Well, it’s been a very busy past few weeks here in Granada. So, to save a bit of your time, here’s the über-condensed-spark-notes-in-a-nutshell-boiled-down version of what I’ve been up to! Buckle up:
Family visited last week, we rented a car, went to the beach, got the car stuck in a tiny side street, gained appreciation for rental insurance, cleared up a miscommunication between my aunt and my host mom (transgender and translator are, in fact, fairly similar words in spanish), went to Córdoba with IES, experienced the incredible mosque there, saw the ruins of Al-Zahrat, missed the bus back to Granada, caught a later bus with a Sephardic Judaism class, joined a gym, started going to spinning classes, learned to hate the word “subete” (which, roughly translated, means get up off your bum and pedal), found a new running trail that overlooks the city, booked six different flights (Paris, Barcelona, London, Nice, Ibiza, Rome!), ate my weight in olives, watched the sun set over the Alhambra, learned how to make tortilla española, had my Mediterranean Ecosystems class on the ocean, ate some of the best homemade vegetable paella I’ve ever had, and took about 2,000 pictures of all of it. Here are some of my favorite moments!
The family takes Spain by storm…!
Watched the sunset over the Alhambra from the Mirador de San Nicolas
The walls of the mosque in Córdoba; amazing!
In the center of the mosque at Córdoba is a cathedral. The Christians built this cathedral in the center of the mosque, but left the most important parts of the building intact.
The mosque in Córdoba – breathtaking.
Missing the bus back to Granada had a few upsides… More exploring! This is the bridge in Córdoba towards the mosque.
Had our Mediterranean Ecosystems class here a few weeks ago – learned about desiccation stresses for Mediterranean plants, rock formations, and coastal erosion.
Found a new running trail overlooking the city! This is on the same hill as the Alhambra, where there are lots of mountain-biking, horse-back riding, and running trails.
Host mom making veggie paella! So yummy…
Tortilla Española!
This weekend, I’ll be heading to Madrid for St. Patrick’s Day… Stay tuned for more adventures!
Un abrazo,
Hallie
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Hallie Bates
<p><span style="color: rgb(29, 29, 29); font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; background-color: rgb(237, 237, 237);">My name is Hallie Bates, and I'm currently a junior at Bowdoin College in beautiful Brunswick, Maine. I'm an Anthropology major, Spanish minor, and am also pursuing a pre-health track in order to one day attend medical school. I love to run, and can't wait to explore the trails in Granada and the surrounding Sierra Nevada mountains. I'm excited to get to know a new city from the inside out, and want to visit as many quirky coffee shops as possible, immersing myself in Spanish language, culture and cuisine.</span></p>
