Happy (late) Thanksgiving!

Ok, bear with me. I'm going to tell you about my weekend in reverse.

Last night, a girl from my program (shoutout to Tina) had us all over for a Thanksgiving shindig. Although there was no turkey or pumpkin pie in sight, the food everyone made was delicious. Mostly carbs, which is also my fave! We were all in the same boat, missing our families a little more because of the holidays.

I went to Tina's house from the bus station. Why? Great question! I'm glad you asked! I was coming back from a trip to Granada. My friend Phoebe and I planned a quick trip not so long ago. We went to the Alhambra, a palace and fortress with beautiful gardens. It had some great views, and the night before, we went to a lookout called Mirador de San Nicolás to see it lit up at night. The Alhambra and its history are spectacular, but I didn't like how touristy it was. All of the selfie sticks were pretty annoying. (I will admit that it was a great place to take photos, and I did so -- but using selfie sticks in every corner is a little sad)....In Sacromonte, a quarter of Granada, we found a cool place to eat lunch. The people seemed very local, and it felt like we were in a cave.

We stayed in a hostel and were pretty sure that they grouped people in each room by country because all of our roommates were American. We talked to a guy from Washington state who is teaching English in Ronda and a woman who decided to quit her job and travel around Spain. On Saturday, there was a lot of deja vu in the sense that we would walk around and think we're really far away, and then we'd pass places that we've already seen again and again. We also passed the same street band twice in two different locations.

I didn't realize this until I arrived in Granada, but Manuel de Falla lived in Granada, and his house became a museum. Phoebe and I got lost on our way to the museum, but we found a gorgeous area with peacocks, colorful trees, and blooming flowers. With the crisp air, it felt exactly like a Maryland fall. But it's the end of November, and the peak time of fall colors in Maryland is the end of October. So that kind of threw me off. But hey, no complaints!

Back to the museum part..in high school, I actually played his Danse Espagnole for a violin recital. My favorite pieces to play were Spanish! It was surreal to go into his home and see where he wrote music, where he practiced the piano, where he slept, where he ate, where he sat and looked at the breathtaking view of Granada...I sent photos to my old violin teacher, and she couldn't believe it.

For the rest of the day, we just meandered through the city. I will never forget the smells of the markets -- the air was full of spices and incense. Many of the shops sold bright colored lanterns. They were gorgeous, and I would've considered buying one if it was easy to transport home.

My host parents lived in Granada and met there. They've been convincing me to visit Granada for months now, and I'm sure glad they did. Now I can say that I've completed Andalucia's Golden Triangle: Granada, Seville, and Cordoba!

*P.S. My last few blogs are probably going to be shorter like this because I am swamped with final papers and exams!*