Student Bloggers

Parque Federico García Lorca

In this blog, I’m only going to document the days that stick out to me most—the ones that contain my favorite memories and the ones that I most want to share! After an extensive orientation, I was delighted to have an entire weekend free of tedious meetings. My first free day started with some overdue sleep, followed by a leisurely walk through Parque Federico García Lorca, a famous Spanish poet and playwright. What I have noticed about Spanish parks is that a lot of grass is not to be expected. Every Spanish park that I have visited has the same ground: dirt covered by a thin layer of tiny rocks. In this park in particular, there were tons of trails for jogs or leisurely walks, dog parks, and palm trees galore! What the photos don’t show you is how absolutely freezing it was.

Hotel Alhambra Palace and a Beautiful Sunset

The next day, my friends Corrina, Bethany, Beatriz, and I decided to make the incredibly steep, yet incredibly rewarding walk through the gorgeous neighborhood of Realejo up to Hotel Alhambra Palace. On our way up, the streets were lined with gorgeous orange trees and full of steps just steep enough to make our glutes hate us. As we reached the top, we forgot about our pain and admired the beautifully-colored houses of Granada in the golden hour. Maybe it was the beauty or the lack of breath that stopped us from going up, but either way it was a beautiful moment. Upon arriving at the hotel/palace, we could see that it certainly deserved its name. The grand size and Islamic designs were reminiscent of the castle/fortress that stood closeby, the Alhambra. The tea at the outdoor cafe was wildly overpriced, but it was apparent that we were also paying for the beautiful view that accompanied it. Looking out at Granada, the Sierra Nevada, and the coming sunset, I started to feel like this city could really be home. I decided this for sure when I found out what a Café Bon Bon was. I mean, come on, coffee and condensed milk?! Wild.

La Joven Orquesta Sinfónica de Granada

By FAR the best 6 euro I have ever spent. Corrina and Beatriz have a Spanish “brother” at their homestay who plays violin (beautifully, I might add) for the Youth Symphonic Orchestra of Granada, and they brought me along to his first concert of our semester. For a youth orchestra performance, the event seemed super formal. Seeing all the old Spanish women in their long, extravagant fur coats and the giant auditorium filling up made me more excited for the upcoming talent. I was shocked to hear what came from these young people. It sounded like any professional recording that I’ve ever heard. They played songs that I’d never heard of (but loved) and classics that my friends and I dabbed to aggressively. Opera singers also accompanied the orchestra—anyone who knows me know that I love me a good opera singer. WOW, they were excellent. Perhaps the best part of the concert came at the last song. After faking us out and coming back out on stage three or four times, the conductor got us all involved. He told us when to clap and when to stay silent, when you clap piano and when to clap fortissimo, the stage lights flashing with our claps all the while. What a wonderful night with wonderful company.