The big day finally arrived-June 2nd-when Annie, Brandt, and Mom would arrive in Granada!

Day 1-Monday, June 2nd: Mary and I woke up in the morning and walked around Granada, going into a couple shops and exploring the streets. Then it was finally time to go and meet Mom, Annie, and Brandt at the bus stop. I got SO EXCITED when the bus pulled up I sprinted across the street to meet it (while Mary was shouting after me to not get hit). We got them unloaded and took their suitcases back to the apartment before going to a cute restaurant for lunch. We ordered a couple of different things to share, and talked a lot in order to catch up on the previous 5 months. After lunch, everyone was tired so naps were in need. I went to my program office and got information we needed for the rest of the vacation. We then went to the grocery store to stock up on food since we were renting an apartment, and then made our own tapas that night that consisted of bread, cheese, and the special Spain ham and "chorizo" sausage. We sat around the table eating tapas and drinking wine together until it was time for bed. It was a great night. :)

Day 2-Tuesday, June 3rd: The next day we woke up bright and early and headed to the most exciting thing there is to see in Granada, The Alhambra! We spent the entire morning there (after figuring out how to finally print off our tickets) taking pictures, exploring the gorgeous castle, and having a fun time with each other. We ate our sandwiches we had made for lunch while we were there, and then walked back to our apartment when we were done for of course, another round of naps. :) That evening, we had reservations at a Flamenco show. We made the trek up the steep Albaicin neighborhood in order to have a fabulous dinner and show to watch. Everyone liked the show and we enjoyed cheering the performers on while experiencing one of the biggest parts of southern Spain's culture. After the show, I took them to a bar that overlooks the Alhambra lit up at night. It really is a site to see! Then we went back to our apartment and crashed for the evening.

Day 3-Wednesday, June 4th: Wednesday morning we woke up and walked to the car rental place in Granada. After picking out a cute but spacious Kia, we loaded up and headed toward a small town called Ronda. Ronda was beautiful! All of the houses, shops, and buildings were white washed with cute winding streets. The best part was a huge Roman style bridge that was original and still used by cars and pedestrians today. Standing on the bridge was a gorgeous lookout where you could see the big rivine and rolling hills and mountains in the distance. We enjoyed some ice cream and took lots of pictures while we walked around. After a couple of hours there, we got back in the car and made our way to the southern coast of Spain. We drove along the coast, and even stopped at one of my favorite beaches (Nerja) that evening. The four of them loved it as much as I did, but Brandt was the only one brave enough to swim in the cold water. Mom got in too, but that was an accident on her part on account of she didn't know the wave was going to go over her head. :) After the beach, we called it a day and drove back to Granada. We all greatly appreciated Brandt's awesome driving skills and patience!

Day 4-Thursday, June 5th: Thursday was the day of exploring Granada. We slept in, ate breakfast, and then headed out for the day. We went to a teteria which is a Moroccan style tea house where we had wonderful tea and crapes. We then went to Mirador de San Nicolas which is a lookout that you have a perfect view of the Alhambra from. Gypsies sell jewelry and paintings there, and normally a guitarrist or someone playing the accordian is there for entertainment. Of course after lots of pictures, we headed back down to the city center to get out of the heat. We walked through my favorite Plaza (Bib Rambla) and also by the cathedral and the old carbon market. Then we decided to get tapas while we waited for our ride that would take us to our Olive Oil Tour we had planned.

Next came the Olive Oil Tour. It was one of my favorite parts of the entire vacation. We got to learn about different olive trees, see how they grow and how they are farmed. We also got to see an old mill that they used to use to process the olives and make the olive oil. The methods were really cool and interesting! Afterward, we got to taste different types of olive oil with bread, cheese, and ham, and then even had a wine tasting to follow! It was a great time. :) That night, I took them to two of my favorite tapa bars in Granada. They enjoyed both of them so that means I chose well! :) Then Annie, Mary, Brandt and I went to a couple more of my favorite bars and I got to let them experience the night life of Granada, which of course ended in buying and eating Shawarma. :) We finally turned in around 3:30 and tried our best to not wake Mom up when we got home, which most definitely was a fail. Sorry, Mom!

Day 5-Friday, June 6th: Friday morning we got to do my favorite hike in Granada. It is in the Sierra Nevada, and it is past the Alhambra in the beautiful scenery. After getting the four of us kind of lost, it turned out to be a great hike! (Apparently I never paid attention when I went with my friends..haha). The bad thing was we got to the top of the hike, and there was no water to be found! We didn't stay at the top long because we were already dehydrated, and decided it was a good idea to go back down before we all passed out from the heat..my bad! On the way back down we got some delicous fruit smoothies and then went to the apartment to take a nap. That night, we went to the same tapa bar for dinner (Bella y la Bestia aka The Beauty and the Beast). Their food is seriously the best. Then we went to bed since Annie and Brandt had a day of traveling the next day.

