architecture, culture and flora.

My hostel is great! It has a peaceful inner courtyard. A tranquil fountain bubbles and has comfy chairs to relax in. It´s colorfully decorated with drapping long scarves, in a Moroccan/Moorish style. Best part is that it´s in the Alacin (Moorish Quarter), which is the historic part of the city. It´s close to everything!

After settling in, I wandered briefly around the city. I then ate dinner at a Moroccan restaurant next door and enjoyed an excellent cup of Morrocan tea - Vanilla and Cadimum. I was so pleased that I ordered and talked the whole time in Spanish! After dinner, I returned to my room and met my roommates. It just so happened that one of the girls is actually studying at University of Sheffield, too and lives one building over from me! What were the chances!!! The world truly is small!

Three of us, decided to go on the¨Night Adventure Tour of Granada¨. And boy was it an adventure! We learned some about the local landmarks. We were shown an inner traditional courtyard. We also got taken to some great lookout points to see the Alhambra at sunset! It´s breath taking! Next, we were taken to the ¨Gypsy Caves¨. They basically look like regular houses but they are built into the hillside, so most of the house is underground...hence caves. It´s also where all the traditional flamenco dancing is performed. I´m going to go back for a show tomorrow night! Then the real adventure began! We elected the option that took us up behind the Generalife and the Alhambra. Basically, we scaled the mountainside at night with headlamps! We got some great views and it is truly something I´ll always remember! We finished the tour at midnight and then went for tapas as a group with our guide as part of the celebration for a successful adventure! The tapas were excellent!

A full first evening in Granada!