Ronda y Malaga

This weekend I traveled with ISA to Ronda and Malaga. Ronda is almost 3 hours away by bus. It is a small pueblo high in the mountains. Unfortunately, the day was really cloudy and we couldn´t see all of the amazing views. The views we did see were beautiful but my senora said that on a clear day you can see all the way to the Mediterraneo. The pueblo is on the top of the mountain and is surrounded by cliffs. At any point you can look down hundreds of feet to the river. Ronda also has the oldest plaza de torros (where bull fights occur), many old buildings-houses-cathedrals, and old arabian baths. Now, of corse, the baths are only ruins but it is easy to imagine the rooms with hot water flowing in, luxorious perfumes, and people talking and relaxing. After Ronda, we made our way to Malaga. It was a rainy day and we had wifi in the hotel so we spent a couple hours hanging around the hotel. I finally got to skype my family for the first time! Life without wifi sure is tough...We spent our night in Malaga exploring (aka getting lost) and watching performances for Carnival. Sunday morning we had a tour of Malaga which included the cathedral, la alcabaz (muslim palace), the plaza where picasso was born, and the museo de picasso. After lunch we hung out on the beach. It is a big and pretty beach (but oh so cold!). I will definitely have to return to Malaga when it is warmer.

My First Week in Granada

The first week has been filled with exploring. If I dont know what to do-I walk around and find something interesting. El Parque Patricio Garcia Lorquez is close to my house and is a big park great for running or relaxing. I am sure it is going to be beautiful this spring. There are countless plazas, countless stores that I could spend my life savings in (with lots of sales in February), countless bars for tapas (my favorite!), and countless people. My house is pretty much 30 minutes from everywhere. While Granada sometimes seems big it is so easy to walk everywhere which I love. El Albaicin is a part of Granada that has a lot of Moroccan influence. It isnt safe to walk around at night but during the day it is full of cool stores, teterias (tea bars with hooka), interesting people, beautiful carmenes (big old white houses with pretty gardens), and an awesome view spot of the sierra nevadas, el alhambra, and granada. My family is great. I live with Teresa and Francisco and their son Alberto. They love to talk and are constantly trying to talk over eachother-which I think is just the Spanish way. The food is amazing and they always want me to eat more so, naturally, I do. Good thing I am walking so much or else I would already have gained 20 pounds! This weekend was my first here and it was filled with lots of fun. I explored the bars/tapas/discotecas, went on a hike (which turned into getting really lost outside of the city and finding our way back-what an adventure), and a festival de San Cecillo. This morning ISA took us to see El Alhambra. Despite being rainy and freezing, it really is as beautiful as people say it is. I can't wait to go back when its warm, sunny, and all the flowers are blooming. In other news, classes finally start tomorrow. I feel like I have just been on one giant vacation so far!