Granada!

Granada was like no city I have ever experienced before. It had a certain... mystery to it. A little bit of an edge. The city had a lot of English in it, which I didn't like- it was much more diverse than Sevilla. For learning Spanish culture, I prefer Sevilla, however, I do love my diversity. Granada a lot of Arabic influence, which I loved, everywhere there were hints of Arabic and design. They still even live in Carmens- an Arabic house with a garden within the outdoor patio walls. Nominated to be an 8th wonder of the world, La Alhambra was gorgeous. Also- every bar has free tapas with a drink order! So, for dinner, I just kept ordering drinks, and they kept bringing me little sandwiches. Food is so cheap there, we got 10 tapas for 10 euro too- and the tapas were huge... I'm talkin' 10 spring rolls (it was an option). I didn't get them, just trying to show portion sizes.The mountains in the city were so pretty, and we even did a 3 hour walking tour where we climbed them a bit! I have friends going back in two weeks to do a real hiking trip through them. Also- 3 hour walking tour in Chicago- not bad. 3 hour walking tour in Granada- so tiring. It is ALL UP HILL. Calves of steel, comin' my way. Granada was also not as biker friendly as Sevilla, which reminds me to boast that Sevilla was voted Most Biker Friendly in Spain.

The walking tour took us through several neighborhoods, and to the "miradores" of the city. These are spots that are just elevated and open for people to take photos of the scenery.

This is the winner of the annual balcony contest. The winner gets a free year of flowers, and a lot of people enter.

The tour also took us through the Gypsy caves! There were gypsies everywhere in the city, trying to sell things, and really is a culture. They all live in this neighborhood called Sacromonte in homes carved into caves. It is a quiet neighborhood, and if you go up these stairs, you get to the Bohemian caves. This is where the "hippies" live, much like a commune, where they don't have running water, don't have electricity and don't pay taxes.

The Sierra Nevada, elevation: 3,500 m above sea level (11,500 ft). They were really pretty, and we would have hiked more, but it had just rained so it was slippery. Speaking of which, I have to remember that when I leave Sevilla, I have to bring pants. It was so cold and rainy there!

The next day, we went to La Alhambra. You can only get tickets in advance, you can't go that day to buy them. It is an old fortress, built in 889 AD, and then expanded in the 11th century. It is absolutely goregous, and once again, a great example of mudejar architecture. I am making a separate post about it, considering I took like 200 pictures just there.