Anastasiall's Thursday July 26th, 2012

Departed from Madrid, Spain on Jul 26, 2012 8:46pm CEST. Arrived at Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain on Jul 27, 2012 5:40pm CEST.

Madrid, Spain at 8:46pm CEST.

Departed from Sevilla, Andalusia, Spain at 3:01am CEST. Arrived at Madrid, Spain at 8:46pm CEST.

Struggle to sleep, and wake up early- that's been my routine over the trip. So, still tired, Zach and I took Yet another wonderful walking tour in the up town part of the city- which just means the older part that is located on the hill. We learned that Carmen & Maria are the most popular names, and Carmen is also a vine in which streets are named after. Muslim families were judged by the kind of garden they kept, and how private their house was; women and property were treated similarly. Also, when you see 3 balls at the top of a building, it's a mosque; when you add a cross and fill the top with bells, it becomes a church.

At the top, we saw the old protective walls, churches and a few mosques, and the well known Alhambra, which we visited later. It took about 3 hours to properly see all of it. The ancient fortress & palace is vast, and beautified with many luscious gardens around the historic constructions. My favorite garden was the Jardines bajos de Generalife because of its reflection ponds, fountains, endless vines, and sweet roses. Maybe, better than the Versailles... The architecture was incredible in every one of the buildings. Each featured complex carvings, some detailed with a little color, and all of them with Arabic style and shapes. The Palacios Nazaríes was the most extravagant and unlike anything I've seen. I was not expecting all the attractive designs and muslim cultural influence in Spain, and it's definitely a sight to see.

Beautified by the surrounding mountains, Granada showed us a little of its country side when we went with a group to the waterfalls. It was actually with a guide, but there was no need for him at all. From Plaza Nueva, you walk to the bus stop to catch 183 to Monachil, then follow the trail up and through the fields toward the sound of rushing water. It was a great hike, but the sun was scorching; once we stopped for lung at a water hole I dipped right in. We passed by many climbers daring to reach the top of the rocks and walked on swinging bridges high above the water. At the larger falls, we stopped again for a swim and quick cool off under the raging pressure of the falling water. While our tour guide smoked a few joints, we all exchanged travel stories and I made friends with one of the climbers' dogs. The rock formations were outstanding and the area is definitely worth stretching your legs for. On our way back, we stopped for tapas- I got my favorite sumo de melocotón and with it came a potato & veggie tapa. We were all enjoying the conversation, when our guide suddenly stands up saying we're going to be late for the bus! And we missed it- had to catch another an hour later and figure out how to get back since our guide decided to go home. Like I said, the guide was unnecessary. Oh well.

Exhausted from the hot and adventurous day, we only went out for a couples tapas once the night hit. The sunset, by the way, isn't until 10 over here. With 3 of us and Reneé, whom we me on the tour, our tapas plates were deliciosos.

We thought our hostel in Málaga was cool, but the one on Granada is even better. It's a colorful little hang out spot called Funky Granada, and I spent all evening singing and playing guitar with a few new friends. There are street markets close by AND they have gelato in the flavor of buenos (my new favorite candy bar here)!

Day one at Funky Granada Hostel was spent satisfying my hunger for music. Rocked out with the guitar and sang some Spanish songs with this kid named Ricardo, I think. The city is one of my favorites; there are huge cathedrals with baroque towers, small streets with markets of food, spices or gypsy clothing & trinkets, and tapas restaurants everywhere. Granada is also unique for its location in the middle of the Sierra Nevada range.

Departed from Granada, Andalusia, Spain on Jul 23, 2012 10:05am CEST. Arrived at Sevilla, Andalusia, Spain on Jul 26, 2012 2:46am CEST.