The Flood

All the buckets and bowls are collecting water

Yesterday at 6:50AM, I woke up to a high-pitched alarm. I pressed my ears because I thought that maybe I was just imagining the sound. I lethargically stumbled into the kitchen, following the noise. The hot water heater was apparently going berserk and spraying water everywhere. Of course, I instantly thought it was my fault...had I left something on? Was I supposed to turn the hot water heater off at night?

After much debate, I woke up my landlady. She came over and helped me mop, explaining that her hot water heater was screaming too, but she had no idea why. We decided everything was okay, so I went back to sleep.

I went to class from 11-1pm, then returned to a flood in my kitchen (not even where the hot water heater is)! I panicked, before scouring the kitchen for buckets to place under the various goteras (leaks). I called my landlady (who was of course, at work). She came home and helped me mop again. She called various friends and fontaneros (plumbers).

Fellow building-mates showed up at random points during the day. Luckily, Monday is my short day so I was done at 1pm.

Huge holes in the ceilings

The last guest was Fulgencio, who I later learned is the presidente of the building. He was a handsome, older gentleman (mid-sixties?) with a neat, white beard. He was dressed in a suit and very professional looking; super friendly and charming.
After examining my predicament and chatting with Maria Jose (my landlady) he introduced himself and asked where I was from. He told me to call him Ful, but not with two 'l's, like Full. He asked what Full meant in English, and I said it's like "lleno." He explained that his wife is learning English and that I could help her if I wanted; apparently he lives right through the wall on the other side of the building. He said to knock if I ever need him.


Side note: since I have come to Spain, I have fallen in love with the older folks. They seem to be so different from many of those in the US. Elderly couples, in particular, are absolutely adorable. They are rarely seen with unlinked arms or unclasped hands.

Just the other day, I saw an old man standing in a plaza trying to zip up his jacket. His wife, several feet ahead, turned around and came back for him. She zipped up his jacket then they linked arms and continued on.

During our last day in Cordoba this weekend, we admired a 60-something couple cuddling near a fountain. The woman had her arms around her husband and the man was playing with her hair and holding her arms. If this is what it takes to be happy when I am old, I'm moving to Spain as soon as I can get my senior discount!

My workstation while the power was out...

Overall, the day was filled with various setbacks: no hot water for my much-needed shower, no electricity at points, no water at all for most of the day. Luckily, I really had no plans for the day other than to catch up on my blog and load my pictures from our Sevilla-Cordoba trip this weekend.

I did get to study when the power was out (no WiFi)!

Today, the plumber never showed up but I'm banking on tomorrow!

Domingo en Granada

 Kayla and I split off from the group in order to accomplish a few of the must-do-in-Granada items off of our list: see the Cathedral, find a souvenir, and explore. On our way to the Cathedral, we stumbled upon a political rally that was parading through the main street.

My rating of Spain so far.

My boots took a beating on this trip.

Tea! I bought te de caramelo (it had chunks of caramel in it)!
Realizing that Granada is obsessed with tea...

Yummy snack

Pictures weren't allowed, but here is one I took of the
changing area just to give an idea of the ambiance

Midday, a few of us had booked a trip to Hammam Al Andalus, a traditional Arab bath that was built on top of the ruins of an ancient public bath. For 32 euros, it included an hour and fifteen minutes in the baths plus a fifteen minute massage. Including, changing time, we were there from 1:45-4pm. When you first walk in, you are given blue shoe covers to keep from dirtying the floor. You walk downstairs into the women's changing room and instantly, the mood is transformed. The lighting dims and you can suddenly feel the air warm and dampen. Beautiful, multicolored Arab-style lamps hang to shed just enough light so that you can see to change into your swimsuit. Then, you head into areas where the baths are located. These rooms are even darker, warmer, and more humid. You can hear fountains splashing and soft, Arabic music playing in the background. The heated floors are definitely a treat.

Upon entering the bath area, a worker instructed us to shower before stepping in the pools. There are three pools, she explained, a cold, medium, and hot. It is best to switch between the three pools. The steam room was so hot that I could barely breathe. At any point, you can sit at a table or on the heated, stone benches and take tea. It was te verde con hierbabuena, an interesting and tantalizing mix or green tea and mint. I probably drank a kettle and a half of it throughout our two hours.

