Granada to London

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I arrived safely back in London late(!) Thursday night but before blogging any further I have to record all the great things about Granada before my memory fails on me. Because of the heavy Moroccon influence mixed with the Spanish culture, the city offers a lot. Not to mention, its situated right in the Sierra Nevada mountains, which were recently capped with snow! While still sunny I definitely felt the drop in temperature. Something I was not expecting considering I was in the SOUTH of Spain.

I immediatley noticed the backpacker hippies here as well, some of whom live in caves up on the hills of Granada. Cave people!! To get to my hostal I had to walk up little cobblestone alleyways lined with colouful shops selling Moroccon goods. I am sad that I didn't get a chance to go to Moroco but for now Granada has in a way satistified that thirst.

The hostal in Granada was great, probably the best one on the trip, mostly cause I met my T.O. friend Kate who I spent my last week of travels with. On our third night we discovered we had met the same gals in Barcelona who were studying in Granada. Kate and I had both meant to call them in order to catch up. So upon this bizarre coincidence we immediately contacted the girls! It was awesome catching up with them and they showed us another part of Granada that we had not seen. My fave being the plateful of churros con chocolate! YUM! The tapas experience also is enough of a reason to visit. In Granada, it comes FREE with every drink (cervesa/tinto de verano) ordered. Kate and I also went to the Alpujarras to hike all the churros/tapas off. I was under the impression that it'd be in the valley and was a little worried when the bus continued to wind itself and climb as high as it did. We were unable to find the paths to do a proper hike so we walked along the road from one village to the next village below instead. The scenery was nonetheless breathtaking.

Overall Granada was a great place to spend my last week. The Alhambra reflects the true essence of the moorish legacy and the Albaycin, a quarter of the city, with its confusing alleyways, offers the chance to explore the roots of the city. Before strapping my backpack on for one last time, Kate and I soaked ourselves in the thermal baths at the Hamman Spa and even had a massage in between. It was the prefect ending to my trip. I am back in London for the next few weeks and soon I'll be headed to crazy cold, C. CANADA!


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Photos

Alhambra
The gardens, where fountains are the central feature due to the muslim loyalty to water. Very tranquil.

Alhambra
The palace which housed muslim sultans for hundreds of years.

Granada
Sierra Nevada in the background

more graffiti
It's legal here and I think the government even subsidizes the artists.