We concluded our school excursion on Friday by seeing La Capilla Real in Granada. This is the Royal Chapel of the Catholic Kings. King Fernando and Queen Isabella started constructing this Gothic chapel in 1504 after they finished their reconquest as a symbol of Christianity over all other religions. I thought it was really cool and interesting. I was most intrigued when I found out that the corpses of Isabelle and Fernando, Juana (Isabelle's daughter) and her husband Philipe, and a young boy (5 total) are underground in the chapel. We could actually walk down a few steps to see the caskets through a glass window!! It was crazy to me because we always bury the dead and they are "below us"-we never see the casket again once it's in the ground-...but in this case we were able to be "on the same level" with the dead.
After this, we had the option of returning to Madrid with the group on the bus, or staying longer for the weekend. I planned to stay with 6 other girls: Delia, Devin, Kendra, Helen, Olivia, and Molly. I knew Kendra, Helen, Olivia, and Molly prior to Madrid, but not super well, and I just met Delia and Devin this semester in Spain but they are all awesome! I was excited to mix it up and enjoy Granada with new friends. We all looked forward to having more time there to relax/take our time and do whatever we wanted.
First, we found our hostel. This was my first time staying in a hostel, and to be honest, I was not exactly sure what to expect, but it was great! Helen found this really cool one called "Oasis Backpackers' Inn" in her travel book that I highly recommend (the company has hostels in many different cities throughout Europe). This one had a pretty atrium in the middle and an area 
downstairs with couches and 3 computers with free internet. As part of check in, you get a "welcome drink" ticket for their small bar. Every night they have "dinner parties" where you can eat the dish they make that night for really cheap (4 Euro) and mingle with the other travelers. They also provided a modest breakfast (toast, cereal, tea, and coffee) in the community kitchen downstairs where you're kind of forced to mingle. Oasis Backpackers was really community oriented, and I think in general you meet people from so many different places when you stay in a hostel. One of our "roommates" (for those of you who don't know, a hostel is kind of like camp. You share a room with both friends and strangers. Our room had 6 bunk beds.. so 12 beds/people total in the room and bathroom) was an older man from Finland. Another was a teacher from England who was super nice! He was reading The Time Traveller's wife, which was a conversation starter for him and Kendra. They realized that they love all the same books! When we were checking out on Sunday, he said he finished the book and one of us should take it since it will take up too much room in his bag. So I took it! :) In exchange, we informed him about our leftover alcoholic beverage that we left in the room and said he should drink it. He said he would probably drink it with some friends that night! A pretty epic exchange if you ask me: The Time Traveler's Wife for half a handle of Smirnoff.
downstairs with couches and 3 computers with free internet. As part of check in, you get a "welcome drink" ticket for their small bar. Every night they have "dinner parties" where you can eat the dish they make that night for really cheap (4 Euro) and mingle with the other travelers. They also provided a modest breakfast (toast, cereal, tea, and coffee) in the community kitchen downstairs where you're kind of forced to mingle. Oasis Backpackers was really community oriented, and I think in general you meet people from so many different places when you stay in a hostel. One of our "roommates" (for those of you who don't know, a hostel is kind of like camp. You share a room with both friends and strangers. Our room had 6 bunk beds.. so 12 beds/people total in the room and bathroom) was an older man from Finland. Another was a teacher from England who was super nice! He was reading The Time Traveller's wife, which was a conversation starter for him and Kendra. They realized that they love all the same books! When we were checking out on Sunday, he said he finished the book and one of us should take it since it will take up too much room in his bag. So I took it! :) In exchange, we informed him about our leftover alcoholic beverage that we left in the room and said he should drink it. He said he would probably drink it with some friends that night! A pretty epic exchange if you ask me: The Time Traveler's Wife for half a handle of Smirnoff. We met a lot of Americans in the hostel as well. There were a lot of students from UC schools studying in a program in Córdoba. We also met a San Diego state graduate who couldn't believe we're from USD! It really is a small world. He has been travelling for a year all around the world. He seemed really interesting and said that he loves it so much that he hopes to be some kind of tour guide when he returns to the States. He is also keeing a blog about his travels. It's really cool meeting people who love to travel because you know they are open-minded and willing to try new things & meet new people.