If you want to see pictures: http://granada.hammamalandalus.com/en/services/

Our trip to the baths was definitely one of my favorite things I have done in Spain. I hope I can convince my parents to do it when they visit!

Last, we found a Teteria to eat dinner and chill until we had to meet up again for the ride home. Such a chill way to end an awesome trip!

Also, I bought these 10 colorful candles.
I haven't even used them yet, but they make my room smell so good!

Visita Alhambra

 We took a guided four hour tour of the Alhambra. Awesomely, the ticket and audio tour were included in our trip with ESN. The cool idea about the Alhambra is that it looks like (and is) a fortress from the outside, but inside it's a palace of paradise for its inhabitants (sultans, nazarites, their families, and high-ranking military officials). Construction on the Alhambra began in 1234!

We also saw the beautiful gardens of Generalife...but by the end of the four hours, we were pooped! Enjoy the photos.

Can my bedroom look like this?

 

Intricate wood work and carvings

After our long tour and some strenuous hikes, we were ready for our ESN surprise. It was announced that we would see flamenco! Giddy yelps of excitement rang out on the tour bus; everyone has flamenco on their Spanish bucket list!

At nighttime, we climbed the steep, twisting streets up to what appeared to be the Flamenco district. It was riddled with cozy cave-like establishments where Flamenco music could be heard, and glimpses of dance could be caught through an open door. We made it up to La Chumbera, an auditorium-like setting, with a view.

The dancer: Jose Cortes. His face was this serious and passionate the whole time!

The music was actually my favorite part, but I loved the emotion and severity of the dance too.

As the quick and moody Spanish guitar filled the room, a curtain was drawn to reveal a nighttime view of the Alhambra.

Crappy photo, but great view of the Alhambra behind the Flamenco spectacular

All in all, the spectacle was truly amazing. Although some people were disappointed that the dancer was male (as opposed to a saucy Spanish lady with a fancy dress), I felt truly and incredibly privileged to even be able to see it. Maybe it was the amazing guitar or singing that really touched me (I know, sounds lame) but I had one of those holy-crap-is-this-real?-moments. The whole day had been so amazing and I couldn't believe that I was actually able to live my dream of studying abroad in Spain. I've already been here for over a month...this is really happening!

We finished the night by going to this crazy, cave-esque club nestled in the mountainside. There was fog, lasers, confetti and overall an intense and awesome party atmosphere. Very cool (but sweaty) night.

Granada Saturday

Ancient bathhouse

I'm writing this post over a week after I have returned from Granada. Soon, I will get to post about THIS weekend too! Beware: I took a LOT of pictures, this day...so it might be overwhelming. Disfrutálo!

To start our Saturday morning, we headed to the nearby ancient bath houses that would give us a preview for the Al Hammam baths we would visit on Sunday. The area was mostly empty, just a shell of the ancient bathhouses. The key feature was the ceilings. Geometric shapes were punched out of the ceiling in order to shed light on bathers. From a photographic standpoint, they made for great lighting.

We had a few hours before we met up for our Alhambra tour, so we made the most of it by exploring the hilly side streets of Granada. Lots more shops, so few purchases...

 

When I heard that the city was filled with Teterías, I told my friends that I more or less HAD to go. Teterías look like hookah bars on the inside. Some have hookahs, but they are not necessarily the focus of the establishment; the focus is tea. While a tea restaurant may not sound exciting, the atmosphere is brilliant. They’re full of Moorish-style deco: dim, colorful mood lighting, masses of pillows, architectural alcoves, and my favorite: candles. 

 

 

Natalia and I split a kettle of Chai tea and I ordered crepes de plátanos y chocolate. Not only was the atmosphere perfect, the food was also amazing.

 

At 1:15pm, we met up at Plaza Nueva for our tour of the Alhambra, a beautiful Moorish palace atop a hillside at the base of the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

The fountain at Plaza Nueva

Some perky buildings in Plaza Nueva, our meeting spot.