Day 6-Saturday, June 7th: Satuday morning Mom made us all a fabulous breakfast of eggs and toast. Then Mary and I walked Annie and Brandt to the bus stop since they left for Palma that day (the place in Spain where Annie had studied abroad in college). Afterward, Mom, Mary, and I paid a visit to my host mom, Maribel, so I could get some of the things that I had left at her apartment. We talked with her for quite a while and I got to show them my apartment. We planned a day that we would meet up agian together so that I could say goodbye to Maribel. We then went to the grocery store for the week and then Mom made us dinner in the apartment. It was SO GOOD! We had pork, salad, and asparagus. Yum. :)

Day 7-Sunday, June 8th: Sunday morning Mom, Mary, and I slept in. It was just lovely. We hung out in the apartment together talking for a while, and then we went to the cathedral to look around inside. Mom and Mary both really liked it, so I was happy. Afterward, we went to an Irish bar that I knew served brunch on Sundays (I think this was Mary's favorite part of the trip) and we took our time eating the tasty meal. :) We hung out the rest of the day togheter, and then at night we cooked dinner in the aprartment again. Mom and I walked along the river that evening, while Mary went for a run. Walking along the river is one of the prettiest sites to enjoy in Granada, so I was happy Mom got to see it with me. :)

Day 8-Monday, June 9th: BEACH DAY! Mom, Mary, and I packed up our beach things, made andwiches, and then went to the bus station in order to go to the beach that is only about an hour away from Granada. We spent the entire day relaxing in the sun, enoying the chilly water, and hanging out together. We went to an outdoor cafe halway through in order to avoid the worst of the sun, and spent time chatting in the shade of the umbrella. By the time we made it back to Granada, we were pretty exhausted, so we ate dinner and went to bed.

Day 9-Tuesday, June 10th: Mom, Mary, and I took the day to walk down the made road in Granada: Gran Via. It is a beautiful walkway with statues and flowers lining the whole thing. On the way, we saw Plaza de Torros (which is the bull fighting ring) and also my favorite Monestary. Moma and Mary also thought the Monestary was beautiful. On the way back, we did some shopping where I finally finished buying all of my souveniers! Later that evening, Mary and I went and got tapas with some of my Spanish friends at one of our favorite places. :)

Day 10-Wedensday, June 11th: Wednesday we a relaxing day around Granada. The three of us did some shopping for some fun "Spanish" clothes to bring back to the states. In the afternoon, we met with Maribel again at an outdoor cafe downtown. We all had ice cream and enjoyed the beautiful weather while spending time together. It unfortunately ended with a horribly sad goodbye to my host mom. We were both trying really hard not to cry (since we had already both done that when I moved out of the apartment) and we had our final hugs. I already miss her so much! I truly could not have been happier spending the semseter living with her-she treated me like I was her own daughter and went out of her way to help me and make sure I was comfortable and happy.

Day 11-Thursday, June 12th: BEACH DAY #2! Mom, Mary, and I hopped on a bus once again and took the hour ride to Almuñecar beach (I had not been to this beach before). And oh my gosh was it beautiful! We decided to splurge and spend the 12 euros it would take to rent the beach chairs under the tiki huts for the day, and man oh man it was quite lovely. :) The beach was our favorite one we had seen in Spain. The weather was perfect with a breeze and the water was very calm-perfect for swimming and floating! (PS floating is super easy to do in the salty Meditterranean..lol) After lots of pictures, we headed back to Granada in the evening.

Day 12-Friday, June 13th: Our last full day in Granada had come so quickly, we couldn't believe it! Mary, Mom, and I went to a cafe to check in for our next day flight and then hung out around the city. I took them to my favorite park that is filled with trees and flowers and fountains and people enjoying the lovely weather. We then finished packing (which sounds a lot easier than it really was! Stupid luggage restrictions...) That night we went to a tapa bar to watch Spain play in the World Cup game. My Spanish friends met us there and we all watched Spain get beat by the Netherlands (this was very unfortunate). Then I had to say goodbye to my friends (more pictures, and lots more tears). The walk back to the apartment was sad considering it was the last time I was seeing Granada and I had just said goodbye to some of the most genuine and coolest people I had ever met, and would soon be living across the ocean from. However, Mom and Mary made me happy and we enjoyed some wine together at the apartment. :)

Day 13-Saturday, June 14th: 5:30am came really quick and we were packing our luggage into the taxi outside our apartment to head to the airport. We made our 7:30am flight to Madrid perfectly with no trouble, and then I parted from Mary and Mom to go catch my flight to DC (they went straight to Chicago). Did I mention my flight was with a completely different airline?? This meant getting my luggage, getting on a bus to a different terminal, checking my luggage once again, then to make it to my gate (pretty sweaty at this point) to find out it is delayed an hour and a half. I started freaking out because I only had an hour and 45 minute layover in DC before my flight to Chicago. LOVELY! After the flight got delayed an additional hour, I accepted the fact I would miss my connecting flight in the US. I finally made it to DC after hanigng out in the airport and then the 8 hour plane ride where I watched two movies, some episodes of Big Bang Theory, and read most of the second hunger games book. Then more hanging out in the airport, going through a ton of security every 10 yards (Which would be expected in Washington DC airport), waiting in customs line for an hour, and getting by on one cliff bar for about 5 hours, I was finally boarding my flight to Chicago! Before I knew it I was reunited with the fam in the hotel room in Chicago, extremely exhausted. After a cozy night of sleeping (and waking up at 2am..time change problems..) we were on the road to Independence. 4 hours later-HOME SWEET HOME. :)

I couldn't have asked for a better semester. I will never forget my experiences and the memories I made with the people who I truly believe will be my lifelong friends. Hasta siempre España! Until next time.. :)