The Pomegranate City

After spending a week in Granada, I feel I am finally able to write about it and give my impression. It’s beautiful. Period.

In Spanish, the word Granada means pomegranate, so there are many decorations and such with the symbol or picture of the pomegranate. Granada is bigger than Boise, with a population of 250,000 people, and 70,000 being students, and seems like quite the bustling city. However, it is not as fast paced as Madrid, and has much more down to earth character. I can’t recall a single sidewalk that is just large slabs of cement. It is either cobblestone, tiled, or mosaics from pebbles. Also, many people here have a more bohemian style, wearing multiple patterned clothes, large ornate scarves, and pants that seem like they belong only in a traditional Turkish dance (imagine parachute pants, only not nearly as big). But there are still many girls that wear the popular European garb of leggings or tight pants and boots. Also, it is obvious that the blunt cut bangs with long hair is very popular here, as 3 out of 5 girls has their hair cut this way. Heres a main road with some funky lampposts.

I have already gotten lost in Granada many, many times. There is no such thing as horizontal and vertical streets that are sure to intersect. Granada is more like a labyrinth, and even if I am going to the same building everyday, I can never get there the same way twice. I have had class every day this week, and every day I’ve gotten lost on the way there, and found a different way back. Street names aren’t on posts at every corner, but on tiles along a building on the street, and sometimes they just aren’t there. Sometimes I will walk down a street for two blocks and turn, only to find out it is a dead end. Super frustrating when you’re running late. I am definitely getting a work out though, because from our apartment to basically anywhere, it is an uphill walk. I am usually sweating by the time I get to class, regardless of how cold it is.

Also, when walking it is wise to watch for dog poop. I suppose they don’t have any rules for cleaning up after their pets, since it is everywhere and I’ve already had the joy of slipping in a rather large pile. There’s nothing better than smelling dog shit for a 3-hour class period. However, the dogs are oddly well trained. Many people will walk down a busy street with passing cars and hundreds of people with their dog unleashed, and have absolutely no problem. The dogs never get distracted and walk away or smell something and go darting to the side. They simply stay with their owner. Also, many times you will see dogs just sitting outside of restaurant or store doors, just waiting for their owner to come back out. They aren’t leashed to a tree or lamppost, they’re just hanging out, sometimes staring longingly through the glass. Caroline is obsessed with these dogs, and will always stop to pet them. All of them are very gentle and sweet. How do the Spaniards do it?

Yesterday was one of the first days the sun came and we were able to walk around without being bundled up. When it is cloudy, it can be down to 45 degrees outside. However, when the sun is out, it is 65 degrees and you can go without a coat. I didn’t even realize for the first few days that we have an amazing view of the Sierra Nevada Mountains from within the city. It was quite shocking to look down the street and realize there were massive, majestic mountains just outside the city. It made me feel more at home, and even happier with the location and feel of the city.

Caroline had her first odd encounter with a local yesterday. We were walking to the Cathedral to do a tour, and an older man (who looked well dressed and clean) walked up to her and started speaking gibberish, definitely not Spanish. He reached for her, so she grabbed her purse. But instead of going for her purse, he went straight for her boob. Caroline was so taken aback she went to smack him, but he stepped back. She yelled, “No!” and pointed at him and he ran away. It was the most bizarre thing I have seen here yet. It was pretty traumatizing for Caroline at the time, but now we laugh about it. At least he grabbed her boob instead of stole her money.

The Cathedral however was a good distraction from the odd man. I won’t go into great detail about it, because there are so many churches we have already visited and have yet to see, and all of them are so ornate and beautiful in their own way but very alike. I will let you know though, that it took 180 years to finish this Cathedral. They had to stop during the plague because all of the workers got sick or died. It was absolutely massive and beautiful on the inside, but freezing! It had to be at least 15 degrees colder inside than outside, and by the time we left my hands were ice and my nose was runny and red. If I were to attend service there, I would need to bundle up.

After wandering around the city for a couple hours, Caroline and I finished our day at a tea house not far from where we live. I was told there are many cool tea houses in Granada, so I was excited to go to this one. The lights were all set very mellow, chairs and tables were low to the ground, sometimes only consisting of pillows. Also, they had to have had the largest selection of tea I’ve seen. I believe they had somewhere around 60 different flavors of tea, but they also had coffee, about 20 different flavors of milkshakes, and an equally large variety of fresh squeezed juices. I chose the Somalian tea, and Caroline chose Noches en Andalucia tea. Both were very good, and we decided this place is now our favorite spot. We are going back today for milkshakes! We deserve it after walking 6 miles yesterday.

As far as the food goes, Nati still makes the most amazing food. We haven’t had the same thing twice yet. We constantly tell her how much we love her food, and she in turn tells us how picky the other kids are that she feeds. She loves us, and we love her. How perfect!

Hope everyone is doing well and that I haven’t made this blog so bogged down with description that it’s boring! Sometime I will write about the nightlife here, but that deserves a blog in itself. Spaniards party like there’s no tomorrow. I will leave you with this picture of a kitty that lives in the pet store down the street. Chao!