Back to the Friday festivities:
After checking in, we explored the area nearby. There were a lot of Moroccan shops on the road nearby our hostel. There was a lot of Moroccan influence in Granada, which was cool to see since I'm not going to Morroco. Bright tapestries, bracelets, hookah pipes, bags, trinkets, etc. filled most of the gift shops in Granada.
We proceeded to find a bar to get afternoon drinks and tapas. Helen, again, gets points because she found this cool place called "Riviera" in her book that we loved. We all got sangria and got to 
choose a few free tapas to go with each round of drinks. (Granada is famous for providing free tapas/appetizer food when you buy a drink at almost any bar). Some of the plates we shared include salad, croquetas, french fries, and some kind of ham sandwich. We had a great time this afternoon and all just seemed so happy. And that was before the waiter brought us free shots at the end that tasted like butterscotch!
choose a few free tapas to go with each round of drinks. (Granada is famous for providing free tapas/appetizer food when you buy a drink at almost any bar). Some of the plates we shared include salad, croquetas, french fries, and some kind of ham sandwich. We had a great time this afternoon and all just seemed so happy. And that was before the waiter brought us free shots at the end that tasted like butterscotch! After the Riviera, we went back to the hostel and took a nice siesta. We took part in the dinner party that night, which consisted of seafood paella, and met some other American travellers.
After dinner, all of us "Granada Girls" (someone in the group dubbed us that immediately when our weekend began) went back up to the room and played cards and got to know each other better. It was so fun; I felt like I was back in 8th grade sleepover days!
Then we got ready and went to this AWESOME nightclub called Mae West. I've been to my fair share of clubs in Madrid, but as far as the club itself, Mae West is the coolest I have seen. It was big, with about 3 floors. The decor inside was really classy and they had music video screens! They played good music, including MY JAM right now- "When Love Takes Over" by DJ David Guletta feat. Kelly Rowland. I'm pretty sure I've heard it everytime I've gone to a discoteca so far.
Saturday, October 3rd
The next morning started off a little slow for me, but we did some sightseeing later in the afternoon. We walked to another area of Granada and went in some shops, took pictures, e
tc. Delia, Olivia, and I took a long walk and found a beautiful area with a stream and great views. We also came across the place that we saw the Flamenco show with the group from school on Thursday night.
tc. Delia, Olivia, and I took a long walk and found a beautiful area with a stream and great views. We also came across the place that we saw the Flamenco show with the group from school on Thursday night. Delia and I looked around in shops and split a cheese pizza for dinner.
We all decided to have a more low key night, so we just went to a bar for a little while. I only ordered a Coke and got an amazing individual free tapa: ham and cheese sandwich grilled kind of like a panini and french fries with different sauces!! So I only paid 2 Euros for the Coke and that 'mini-meal.' Definitely one of my favorite things about Granada.
Sunday, October 4th marked the end of our weekend and the end of a 6 day total trip in Southern Spain. We took the ALSA bus back to Madrid and I was impressed wi
th how nice it was! It was very comfortable and cheap. The bus ride was about 5 hours, which is really just like a drive from Las Vegas to San Diego.
th how nice it was! It was very comfortable and cheap. The bus ride was about 5 hours, which is really just like a drive from Las Vegas to San Diego. Overall, this independent "Granada Girls" trip went very smoothly. Many thanks to Kendra and Helen, who were the bold planning leaders! This weekend-in beautiful Granada bonding with new friends-was one of the most fun weekends I have ever had.
Click
http://picasaweb.google.com/NicoleDeFelice.usdtv/Andalucia# to see all of the photos from the entire Andalucia trip.
Click
http://picasaweb.google.com/NicoleDeFelice.usdtv/Andalucia# to see all of the photos from the entire Andalucia trip.
ummm LOVING YOU RIGHT NOW.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with the last sentence.
Thank you so much for writing this and documenting our amazing adventure :)