Perdí Mi Piedra

Something about me that you should understand: I have a very strong sense of adventure. I think it started when I was little. I was influenced by the TV shows that I watched where the characters would find secret passageways or stumble across magic doorways - stuff like that. I was always on the lookout for a clue that would lead me to some secret, magical place, so I liked to explore. I still do, and I really like being outside and seeing new things (which can be difficult because I really hate bugs and dirt). So since I arrived in Spain, I have had this urge to climb a mountain. Not a snow capped mountain, but one of those hills that's so big that it isn't quite a hill but doesn't really qualify as a mountain. You'll see what I mean.

I haven't posted in a while because I was waiting until I really had something worthwhile to write about. And now I finally do: Granada was the most amazing, beautiful, wonderful place that I have ever seen. Let's start from the very beginning.

We planned our trip to Granada a couple of weeks ago. Everything was all set. But the night before we were supposed to leave, I got an e-mail from our hostel saying that they had overbooked but would help us look for a new one. This guy named Nick who worked at the front desk helped us out and found us a place that was comparable in price. It was just somewhere to sleep anyways, so what did it matter?

We left Madrid (en autobús) at 1:30 a.m. on Saturday, figuring that we could sleep on the five hour bus ride rather than pay for a room. I was seated next to a young español, maybe 26 years old. He was jittery and smelled like cigarettes. Qué guay. He kept squirming around patting his pockets and kept checking his bag for something. Eventually, he told me that he couldn't find his cell phone and asked nicely if I wouldn't mind calling it for him. Of course I obliged, but to no avail. We couldn't find it. So now this guy was convinced that his phone was really gone, and his anxiety was preventing me from falling asleep. I was about ready to reach over and give him a neck rub if it would have helped him settle down.

Eventually, I was able to get some shut eye for a couple of hours until the bus stopped at a rest area. I got out to stretch my legs and returned to find that jitterbug was missing from his seat. What I also found was his cell phone, ringing, wedged between his chair and the window. Hooray. Is it impolite to answer someone else's cell phone? I wasn't sure, so I grabbed it and went looking for him. What an angel I am. I found him and returned his cell, then went back to the bus to sleep (only to be awoken ten minutes later when he returned, reeking of cigarette smoke). Did you know that one in four Spaniards smoke? Apparently all the cool kids are doing it. Nasty.

We arrived in Granada at 6:30 in the morning and headed straight for our hostel. Let me tell you something - whoever was in charge of city planning back when Granada was being built must have had some serious issues. I mean the city itself isn't that big, but the roads have no logical pattern and are a total pain to navigate. Not important, though. So after about twenty minutes, we arrived at our hostel (with the help of a friendly garbage man). This would have been great, except the place wasn't open: Lights off, doors chained, and not a soul in sight. I didn't even have the phone number because Nick set everything up for us. Oops.

We decided to bring our luggage with us to La Alhambra, and arrived just in time to make our 8:30 entrance. For those of you who don't know, La Alhambra is a really famous monastery (I think) in Spain. I've been learning about it for the past few semesters, but somehow the details about it aren't coming to mind at the moment. In any case, it's an enormous building with beautiful Arabic architecture. Being the main attraction in Granada, we were really excited to see it.

Courtyard

Muy Preciosa, ¿No?

Hay muchas palmeras en España.

Aladdin?

I think I would have enjoyed my visit a lot more if it hadn't been so cold (I use the word loosely, it was probably in the 40s). It's really difficult to deal with the weather here because everywhere we go would be "so much better" if it were summer. But since we went so early (people in Spain don't typically wake up until 10 or so), it wasn't very crowded so I was able to get most of my pictures without mobs of people in the foreground.

I'm astounded that people actually built these places hundreds of years ago. The sheer size of it all, along with the gorgeous architectural detailing, is enough to make your jaw drop. It just boggles my mind that people were able to construct such masterpieces with little more than ropes and pulleys. That being said, the buildings seem to be set up so that you can look outside at everything around them. Of course the Alhambra had its courtyards and gardens, but being on the inside really lent itself to looking outward at the amazing view.

Right next to El Alhambra lies the Generalife (which I have also learned about extensively, but why bore you with the facts?).

View From El Alhambra

Doesn't this look like a painting rather than a window?

