Mi vida en Granada: The one where I go to Barcelona and Córdoba!

Well, I have officially been in Spain for over two months, and have less than two months left! Time is seriously going by so fast, and I know the rest of the semester will go by even faster because I have so much planned! The boy comes in one week, and I could not be more excited. We've already been apart for a month since I came home for Valentine's day, but I am sure this week before he arrives will be the slowest week of my life. Clayton will be here from March 22-28 and then on the 28th I leave for Dublin to be reunited with my best friends, Alex, Amy and Erica (I'm so glad Alex is spending spring break 2014 in Europe)! Then a week after that on April 3 my parents venture to Spain for 10 days! I'm so excited to be able to show them and Clayton around so they can see what my life is like here (: Mackenzie and I are still trying to plan an Italian excursion during Semana Santa, and then the program goes to Lagos, Portugal April 25-27th. Needless to say, the remaining portion of the time will be packed with amazing experiences!

Speaking of amazing experiences, I have spent the last two weekends in Spain and traveling to Barcelona and Córdoba. Barcelona honestly reminded me of Chicago or another big American city. The food and shopping there was awesome and most people spoke English. I know I would love to study abroad there but my Spanish would not improve nearly as much as it has in Granada. I also think living in Granada really immerses you into the Spanish culture while living in Barcelona would be similar to living in any other city in the US. On Friday, we walked by La Sagrada Familia and I wish the line wasn't so terribly long and entrance was free so we could have went inside. I was willing to wait and pay but was the only one, so we continued on our way to Park Güell. I remember learning about these famous sites in Spanish class in high school and it was so surreal to actually be seeing them in person. The architecture in the park by Gaudí is unlike anything I've ever seen and some things look like real life gingerbread houses. We were also able to walk in the same spot where the finale of a season of America's Next Top Model took place, we were able to recognize it!

Like I said before, the food in Barca was amazing and Friday night we ate at an awesome Italian place for dinner. On Saturday, we went to a brunch place called Travel & Cake and had the best brunch I've probably ever eaten. I wish I could have tried everything on the menu. The weather was really nice that day and we went to the beach for a while and walked around that area and went out at night to a club on the beach. On Sunday, we had to leave for the airport around 2 so decided to just have a relaxing morning and go back to the same place for brunch again because it was so good. I'm disappointed that I was not able to see nearly all that I wanted to in Barcelona and I really hope I have time to return back there, I feel like I missed so much!

Today, 03/14 a lot of the program took a trip to Córdoba which is a city about 2 hours west of Granada. It was nice to be able to see another part of the south of Spain but not have to travel too far! Sometimes I feel like I live on planes and buses. We saw the Mezquita Caterdal of Córdoba which is one of the most famous religious monuments in Europe. It was a lot bigger than I expected and absolutely gorgeous on the inside! We also walked through some ancient Arab baths which they have in Granada. I've heard only wonderful things about the baths and I want to try them out one day soon! We also walked through the jewish quarters and through beautiful patios and gardens and had a little free time after lunch to shop around. It was a good day overall, but if you're planning on traveling to Córdoba you really only need 1 day there to see everything. I definitely like Granada a lot better.

I have also started volunteering at an elementary school near my apartment teaching English every Tuesday and Thursday morning. My volunteer experiences thus far have made me so excited for my future career as a Spanish teacher and I love working with these children. They are so amused by the fact that I am from the United States and bombard me with questions my first days there. It's a wonderful opportunity to be able to share my English skills with other people but also improve my Spanish.

I can't wait for Clayton to get here next Saturday! I'm sure I'll have a lot to say about his week here, but until then, here are some pictures of Barcelona and Córdoba: