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Las Alpujarras & La Herradura
Over the course of a week, I trekked from some of the highest elevations in Granada to some of the lowest.
Alpujarras
There are a series of small pueblos in the mountains about an hour outside of the city in Granada. The area is known as Alpujarras and our group took a curvy bus ride up this hillside and spent the majority of the day hiking back down. See my photo album for some beautiful vistas! One aspect that stood out to me was the smell. When we began to hike, I turned to my friend and said, "Do you smell that? Something smells so sweet!" Then I realized that was just the smell of fresh air. I had forgotten what fresh air smelled like! It was about time I got out of the city. We carefully climbed our way down dry creek beds, ascended rocky paths lined with evergreens, and stopped in some of the villages along the way. Overall a very enjoyable and heart-healthy experience.
La Herradura
It has finally warmed up enough to enjoy a relaxing day at the beach, which is exactly what my friends and I did. Originally, we wanted to get an apartment, but when our plans fell through, we settled for a long day lying on the sand instead. And it was so easy! We went to the bus station, bought a ticket to La Herradura, and rode the bus for an hour and a half. The bus dropped us off, we walked maybe 100 feet, and there it was! The Mediterranean. Joey brought a frisbee, Andrew a beach ball, others brought snacks, and I of course brought the sunscreen. Once the sun began to set and goosebumps appeared on my arms, we walked back to where we were dropped off. We hopped on the bus, arrived at the bus station, and walked back to our apartments. Splendid!
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Shout outs of today's blog go to:
Savta: For lunch today I ate delicious lasagna made by my host mom, Eloisa. It reminded me of the lasagna you made for me over winter break. Que rico!
William and Mary students: My midterms have finally finished and they all went smoothly! Perhaps the best midterm week I've had in a long time. That's one thing I definitely don't miss about home.
All: can anyone guess what La Herradura means? The more creative your answer, the more brownie points.
Hasta la próxima,
Rachel
- comments
Kathy (Mom) Hi Rach.Glad to read about your recent destinations. I am going to take a guess about La Herradura.The word "dur" should mean something strong. I am guessing that there was a fortress or stonghold built there, perhaps a castle with a moat protecting it. Does something like that approximate your answer? Let me know later on. Talk to you on Friday-about 9:15 a.m.-will confirm later. xo Mom P.S. Congrats on finshing mid-terms!
Savta I thought about the picture of the horses on your blog and then thought that it was a hint, am I correct? Love you, Savta
Abba Dear Rachel, I love your blog. Here is my guess. La Herradura means "horseshoe." My guess is that it refers to the shape of the bay of La Herradura. The bay has two huge natural promontories, the Punta de la Mona and Cerro Gordo, protecting a 2 km long sand beach, and those features make it look like a horseshoe.
Rachel Hey guys! Thank for all of your comments. Mom - very creative! You definitely thought outside of the box. Savta - good for you for picking up on the hint! Abba - yes, you are correct! 10 brownie points all around. I am off to Italy now for the next 11 days, so don't expect to hear from me for a little while. Love you all and talk to you when I return!