Generalife

Afterwards we went back to our hostel to take a siesta. The place was really nice: we were set up in a 6-bed apartment, complete with a kitchenette and a private bathroom. We had intended to go to a flamenco show that evening but instead opted to wander the streets of Granada to look for something more low-key. We met a guy named David, who introduced us to his friends and showed us around. He was really nice and eager to talk with us, which is kind of a rarity. The thing is that Spaniards (like most other Europeans) don't particularly like Americans, especially Americans who don't speak Spanish fluently. When we do meet someone who has the patience to converse with us, it's like Christmas morning (especially if that someone happens to be tall, dark, and handsome).

Stereotype much?

View From Our Hostel

Sunday was much warmer, and we decided to wander aimlessly (más o menos) around the city rather than try to get to every monument or tourist attraction in Granada. I feel a little guilty because there were lots of things that we probably should have seen that we didn't. But wandering around was so much fun, so I don't feel that bad. David had told us that if we really wanted to appreciate our stay, we had to go through a neighborhood called El Albayzín. Its built on the side of the mountain that we wanted to climb, and it was so precious - exactly what you would expect a small town in Spain to look like. There were crowded little houses on winding streets, a little difficult to navigate but absolutely gorgeous. So as we're walking we randomly happened upon the hostel where we were supposed be. It was adorable and had the most amazing view. I'm so bummed we didn't get to stay there, but we ended up going inside and meeting Nick and this man named Jamie from Australia, who were super friendly and nice (they even invited us to come back later in the Spring, which I'm definitely doing to do). I was asking Jamie about why he came to Spain (he has lived here now for ten years) and his thoughtful response was, "Well. I figured I might like Spain. So I came here to live, and I liked it." Spoken like a true español.

♥

Abandonado 

Walking through El Albayzín brought us pretty far up the mountain, but we eventually found ourselves walking on dirt paths leading to the top. It was so perfect. As we were walking, we noticed that there were bits of ceramic mixed in with the rocks along the paths, so some of us started picking up the pretty ones. That's when I found my best souvenier yet- a broken piece of stone with "ESPAÑA 89" engraved into it. You can't buy stuff like that in stores. It was seriously so cool...

(pause for dramatic effect)

...but I lost it. Yeah. Somewhere along the hike I managed to drop it, and no matter how hard I looked I couldn't find it again. I concluded that it must have been an unlucky rock, or had a curse, or some other explanation as to why I'm better off without it. ¿Estáis de acuerdo?

At this point, I was totally satisfied with how the day had been going (aside from the rock thing), but it actually got better because we found some gypsies. Yes - living, breathing gypsy hippies residing in the caves on the mountain. I couldn't believe it! We talked to a couple of them and they seemed happy as clams to be away from civilization. Honestly, it didn't seem like a bad set up. They wake up in the morning, watch the sun rise, relax and play music until the sun goes down. Who needs running water when you're living on a mountain in Spain?

Photo Credit: Lauren Acree

Gypsy House

Gypsy Meditating

Far Away

Up Close

On Top of the World

Two more things I feel I need to mention:
1. Music: While in Granada, we heard Shania Twain's "Man I Feel Like a Woman" played not once but twice. It really took me back to third grade. Happy times.
2. Graffiti: I said in a previous post that the graffiti here doesn't bother me because it seems like it's supposed to be there. Well in Granada, I wouldn't even call it graffiti - it's more like street art. I think I like it so much because it really has meaning, and the anonymity makes it even more intriguing. Mona who? This is real art, if you ask me.

Houses without people. People without homes.  Streets that talk.

Friends for Life

Los españoles me hablan. Estoy segura que que un día, viviré en Granada.

Hay Pavos Reales en el Campo

Okay, so we missed the biggest snowstorm of the decade. Sort of disappointing, but I'm coping with it. It's about 60 degrees here today (I think I even got a freckle or two), which is a lot more satisfying than a snow day. Take that, Milwaukee.

We don't have class on Wednesdays, so a bunch of us decided to take advantage of our free day this week. We went to El Escorial, which is a monastery in the mountains about an hour outside of Madrid. I had learned about this place in my cultures class last semester, so I was really excited to go. It totally surpassed my expectations. The whole thing was absolutely gorgeous, including the village that surrounded it. Inside was more like a museum, with original paintings, furniture, and deceased royalty throughout. Yes, dead bodies - royal dead bodies - rest inside El Escorial in the Royal Pantheon. It was creepy in a way but more interesting than anything.

What wasn't interesting were the two spiders that attacked me during our visit. I'd rather not elaborate - the memories are too painful.

The view from El Escorial was amazing. No tengo palabras para describirlo, so I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves.

El Escorial

Inside

Village

I'm very intrigued by Madrid in general because of how well the city is integrated with green things. There are countless parks and gardens here in the city, all mixed together in a way that I never could have imagined. Éste lugar es lo más bonito del mundo.

