Granada Spain: The third stop of my spring break travels.
Granada Spain was absolutely amazing. The only reason I chose to travel to Granada was because my sorority sister Miah is studying abroad there. To be honest, I was a little sad when she told me a week ago that the closet beach was an hour and a half away.
After a 3 hour plane ride from Amsterdam, 2/12 hour bus ride from Magala, and 5 minute taxi ride, I'd finally arrived. Granada reminded me a lot of Florence. I feel like when people think of Italy, they generally think of Rome and Milan. Whereas when people think of Spain, they generally think of Barcelona and Madrid. Both Granada and Florence are two very small, cozy less touristy cities.
The two of us nearly lost it once we saw one another. It felt so good to see a familiar face, I could care less about going to a beach. I was finally reunited with family from Howard.
We dropped my bags off at Miah's home stay before meeting up with her friend that I would be staying with. She told me that her home stay mother was very particular about having guest over, so it was forbidden for me to sleep there. It did not make a difference either way, as long as I had somewhere to sleep at night.
After dropping my bags off, we took a long stroll toward the mountains. I could not help but notice the gypsy style the closer we got to the mountains. The gypsy dressed in very baggy colorful pants, half shirts, and worn shoes. It surprised me to see so many people there with dread locks. The closer we got toward the mountains the more bats I began to notice flying above my head. I literally felt like I was on another planet. In fact, I got a little freaked out at one point, and asked Miah if we could leave. " Andiamo," I said. Meaning "let's go" in Italian.
By that time it was a little after 8pm so we made our way to the tapa bar. Tapas are mini meals that come with your drink of choice. It's traditional to go to tapa bars in Granada. At the first tapa bar we went to, we had rice, homemade chips, and two croquettes all for 3 euro. I thought it was a pretty good deal. After the third tapa bar, I was very full. I must admit, tapa bar hopping is not such a bad idea for two college students on a budget.
The next day Miah took me to a few of the clubs in Granada. I found it surprising that hip-hop and American pop music was played at all the clubs we went to. The local Spaniards (some of which were of African descent and a few study abroad students) accounted for the population. Watching them dance to the hip hop and pop music amazed me. The guys did not dance with the girls. Instead they formed their own circles and did a mixture of break dancing and two stepping. This was a sight I was not use to seeing, especially coming from Washington, DC.
The rest of the week flew by. I was in Grananda from Monday-Thursday morning, but it literally felt like I was there for a day. I enjoyed catching up with my good friend. I finally had a chance to relax. No itineraries, no pressure to see historical landmarks, and no computer.
Though Granada was nice, and tranquil, I missed my Florence.
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