Exploring the City!

Hey everyone!


So Thursday night was the Día de los Reyes parade. Let's just say that night was like the Christmas Eve here in Spain. It was crazy. There were literally about 100,000 people watching this parade, it was so neat. Everyone was fighting to get a tiny piece of candy, but it was quite humorous. The Día de los Reyes (Epiphany, as you may know it as) takes place on January 6, and it is a huge deal here in Spain. The day after, every single store has rebates and sales out the wazoo. It is going to be PACKED around here the next few weeks with everyone shopping and what not. Anyway, the parade was awesome, lots of cool things to look at. I'll post a few photos below.

The next day, Friday, we didn't do much because it is the national holiday for Día de los Reyes. I mostly just lounged around, and I also finally got to go on my first run since I've been here. Needless to say, it was breathtaking. I ran alongside a river that flows throughout Granada, and I was running towards the Sierra Nevada mountains. It was one of the most glorious runs I've been on, and I can't wait to be able to experience this almost every day. My señora has been making some really delicious food for me, and for dinner I think she likes to try and make something more "American" to make me feel better. We had hamburgers and french fries on Friday night. It obviously didn't taste quite like home, but it was very delicious either way (my señora is an amazing cook). She actually has a legit deep fryer, and I love smelling the aromas and hearing the cackling noises when she uses it. The french fries she makes are better than any other fries I've had. 

Anyway, Saturday (yesterday), we took a cultural visit to the Albaycin neighborhood. The Albaycin is the old Arab Quarter. It comprises approximately the area between the hill of the Alhambra, the hill of San Cristobal, the Sacromonte and Elvira.  The Albaycin is like a different world within Granada. This is due to the strong Muslim influence in this area. It was the place where the first Siri court was built in the eleventh century. We had a beautiful view of the Alhambra from the top of the Albaycin neighborhood, and it was absolutely gorgeous. I am definitely going to be visiting there again. Afterwards, we went to a small teahouse called Casa Blanca, and the owners shared a Moroccan Green Tea and some postres with us. The tea tasted pretty good, a bit to sugary, but it had a nice kick of a minty flavor in it as well. 

Today I am just relaxing as I prepare for the placement exam for the University tomorrow. Maybe I'll study a little bit (yeah right), or most likely take a walk and explore some more. Here are some photos!

 Lights!

 Parade!

 Parade!

 My room!

 View from Albaycin

 Sierra Nevada

 Mezquito

 I love this photo

 Green tea and postres