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From Abroad

I am studying in the southern part of Spain. Granada is the city and what they call the province is Granada as well, the state is Andalusia. So it’s Granada, Granada, Andalusia Spain. Andalusia is well known for there specific accent. They do not pronounce the s’s or d’s in their words. It is very distinctive and very hard to understand for a beginner like me.

Andalusia also has an abundance of olive trees. They are practically everywhere, all along the countryside and highways. My mentor told me there would be a lot but I did not imagine long stretches of lands and mountains covered with them. As you could imagine olive oil and olives are very cheap here.

Granada is located at the base of the mountain range Sierra Nevada. It is amazing how close they seem. The snow is very vibrant. When I first arrived it was a little cold but now that it is hot, the mountains still look just as beautiful. You can see them from practically anywhere in the city without a building in the way!

Granada is named for the Pomegranate in Spanish. The streets are lined with little pomegranate statues everywhere. My advice is to be careful when you are walking because I tripped over a few.

Here is a picture of the statue that is centered in the middle of the city. The plaza is called Plaza Isabelle Catolica. It is depicting when Queen Isabella granted permission for Christopher Columbus to travel to what he thought was Asia. She paid out of her own money for his journey and after he “discovered America” Queen Isabella did not have to split the fortune with King Ferdinand because he had nothing to do with the journey. This is my interpretation from my Spanish tour guide! 1492 was a BIG year for Granada. Besides Columbus’s discovery the last Muslim leader surrendered control of all of Granada to the King and Queen and it was slowly converted into Christianity from Muslim beliefs.

The most amazing attraction I have seen in Granada is Al Alhambra. It is a major tourist attraction. It combines a lot of history of the city and Spain. The architecture is combined with the Moorish influence that it was originally built from and the Christian influence that came to follow. It is humongous inside and basically is indescribable? The pictures are worth more than my words.

These photos will never do it justice, this is a must see, if you are ever in any part of Spain. It would be worth traveling to Granada and spending at least a day to see the palace.

A great view of the Alhambra is from a location in Albaicin called El Mirador San Nicholas. You can see the whole palace and the summer home. It is most appreciated at sunset.

It was my birthday when I went there so I felt special and wanted to take a picture!

I still have a lot more to see in Granada, but so far so good.