Granada Mia!

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another new connection and another place I can call “home” =)

GRANADA will forever be one of my fave cities in the world. When I first arrived I was feeling so overwhelmed by everything. For some reason I wasn’t feeling strong or that courageous. I kept wondering why I like to challenge myself so much! Trying to live in a new city, in a new country, where I knew no one, didn’t speak the language and had to teach English to get by. I had to find a place to live and some good connections to keep me sane. In some ways it started well, meeting Tommy and Kate through Rachel and Ananth and finding a place to live on the second day after my arrival! I also managed to make my own friends by going to Fiesta de Primavera weekend (where I met Timo and Brittany); and Julian who I met after my "near death experience" stuck on the cliff edge of a mountain somewhere beyond Sacromonte 😉 hahaha...

In some ways, my time in Granada was consistently challenging. First, I went to Paris and got robbed. This set me back a lot financially and really ruined my mood for a month or so. It didn’t help that finding students was so difficult initially and losing them was so easy! It didn’t help that I couldn’t speak Spanish and Spaniards speak very little English (if at all) ... it didn’t help that instead of becoming good friends and company, my housemates became a headache, a heartache, a strain on my soul, a source of confusion (was it all my fault? Did I provoke their antagonistic behaviour?) ... and finally, they caused the worst 2hrs I’ve experienced in a very long time! My fight with the landlords.

Thankfully I had Timo. Without Timo my time in Granada would’ve been so much worse. Not to take away from the fun i had with other people there .. people who have also become good friends and who I’ll enjoy meeting and catching up with in the future. But Timo is one of those special people that you hardly ever meet. A super fun guy, with a zippy car, a great attitude towards travel and adventure and the most golden heart I’ve come across in years! Timo saved me from my landlords, from homelessness and from hating people =) Danke my friend!

Let’s get deeper for a while... Granada is the place where I had so many epiphanies. I guess with so much time on my hands and so many challenges to my person (who I am), it was inevitable that I would make several realisations about life, me, others, etc. Ofcourse the natural and man-made beauty of the place helped too 😉 with the cobble stoned streets, the historic charms of the Albaicín suburb, colorful and powerful graffiti by El Niños de las pinturas, my gorgeous students and their families, free tapas with every drink, smiling faces all around, new found friends with their insights and warmth, car trips on the weekends, and above all - the majestic Sierra Nevada peaks overlooking the entire city and its world famous Alhambra palace.

In time I also learnt enough Spanish to get by and not be socially frightened and frustrated. I picked up some great students all of whom passed their end of year English exams :D and asked me to come back to teach them (including the Director of Sierra Nevada snow resort!) ... I discovered some of the best Italian gelato in the world and Hot Chocolate con churros!

Events / moments / places to remember ...

Sierra Nevada

The Sierra Nevada mountain range's highest peak reaches something close to 3,500m. You can reach the peak while skiing / snowboarding and see a great view of the sea and Africa from there. With no other mountains near it, the SN looks huge and towers majestically over the city of Granada in the most peaceful and magical way. It's peaks are snow-covered almost all year 'round, meaning they gently reflect the weather and sky and are most mesmerising at sunset and full-moon lit nights. The SN boasts one of the best ski resorts in all of Spain and southern Europe. Seeing it every day as I walked or cycled thru the city became an absolute necessity, an addiction, a ritual, a prayer - and I spent hours at a time, sometimes going heavily out of my way to enjoy this peaceful trance - just me and the mountains =)

Alhambra - 4th time lucky 😉

Ofcourse I always knew that I would have to visit the infamous Alhambra palace at some point. In my first two months of living in Granada I was feeling quite cocky about the whole thing and keeping that plan as bay... I also had a hunch that at some point someone might visit me here and I'd have to go up with them as a typical tourist's duty.

As it turned out, my cousin Mimo came to visit me during the Easter break and that touristy chance was realised ... sort of!

The first time Mimo and I tried to visit Alhambra it was a Wed afternoon. We decided (despite it being peak season) that we would try our chances and just go up and find tickets. To our misfortune they had been sold out and we were told to return the next day at 5am to line up for them (doors open at 8am).

