Granada

This past weekend (Friday & Saturday) my school took us on a trip to Granada! This city is also located in the province of Andalucía but about a 4 hour bus trip away. It truly is a gorgeous town. As one of our tour guides explained... If you live in Granada you can drive 30 min away if you want to go skiing in the snow-capped mountains visible from many parts throughout... or you can drive 30 min in the opposite direction if you want to go to the beach. Quite an awesome geographical location.

We arrived around in the afternoon on Friday and that evening we went on a tour of the Alhambra which is a palace city constructed in the 13th century with heavy influence from Muslim architecture. I have concluded that the outside parts of this place remind me of a mix of Narnia and Palace of Versailles. It was complete gorgeous; como un sueño. Without blabbering on much further, I'll give you all what I'm sure you really only want :)

Our hotel: Hotel Los Angeles

View of snow-capped mountains

French style gardens in Alhambra

La Alhambra

Inside the palace walls

View of ruins from top of tower

Yours truly, on top of the tower :)

A taste of the ornate Muslim decoration- All hand carved!

Day two brought us on a tour of the Granada cathedral. Although it might not be the third largest in the world like ours over here in Sevilla, it was definitely different from any other cathedral I've ever been in. Actually, I'd have to say it's also my favorite cathedral I've ever been into... and I have been to a lot around the world. The reason I liked this one so much and the reason it's so unique is because the inside walls are all painted white. Every other cathedral I've been into always has had gold or brown walls, making them very dark and dreary even on a sunny day. This one isn't like that... its beautiful and happy on the inside.

Cathedral

The contrast of white with gold really made it feel glorious

A church hosting a wedding (see the decorated car)

An adorable side street next to a creek (reminds me of Prague)

I realize this is the second city comparison I've made in this post. It's not that I'm trying to boast my travelling record it's just that I tend to compare new spots to my favorite cities/places. I actually told Brian while walking around this day that I can't wait until I can find myself in another city like this one where I can say "this place reminds me of Granada."

A beautiful day in Granada

Besos,

xx Catalina