Espana!

NoOoOoOooooo!! Now I'm back to my own computer and have a good internet connection where I can upload pictures, but I can't find my USB cord! If it turns up, I will upload pictures immediately, but I have scoured this tiny dorm room and I have a dreadful sneaking suspicion it's in Spain...

Anyways, Spain was great! I flew into Malaga, a coast city in Andalucia- a region of southern Spain. I spent a night in a funky little hostel there and met people from all over. It was fun exploring the city and embarrassing seeing how little Spanish I remembered from high school. I managed to get by though with basic conversational words and a whole lot of nodding, smiling, and saying "si, si." This worked fine until people asked me a question that I didn't understand and that couldn't be answered with a simple yes or no. Thankfully most everyone was patience wit my ignorance and many spoke English anyways.

After settling into the hostel, I climbed the hill up to the Castillo de Gibraltaro- the fortress built to protect the palace below. The view of the city from up there was beautiful and it was fun wandering around the various walls of the fortress. From here I went to the beach. It was quite a change after freezing in England's rainy cloudy weather for the past week to be sitting in the sand, barefoot, and eating ice cream. I didn't go swimming but I felt I had to at least put my feet in as it was the Mediterranean. That night I had foretaste of a delicious week to come as the hostel prepared a paella and sangria dinner for us. In the morning, I explored more of the city, including the cathedral, the Picasso Museum, and Picasso's childhood home. Later that day i boarded a bus for Granada where I met up with my friend Alissa who is studying there. However, in classic Lauren style, I forgot my jacket, scarf, and fleece (all things I no longer needed in Spain) on the bus and it drove away before I noticed. Thankfully Alissa's Spanish is a whole lot better than mine and after talking to many different people, I was able to get them back.

Granada is a beautiful city. As the last Muslim stronghold in Spain, the architecture is an interesting mix of Moorish and traditional Spanish styles. This seen most in the Alhambra, a fortress-complex made up of a series of palaces, defenses, and gardens nestled up on the hill overlooking Granada. The arches and intricate carvings and tile work within them was so impressive, especially as you could see the city through them. (I wish I could show pictures because words don't do any justice!) Though this is the most famous site in Granada, I also enjoyed seeing the cathedral, strolling through the Alaibicin- an old Moorish neighborhood that is a maze of narrow winding streets built into the hill. Alissa was able to take me around to see places and do things that the average tourist wouldn't have done, like climb the ancient city wall and explore various parks and plazas. It was great visiting her and seeing all of the places she has talked about. Over the weekend she and I and another one of her friends travelled to Cordoba and Sevilla. These were also very pretty cities with a lot of history and things to see. In Cordoba, we went to the Mezquita, a mosque that was built in the 700s and converted into a cathedral in 1236. Again the architecture and detail was stunning, especially the rows of red and white arches that supported the whole interior. In Cordoba we also went to the Alcazar, another fortress-palace with beautiful gardens and ancient Arab baths. It was here that Columbus came to ask permission of King Ferdinand and Isabella to go to the New World. Sevilla was another great city and I wish we had more time to explore it. We went to the cathedral there and went up the winding ramp to the top of the bell tower where we could look out on all of the city. Like the other cities, Sevilla also had a beautiful palace which we spent quite awhile in. Spain was great and the week flew by. Before I knew it I was saying goodbye to Alissa and heading to my next destination: Scotland.

(I was able to get this one photo {me in Granada with the Alhambra in the background} on here because it was on Facebook. I just hope I find my cord soon!)