Being of Lebanese origins, we thought "yeah right! we can come at 7:30am and it'll be just fine" .... so return we did, and a huge massive line we found! Tickets we did NOT get! We tried to sneak in and we managed to see quite a bit of the place, but after a minor "run-in" with security we kindly left the premises 😉

After a massive weekend touring around the Malaga province and after only 2hrs of sleep after a largely sleepless weekend, we returned to Alhambra the following Monday morning. It was cold, raining and wet ... it was also 4:30am when we arrived to be the 3rd people in the line! yes, 3rd!!!!!

after a wet and sleepy 3.5hr wait the doors finally opened and we had our tickets :D with our special palace visit time allocation for 10:30am (visitors are divided to see the Nazareth palaces to reduce numbers in there and each group is given a half-hour period for their visit). So off we went to see the gardens and all other parts, using plastic bags and a crappy umbrella to shelter ourselves from the rain. Come 10:30am we happily skip over to the entrance of the palaces only for me to realise that I had somehow lost my ticket!!!!

Oh the woe! Oh the grief! Oh the anguish, the pain!!!

I begged and pleaded with security to let me in ... they were very nice and allowed me extra time to find my ticket ... but undless searches proved unsuccesful and my cousin went in alone ...

broken, exhausted and emotional (yes I was PMS'ing!) I sat in the gardens and wept at my misfortune :p

I eventually met up with my cousin again and allowed her to fill me in on what I didnt get to see ...

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weeks later on a golden sunny Sunday afternoon, with a fake Granada residency card, I managed to get into the palace for a free residents' session. I saw everything all over again, this time fresh with good sleep and warm from the sun 😊

The clear blue skies and bright sun gave way to excellent photo opportunities and a wonderful atmosphere to stroll around and drink in the architecture, history and poetic charms of Alhambra!

Full moon picnic at Mirador de San Nicolas

Two things I really loved in Granada were the Mirador de San Nicolas look out / plaza and full moons. So in May I decided to combine both with a full moon picnic at San Nic with a bunch of friends. With salads, snacks, limoncello and other drinks, and cameras in hand, we gathered at the edge of the plaza just before the sunset.

The Mirador is exactly across the valley and river from Alhambra. It sits on a hill, the same height level as the "red palace" and provides a panoramic view of the entire city, the Alhambra with the Sierra Nevada peaks behind it and the valley that separates nature from city. San Nic is part of the Sacromonte and Albaicín suburbs which are UNESCO heritage sites with their old style white houses and cobble-stoned narrow streets. It's where the gypsies (and thus Flamenco) live, squatters, students, expats, hippies and a large percentage of Granada's well-established Moroccan population. Suffice to say, it's a colourful place with stunning views, music, cute little bars and awesome markets!

Back to our limoncello =)

We were a mixed group mostly comprising expats from different countries who were living and teaching English in Granada. We watched as the sunset, its rays reflecting off the snow peaks and changing the "tone" of the still air around us. The familiar smell of marijuana around us, the gentle strum of someone's guitar and the chit-chatter of tens of people sharing our story.

Suddenly it was dark, no moon in sight, just a bright yellow beam glowing from behind the mountains. The city below was in silhouettes. Over the next 20mins or so a giant round yellow moon rose slowly from behind the peaks and took its place just above the mountains shining its light over our little universe. The Sierra Nevada was in full view with the darkened Alhambra at its foothills overlooking city lights and moon filled rooftops.

Our cameras went click click click ... but ofcourse, NOTHING can capture that magical scene! Nothing but the corners of our minds - a memory forever etched in our souls.

Amber (bici)

"Today I fell in love with Amber" - note written on Facebook, Feb 2011

I met her pretty much the day I arrived in Granada - she was living at Rachel·s house back then. I must say it definitely wasn't love at first sight... I mean Amber is undoubtedly beautiful, noone can deny that!!! She's not young, or the fittest thing in the world, but she has that charisma & charm that comes with having lived & experienced so much...

I nicknamed her Amber when she came to live with me last week - all the way up in Haza Grande. She definitely gets the name for her color... but also something about her vibe - quiet but somewhat wild =)

I'll be honest I really doubted her at first and wasn't sure that we'd last much at all. I didn't think that she could keep up with me or give me what I need - and that's very important at a time when I'm living in a foreign place & face so many challenges each day... I wanted to know that I could rely on her to get me through my days.

Today Amber converted me completely... It's more than love - it's admiration, awe, respect & trust. I want to spend every day with her, I want to take her everywhere (& now I know I can). I'm proud to be with her, for people to see us together, to know that she's with me!

