Righty-ho, just back to class after the “puente” of the 1st of May. When we have long weekends, they're called “bridges” here. So. Since I didn't let mum and dad come to Barcelona in Easter we decided that we'd meet up in Granada (Andalucía) for the long weekend in May, whaaaat a great place it is! More about that in a second. Last week was so insaaaanely hectic, I really could probably count the number of hours' sleep I managed to get on one hand. It was just basically deadlines galore and partial exams and all kinds of torture. I didn't even go out at the weekend, I was all cooped up like a recluse trying to figure out why my program was producing 03 e4 3c instead of 52 f6 01... or something like that :S Wasn't fun!
On the Friday (1st of May) there was no class, so I was up at like 4am or something ridiculoso like that to get the first train to the airport and scoot on down to Málaga. It's a wonder I didn't have to pay for excess luggage for the bags under my eyes, I tellz yeh! Mum and Dad obviously thought I looked a bit run-down (which I was!) so I got stuffed with lots of good food. No complaints there.
We all met in Málaga airport, and then caught a bus to Granada (a bit of a hassle, but worth it). Granada's really not as famous as other cities like Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia etc, and I really hope it stays that way because it's so nice; Sevilla was brilliant too but I think I'd give the edge to Granada. It's probably Edinburgh-sized in comparison, and it felt like... if I was studying there I would manage to get to know every nook and cranny of it quite intimately, unlike the hugemungous BCN with its endless supply of discoveries. And it's really cool because it has the Sierra Nevada mountain range around it, so although it's blazin' hot, you can still see snow!
We stayed in an apartment in the Albaizín, the old Arab quarter... look how beautiful the view was:
The weather in Andalucía is generally a bit warmer than in Cataluña but that weekend it was particularly warm. Probably the most famous thing in Granada is La Alhambra. Here's a picture I took of it, see if it rings a bell:
It is amazing... those moors really knew how to live. It's so huge, so intricately detailed and just generally awe-inspiring.
Apart from that, we went to Sacromonte, a “sacred mountain” where the houses are actually caves with a door on the front. People still live in caves!
Also, we were there for the “Santa Cruz” festival, which I'd never heard of... but was a big deal to them! Every barrio of the city made a big deal-style tribute in the square, usually a cross (cruz) and flowers and sculptures and stuff. On the Saturday night we went to see a great flamenco show.
Then we went wandering the streets in search of life, I wanted to find a pub that had Licor 43 to show Mum and Dad the greatness that is Licor 43. Licor 43 is a Spanish Liquor, if you ever see it, buy it! For it is great.
Anyway eventually we found out that in past Santa Cruz parties too much damage had been done, so the mayor decided to ban them in public areas. Anyway long story short we ended up finding ourselves in a private Santa Cruz party in some random's garden!
