Monday, February 25, 2008

Granada y Lisboa





Last nite we arrived back in Seville after an amazing weekend in Portugal...but I haven't yet written about my trip to Granada which we did 2 weeks ago, so let me start there...




Granada is about 3 hours away by bus from Sevilla. It is a charming city filled with hippies and gypsies and lots of students. The streets are lined with little stores where you can buy hookahs, rugs and lamps (think Aladdin!). On Friday night we took a hike up to the top of the city to see the Alhambra at night. The Alhambra is a palace built by the Moors thousands of years ago, and it is amazingly beautiful. After taking some pics, we got to go see a flamenco show in a cave. These women and men train for years to become as amazing as they are, and it really was quite an experience seeing them.




The next morning, after a fun night out on the town, we left to get our tour of the Alhambra. The pictures don't do it justice, as it is something that really needs to be seen in person. The details in the walls and floors are so beautiful and intricate, and there is so much history behind all of it. There are fountains everywhere, and a labryinth made out of bushes that are filled with roses in the spring (unfortunately they weren't in bloom when we went). After our tour, we got back on the bus and headed for Sevilla.




As amazing as Granada was, Portugal was by far my favorite. We got into Lisboa around 2pm on Friday, and from there we went on a quick tour. We got to see an old castle and a little bit of the city, and then headed out for some food. The Portuguese in Portugal is sooo different from what I speak, so it was a little hard ordering. We were't quite sure what to expect, but we were all satisfied with our food. I actually just ended up getting some salmon and vegetables, but my friends got what they thought was going to be a chicken dish, that ended up being something french toast like filled with chicken and pork and topped with an egg and cheese...interesting, to say the least.




The next morning we took the bus around the city again. We went to a beautiful cathedral, and then afterwards a small group of us took the train to this cute little city called Sintra. It is so old and charming looking, and then we hopped on the bus to Cabo de Roca, which is the western most part of Europe! It was a really cool thing to see, although it was POURING!!! But I"m really glad I got to go see it. After dinner at Pizza Hut (yes, we needed some good ole' pizza) we headed back to Lisboa and got ready for a night out on the town.




We ended up drinking some tintos de verano (red wine mixed with lemon soda ...soo good!) in our hotel room before going out. Then we took some taxis to the docks, which is this strip of bars and nightclubs right on the river. Needeless to say, we all had an amazing time...the Portuguese are really friendly people.




After arriving back at our hotel at 630 we were able to lay down for a couple hours before getting back on the bus to Sevilla. The 6 hour bus ride was not very fun, I couldn't sleep because my butt kept going numb (my feet dont touch the floor of the bus...so they would just dangle there...not comfortable!). But after arriving in Sevilla last night I got a good night's sleep before going to classes this morning.




Portugal was so beautiful, and I absolutely fell in love with it. I'd really like to go back some day...and I"m sure I will! On Thursday my friend Lauren and I are off to Paris for a weekend, and then two weeks from that I will be in Morocco. That will be quite the adventure! Hope everyone is well back in the States...I'll see you all if a few months!

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