Today Amber and I climbed all the way from Al Campo to Haza Grande carrying about 20kg (no exaggeration!) of groceries... My little legs & Amber's prowess - she was amazing!! I was in such awe, so motivated to get up there... if Amber could do it, than I can do anything!!! hehe... This may not mean much to those of you who don't know Granada, dont know its hills and have no idea what i did... see the pics of me & amber, what we carried... and the map (in satellite) so u might get an idea of the mountain we climbed together... & if it all still doesn't make sense, then just be happy for me... coz I have Amber =)

Rachel, thank you for introducing me to Amber and for allowing us to develop this beautiful bond. I'll take care of her as much as I can, I promise you!

Elena and her mama =)

Elena was one of my students who had previously been taught by my friend Rachie. She gets a special mention here because no matter how challenging life was, no matter the weather outside, no matter what mood I was in ... it was ALWAYS a pleasure to see Elena and teach her! And I think she was the only student I had from start to finish.

Monday afternoon 4-5pm was my favourite period of time in Granada. Elena and her mama (also called Elena) would welcome me with huge smiles and warm hugs. Elena Sr would always make sure I tried some of her cooking, she gave me an umbrella for the rain, printed out info for me during Semana Santa and did her best to pass on other students to me =)

They both listened empathetically and enthusiastically as I told them stories about Australia, my family, friends and hitches I faced in Granada. They also shared their stories and ambitions with me - always with that sparkling smile and warmth =)

Semana Santa & Mimo’s visit

Note from Facebook April 2011

Friday (before Easter) - snowboarding Sierra Nevada - Awesome, no sleep!

Sat - day trip to Cordoba - awesome - no sleep

Sun - catch up on sleep in Granada - Semana Santa processions begin

Mon - Granada - chill out day

Tue - Cabo de Gata trip w Miryam - Awesome walk in full moon across a mountain cliff with the sea by our side - no sleep

Wed - La procession de los Gitanas in Granada 11pm - 6am - amazing! no sleep

Thur to Sunday of Semana Santa - Sevilla w PJ and fam - wonderful time - good sleep =)

Monday (this week) - leave Sevilla, lose mimo in Málaga, finally arrive to Granada late... stressful! little sleep

Tuesday - being a tourist in Granada, day 1 =) little sleep

Wed - being a tourist in Granada, day 2 and first attempt to buy tickets at Alhambra - little sleep

Thurs - woke up 6am to go to Alhambra, lined up from 7am, no tix, no slp, tourist in Granada again

Friday - very bad weather, day 4 of being a tourist in Granada (saw Flamenco show)

Sat / Sun - rent car, road trip to Malaga province: Antequera, Campillos, Ronda, Malaga, Pedregalejo (where Ola stayed 4yrs ago), Nerja, Frigiliana - Granada - Fantastic!!! noooo sleep!!!!

Monday - up at 4am (w only 2hrs slp) line up at alhambra by 5am ... got tickets!!! then I lost mine inside and couldnt see the Palacio Nezrias or Alcasaba =( ... still great, noooo sleep ... last day of being a tourist in Granada and last nite w mimo

Tuesday - up at 5.30am ... bus station w mimo til 8am - no more minerva =( now im home alone coz i also dont have any more housemates for a week... sleep ALL day =) Fiesta de las cruces tonight... hehehe

Final night bath in Hammam

Another major tourist attraction in Granada is the traditional Arab hammam in the city centre. A feature I could not resist and finally managed to get to on my very last night there. It was the perfect way to farewell my beloved city with gorgeous people like Amber, Lucy and Aneka. It is definitely the best hammam I've ever been to - clean, 3 pools, a massage, showers and beautifully designed to reflect the hammams of the Arab days.

We arrived for the last session at 10:30pm and stayed til just past midnight soaking in waters of varying temperatures and enjoying the 30min massage. After that we spent some time walking dreamily around the city before parting ways to our blissful sleep =)

Early the next morning I was up, backpack on and caught a taxi to the airport. My time in Granada (& España) had come to an end ... another chapter closed ... a new one to begin ...

Trips I went on

Paris and Belgium - Feb 2011 with Tony and Leah and their girls =)

Snowboarding in Sierra Nevada and trip there with Kate and her dad

Almería and Cabo de Gata – camping on the beach and full moon hike at 5am – with Miryam (Swiss)

Fiesta de Primavera – Sierra de Malaga – Canyoning weekend

Alpujarras day trip with Timo and golfie =)

Driving around Andalucía with Mimo

Sevilla – with PJ and her family - Semana Santa April 2011

Cordoba – with Timo and Miryam - day trip

Cádiz (on the way back from Portugal) - day trip with Amber

Cáceres - WOMAD with da galz (Kate, Bec, Amber and Julia)

Portugal with Amber and Brittany (& Hotel Ronda)

Reflections from Granada ...