Today on my way home from school, I finally made it into the other park by my piso (which conveniently has a name - El Campo del Moro). The fence blocked out almost all of the noise from the street, so walking through it was very serene and relaxing. Pienso que es mi nuevo lugar favorito en Madrid.

Did I mention the peacocks? No, I don't think I did. I literally stumbled across a family of peacocks while walking through el Campo. Not in a cage, not like a petting zoo. They were just walking around like they owned the place. I was totally shocked. As I stood there staring at them, I kept saying out loud to myself, "Oh my god, I can't believe this." I even got a little bit scared because the big one (I think it was a male) was quivering and fluffing its feathers. I knew this meant that he was either getting ready to mate or getting ready to attack, but I couldn't remember which. Either way, I didn't want to find out. I waited by a bush until I saw a woman and her toddler approaching the scene. I figured the peacocks were more likely to attack the kid than me, so when they passed by without a problem I continued on my way. I'm still in shock, though, that there are wild peacocks in Madrid. That is something that I was definitely not expecting.

Scary

How lucky am I? Honestly, this whole thing is like a dream. I am still adjusting to the fact that I'm going to be in Europe for the next few months, but school starting has unfortunately helped bring me back to reality. There have definitely been some good days and bad, but I am thankful for every moment that I have had here. There is some pressure to make sure that I see everything worth seeing and go everywhere worth going, but I have a sense that I can turn any experience into something worthwhile, given the right mindset.

Estoy feliz.

París Hacía Mucho Frío

Let's start from the very beginning. On Thursday evening, we arrived in Paris at about 10:30 p.m. I thought the Charles de Gaulle airport was very strange because there was nobody there, and most of the lights were off. Like, the only people there were maintenance men. Wha? It was like being in a school after-hours or something - I thought airports never closed down, but I guess I was wrong. Lucky for us, the train leaving the airport stopped running just as we were about to buy our tickets, so instead we paid 50 euros for a taxi to take us to our hotel. Me moleste París.

We decided to stay in a hotel rather than a hostel for three reasons: 1. Hostels are ridden with bedbugs (and we all know how I feel about insects). 2. Our hotel was in a great location, and wasn't that much more expensive than a hostel. 3. We thought a hotel would be safer than a hostel.

I roomed with Vanessa and Hanna. It was special. (Note: Just to clarify, I have two friends here with the same name: Hanna and Hannah. You can tell who is who by the extra "h," or lack thereof.)

Vanessa, Hanna, and the Ceiling

Vanessa With Our Decorations

Hanna Dancing

After we dropped our luggage at our hotel, we ventured out to find some crêpes. We found a place less than a block away that was pretty cheap. The crêpes are made fresh right when you order them, and they were so good! I got mine with banana and Nutella, which is a chocolate-hazelnut spread (and it's apparently available in the States, but I had never tried it before). I got one every day. They were so good.

Our hotel actually ended up being really nice, and it was right next to the Cathédrale Notre-Dame, which was absolutely beautiful. It was our first stop on Friday morning, and it was by far my favorite thing in París - the most beautiful church I have ever seen. I told my mom that I would go to mass every weekend if we lived in Europe because the churches here are so wonderful (but I would probably spend all my time looking around at the art, not paying attention). We paid 5 euros to walk up through the bell tower, which was well worth the money because I learned that Quasimodo was REAL. Well, he wasn't real per sé, but the legend is real. I thought the whole thing was made up by Disney, but I'm so happy to know that they didn't make it up, they just commercialized it.

Inside

Main Altar

View From the Top

Gargoyles

Hanna as Quasimodo

Kara . Andrew . Me . Vanessa . Hannah . Ryan . Hanna . Carolyn . Lambchop

Our next stop was the Pantheon. Estaba muy grande. I'm going to be honest: I don't even know what the Pantheon is, (other than an important landmark) but it was still really fun to see. Today when I was talking to Blair about my trip, I told her all the places I went in París. Then she tells me that the Pantheon is in Rome. So then I was really confused, because I know that I was at the Pantheon two days ago - I even have a pamphlet to prove it. But I still doubted myself, and I couldn't prove it to her because I don't even know what the thing is. But after a quick Google search, I learned that there are two Pantheons - one in París and one in Rome. So redundant, so unnecessary.

See, Blair? I told you!

Then we went to the Jardin du Luxembourg. It was kind of disappointing because everything was dead, but the statues were the bee's knees. 

