Friday morning my family, Marisa and I took a taxi to the train station. Next stop: Granada! The train ride was a little over two hours but very pleasant. There were two elderly couples sitting in front of us and they were having the best time chatting and pointing out the window during the entire ride. We saw flamingos in a little swamp area and cows in a green field from the window. About 20 minutes into the trip I started to journal and when I finished, we were there!
The weather was PERFECT. I wore a short-sleeve shirt without a jacket for only the second time since I’ve been in Spain (first time in Ronda) and felt great with the sun beating down on my arms! We took a taxi to our apartment and the driver was so friendly. He told us all about the Cathedral and Alhambra, as well as certain barrios that are interesting or really cool to see before we left. When we drove by this, he explained it to us as well.
Not unlike the taxi driver, I found that everyone I spoke with from Granada seemed to be exceptionally proud to be from there. When I told them I was studying abroad in Seville, they all said the same thing. “Seville is bigger than Granada, but Granada is more beautiful. You like Granada better don’t you?” Although I did love Granada, my heart lies in Seville.
Anyways we made it to our street and were greeted by the apartment man. He showed us around and gave us instructions on how to use the heaters, the check-out process, etc. Not knowing much/any English, he only spoke to Marisa and I since he was using Spanish. When he told us we’d have to turn on a tank for hot water, we all looked confused. (What century were we in?) He told Marisa and I what to do but I really wasn’t comprehending his directions. When push came to shove in the next few days, Dad used previous knowledge to successfully change the tank and bring warm water back into the sinks and showers of our living quarters.
We walked back to where the statue of Columbus was and up Gran Via de Colon (Colon is Columbus in Spanish). We kept trying to figure out where to turn but couldn’t find any signs. Finally we realized that all of the street signs were on the ground!
We walked through Elvira Street where there were a lot of Moroccan-inspired stores. They were filled with the beautiful lamps from Turkey. Mom said if she had a comfy chair, she could sit in these stores and just stare at the colorful lamps all day.
We continued walking through Plaza Nueva and through the San Pedro area of Granada. Dad wandered into an ice cream shop and we all got a cone. Mine was “Mars Bar” flavored (Milky Way) and it was the creamiest ice cream I’ve had in all of Spain so far. It was so nice sitting on the wall overlooking a little stream and listening to the street music with the warm sun shining brightly above.
After walking a little further, we found a small English restaurant. We had some delicious pasta and tiramisu in the warmth of this cozy little hole-in-the-wall.
We walked back around the San Pedro area later that night and saw a procession in the streets. Some man said that the closer it gets to Semana Santa, the more processions you’ll see.
The whole day I kept humming…”Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh. Here I am at Camp Granada…” and then later my mom told me that she had been singing it all day too. We went to bed early but heard noises from the people in the street below our apartment well into the early morning. The best part of all: sharing these moments with my family.