For most of my life I’ve been someone who has a lot of energy, a lot of passion, a lot of desire, a lot of dreams / ambitions / goals / interests ... these have often translated themselves into “have tos” - eg. I have to go there, I have to do this, I have to try (whatever it is) ...

The desire was so strong that my wants became a need, a necessity – a ‘have to’.

The ‘have tos’ were so powerful, I was so driven to achieve them that all I searched for and saw were ways to do that. And there were no limits on the amounts of ‘have tos’ I created for myself.

One of my biggest ‘have to’ was about making a huge change in this world. REALLY making it a better place! Really effecting change, inspiring others and leaving a strong legacy behind. And for a silly period of time, being aware of how much ‘needed’ to be done to ‘change’ the world, i convinced myself that if I ran harder and faster along my path of change; if i carried more burdens, I could achieve more in less time (God knows I had the energy for it!). But the harder and faster that I ran and the more weight that I carried, the more aware I became of how much ‘needed’ to be changed ... and as time went by, I got weary .... then completely exhausted.

The only voice I’d ever really listened to in my head was that of this little ‘psycho’ who wanted and had to do everything! I never minded her, actually, I liked her coz she drove me to achieve a lot and to aim high and to stand out in the things I did. I got recognition for my efforts, saw outcomes and built up a great reputation as a result =) This is not a bad thing since reputation gives you power – people get to know who you are and what you can do and they want to work with you. You gain the power of ‘selectiveness’ (being choosy about what you will do, who you will do it for, how much you will earn, when, how...). This lead to more productivity so I liked it =)

HOWEVER!!!! I got tired of little “I have to” me ...

I had already been aware of this for a while before leaving Australia. Towards the end of 2008-09 I shut “little I have to” me up. I closed the door on her and turned my back. I was tired of being me, of running, of caring, of doing... exhausted!

... In the Western (modern developed) world we are obsessed with ‘doing’. We always greet each other with ‘how are you? What have you been up to? What are you doing with yourself?” We want stories, we expect them, we love those who ‘do’: the nice thing is we’re inspired by each other’s doing, which can lead to a lot of good; but we become unfamiliar with and unforgiving of ‘not doing’ – Thinking it’s purely bludging!

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Being tired of “I have to” me, having shut her down and turned my back on her, I was left with a huge vacuum. Like I said, I only ever listened to her, now that she was silenced I had no idea what to think; I had no desires, no passions, no motivation, no goals, no “have tos” – just nothing!

To many people this may sound alarming since these traits are often linked to negative mind states like depression, laziness, helplessness, etc... and funnily enough I WAS diagnosed with depression and anxiety! But the best thing I ever did was stop listening to external voices of people who were just projecting their own insecurities and “have tos” onto me – simply not understanding why or how I could not want to do anything.

So, this is a big part of the reason I decided to leave Melbourne for a long time, at the time that I did leave – because I didn’t want to do anything and I felt completely liberated by that; so at peace. No little voice telling me to go here and do that ... the only relapse I ever had was when talking to people who wanted to hear a ‘good story’ about what I was ‘doing’ or who wanted me to ‘get over it’ and get back to my previous doing. But the more time that passes and the more I roam the better I feel =)

Why am I travelling...?

Because I can, because I want to and don’t feel like I have to, nor do I feel any ‘have tos’ during my travel. I don’t have to be in any country (or anywhere) nor do I ‘have to’ do anything while I’m there ... eg. I went to Paris and didn’t want to or have to climb the Eiffel Tower.

This is why my travels have been so random, so ‘go with the flow’ – I don’t have to be anywhere or do anything. There have been numerous times when this has freaked me out – but once again, it was just that little voice asking me “what’s the point? when will you do something again?” Here I am in Granada now – living. Since the day I arrived I haven’t felt the need to do anything other than when i have to teach English to make enough money to get by. External voices still want stories, tales of adventure. They want to know what I’m doing, am I partying? Am I falling in love? Am I going on some adventure? ....

Well, life IS one big party! One big adventure – full of loving and hating; laughing and hurting ... so, am I living? YES! Is it conventional? HELL NO! Do I still want the world to be a better place? HELL YES! But I realised the only thing I ‘have to do’ for that to happen is always respect myself, respect others and respect the environment. The rest is just icing on the cake 😉

How am I? Pretty good!

I’m healthy, happy and wealthy!

I’m blessed and grateful

What have I been up to?

Nothing much! Just being =)

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