Ryan . Kara . Hannah . Lamia

Queen Poonawalla

Palace

¡Chachi qué sí!

Then we got to see something really exciting: La Iglesia de Saint-Sulpice. It's one of the churches in the Da Vinci Code. Though much smaller than Notre Dame, it was still very big, very ornate, and very beautiful.

Beautiful fountain outside of the church.

This was my favorite part.

This was behind the main altar.

On the way to the Louvre we stopped at a small pastry shop where I got a hazelnut-praline macaroon. Though our relationship was short-lived, I will never forget all the fun we had while I ate it. Bon appétit. The Louvre itself was really amazing. I don't think I've ever been so amazed at a building in my entire life (and again, that whole Da Vinci Code thing gave it a little more 'oomph'). I got to see the Mona Lisa, which was slightly anti-climactic. I mean I have been seeing this painting my entire life in movies, books, posters, or wherever. I just don't really get it. I mean it was really fun to see and everything, but it didn't move me the way that some art moves me, and it didn't really make me think. What I really liked seeing was the Code of Hammurabi. I remember learning about it in sixth grade, when we learned about Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt. This was one of the only times in school that I actually thought History was interesting, so being able to see some of the artifacts from this time period was really my favorite part about the museum.

Venus de Milo

La Victoire de Samothrace

Some chick.

The Menu of Tepemankh

The Code of Hammurabi

I really wanted to touch it. 

Lion

By this time of the day, we were all getting pretty tired. You know that I've-been-walking-all-day-and-I-just-want-to-close-my-eyes kind of feeling. But did that stop us? No! We had one more place to go: Montparnasse. Montparnasse is a sky scraper in París that offers a panoramic view of París, supposedly the best view in the city. So we walked there, just in time to see the Eiffel Tower glittering. That's something I didn't know about París. The Eiffel Tower twinkles for the first two minutes of every hour. We really wanted to see this from the top of the building, and we made it just in time. After about ten minutes looking around at the skyline, we discovered that we could go up on top of the building to look at everything. Literally. The tippy-top. It was the coolest (and coldest) thing ever. I don't think they let you do this kind of stuff in the States.

Twinkle Twinkle

Ferris Wheel

View from the Tippy Top

Everybody on the Tippy Top

So that was Friday. We did a lot, don't you think? My legs were so sore. But that didn't stop be from being excited for Saturday. First stop: Eiffel Tower. We would have gotten there muy pronto, but we were slightly delayed at breakfast because a bird pooped on Hannah's head. And guess who got to help her clean it off? Such a good friend am I. So it took us a while to get to the Tower. But once we did... confusion set in. Again. The Eiffel Tower is... brown? Brown? Poop is brown. The Eiffel Tower was supposed to be black, and chic! But no, it was brown. Which was fine, I got over it. But I're pretty sure that Kara was devastated because she thought that it was gold. I wish I was joking, but I'm not. She really thought it was gold. My favorite part about going to see the Eiffel Tower was the carousal (you'll see what I mean).

Brown... Like the Dead Trees

What is that hunk of metal behind that beautiful young woman?

Wee

The Eiffel Tower is a lot cooler from far away.

By this time of day, we were really tired and really cold. Who knew París would be so freezing. Before I left, Julia warned me that it would be muy frío. But she tells me that every day in Madrid, and when I go outside it's balmy, so I never believe her. I should have believed her about the París though because it really was painfully cold. I digress. We made our way to the Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile. For whatever reason, I didn't realize that this was not only a statue, but a statue that you can climb! What a fun surprise. So after about three hundred stairs, we got to the tippy top of the Arc. The view was fantastic, more of a view of the layout of the city than anything.

Parade of Old Cars

Muchas Escaleras

If you look closely, you can see the ferris wheel.

I wish it had been sunny.

Lamia . Me . Kara . Ryan

And last, but not least, was the Moulin Rouge. I was very intent on seeing it because I love the movie so much. By this time we were really losing steam, and had walked past a countless number of sex shops, but it was worth it.

Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?

We decided to sleep in the airport last night since our flight was so early. It was very college-student of us, and I'm happy I did it even though it was arguably the most uncomfortable night of my life.

Photo Credit: Lamia

There is one more thing I must mention before I end this post. I decided not to bring Whitey to París conmigo. I know, I know. You're shocked, I'm sure. But I was too nervous that I would lose him, or that he would get a bedbug. I couldn't risk it. Instead, he stayed here in Madrid with Blackey for the long weekend, getting much needed rest.

Waiting for Mom

♥