Week 1 in Granada, Spain

Hello everyone, my name is Jasper and I’ll be exploring Granada, Spain. To start, traveling there, I was able to make a friend in the seat next to me who was going to her study abroad course in Madrid. Talking to another person about our upcoming trip was a perfect way to get hyped up for the month ahead. I would definitely recommend travelling with someone, as it brightened up what could have been a dull time. Upon my arrival, I had to rest up for orientation the following day. Orientation was my first real introduction to the city, and I loved the quick peek into monuments and culture. 

The following day was the beginning of class, where we looked at media and films regarding either the Spanish Civil War or the impact and dynamics of Islam and immigration to the Iberian Peninsula. We will continue to expand on this throughout the classes, but they are pretty conveniently timed, going from 10-12, and then from 6-8. While this likely sounds like rough timing, with the store and social life hours of Spain, it fits perfectly. Due to this, I’ve packed in a lot of exploring throughout the city. Granada is not as densely populated as Madrid or Barcelona, so I’ve been able to explore the city alone in sections without feeling too overwhelmed. Although it sets me apart from my classmates, having full freedom in this first week has allowed me to go where I please and to find spots that I might want to revisit with others later.

This week we also were able to go on a guided tour to the Alhambra, a Nasrid Palace at the edge of the city. We started with the Jardines de Generalife, which were luscious despite the dry heat, and then entered into the main courtyards and the palace that was later added by Emperor Carlos V. The site was an engineering and architectural marvel, and I wish I could have gotten to know more about how it was built and how it continues to be maintained. However, the general area is free to enter again, so I will be returning to further explore and spend time in the gardens and the main courtyard, especially the Patio de los Leones.

Another personality trait that is definitely apparent in my time here is that I am spontaneous and potentially delusional in my abilities to make things work. Due to this, I decided to do a short weekend trip to a nearby town, Ronda, which has other historical sites that I was intrigued by. So, early Saturday morning, I left alongside Manahil to spend one night over there. We were able to fully experience Ronda in a day, but the highlight, I would say, was the Puente Nueve, and the view we got of it after our hike, alongside the Casa Museo de Don Bosco. The Museo was beautiful, and specifically, the ceramic work dotted around caught my attention and inspired me in my ceramic work. On a less peaceful note was the hike. Need to mention that I do have a fear of steep hills, which this was, but the view did make it all worth it to me, no matter the pounding of my heart. If anything, I left feeling kind of fulfilled for overcoming this fear to fully experience the beauty of nature and of the town’s historical site.