Things are busier than ever here in Granada with final projects, exams and papers but I´ve been able to spend my last few weekends traveling a bit. Two weeks ago I went to Morocco-a trip I´ve been longing to make for some time now-and toured three different cities. First we crossed the Strait of Gibraltar in a ferry and docked in Ceuta, one of the two Spanish cities on the northern coast of Africa, and took a bus to Tetouan where our hotel was located. Crossing the border was really interesting because I had never experienced a crossing with such high security like that before. There were long retractable strips of metal on the ground with large spikes near the openings in the border gate to blow out the tires of illegal entries. We also spotted several of these contraptions along the main highways on our way to the hotel. Apparently they are needed quite often because when we were waiting to cross, a car flew by going the wrong way and all of the police immediately halted all traffic and started reaching for their guns...quite a way to start off the excursion.

Throughout the weekend we visited an outdoor market that offered a variety of foods, from fresh vegetables and fruits to freshly slaughtered chicken and raw legs of animals. Needless to say I didn´t make any purchases during this shopping trip. We also made a stop where we had the opportunity to ride camels but I wasn´t up for taking a lap around a parking lot for 15 seconds on a worn-out looking animal so I passed on this opportunity. My favorite part of the trip was the point we visited in Tanger where the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean meet, or besan, according to our tourguide. Other highlights were bargaining with the locals at various markets for some gifts to take home, seeing all of the mosques with speaker-phones in the minarets to call the Muslims to prayer and our visit to Chefchaouen. This small pueblo, located in the mountains, had beautiful scenery and blue doors are found on nearly every building. When we were climbing up to see the source of the town´s drinkable water, which comes from an underground lake in the mountains, we learned that the Andalucían government has given this town money to promote sustainable lifestyles, such as removing the marijuana plants from the land.

This past weekend I stayed in Andalucía and toured two cities to the west of Granada: Arcos de la Frontera and Ronda. Both cities are situated on elevated terrain with dramatic cliffs, bridges and old architecture. Pictures say more than words so hopefully some will be posted soon...

Today is National Day of Books in Spain because it is the day both Cervantes and Shakespeare died. To celebrate in Granada they are holding booksales in various plazas and in Cataluña it is tradition to bring books and roses to your teacher. We tried to talk our literature professor into taking us out for some coffee to celebrate this monumental occasion but considering we have an exam on Thursday, this idea didn´t fly with her. I did, however, contribute to literacy in Spain today; every Monday I tutor at a colegio for about an hour in a classroom that attempts to function as a study hall. Although the students ask me more questions concerning whether or not they can go to the bathroom than concerning academics, I try to help them with their language homework. I think what ends up happening is that I learn more Spanish than they learn English! Anyways, today was my last day and it is getting weird to think that I have to start saying goodbye to all the people I have met here.

I hope everyone is enjoying the warming weather in Wisconsin as much as I am here in Granada. Hasta luego y nos vemos pronto, un besito!

Después de La Pascua

After a daytrip to Madrid and Toledo, a week in Lisboa, Portugal and Easter weekend in Granada, I´ve collected lots of pictures and stories to share. The picture to the left is a view of the ancient city of Toledo, a historically important city during the rule of the Muslim caliphate in Spain, where Jews, Muslims and Christians lived together. Kaela and I rode a sweet little Zoco-tren along the outskirts of the city...a mode of transportation that reminded me a lot of the train rides at the Milwaukee County Zoo-but on a much bigger scale! We also toured two of the last three remaining synagogues in Spain, located in Toledo. The other, which I have already visited, is located in Córdoba. After a day in Toledo, we spent the night before our flight to Portugal in a roomy two-bedroom hostel in Madrid.

Arriving in Portugal was a bit odd, as there was no type of security to pass through and I didn´t even have to show my passport! I suppose traveling from Spain is much different than arriving from the United States but it was still an intersting experience. The picture on the right is a view at the top of a long lawn, looking down into the city center. You can also see the Castle of Sao Jorge at the top of the hill on the left-hand side and the river Tagus below, that flows into the Atlantic. The city was really vibrant and more touristy than I was expecting, but the people there were friendly and helpful. We went out for a traditional Portuguese dinner the first night and probably spent more time trying to translate the menu and attemping to order than actually eating. Our waiter helped us with the language barrier by bringing out a platter of fresh (raw) fish to demonstrate was was available for dinner that night! And when half the table ordered chicken for dinner, we were informed that there was only one available and that we would have to order something else...I guess I never really thought that restaurants would run out of something like chicken but it does make sense that fish would be their most popular dish, as they are situated right on the water.

Lisboa consists of several different barrios that offer unique sights and experiences. My favorite place we visited during the week was the barrio closest to our hostel, called Alfama. This is the oldest disctrict of Lisboa and derives from the Arabic word Al-hamma, meaning fountains or baths. Here we hiked up the steep and twisty streets to visit a street market, admired the National Pantheon (an overpowering building that was situated almost directly above our hostel location) and several historical churches. The Castle of Sao Jorge is also in the Alfama and we had a fun time taking in the amazing view from the towers and pretending to fire the cannons from the castle walls. The Alfama was also where we went out for dinner to a restaurant that offered Fado, a traditional emotionally-charged musical performance in Portugal that consists of a singer/singers and guitar accompaniment. It was quiet an experience, as our waitress, hostess and even the guy who had to make a fish-run to replenish the kitchen performed-and were all phenomenal singers.

We also toured Sintra, a beautiful city only about 30 minutes from Lisboa by train. Although we accidently hopped on the wrong train (due to poor communication at the ticket window) we were eventually pointed in the right direction by the ticket-checker on the train going the wrong way (who, by the way, had to write notes on the backs of our tickets explaining that we wanted to get to Sintra and to allow the punched tickets to be valid for our second attempt navigating the railway). We finally arrived in Sintra after noon. Despite our rough start, we had plenty of time to tour the Palacio de Pena as well as the Muslim Castle that was "probably" built in the 8th century, according to the not-very-informative sign posted near the entrance. The castle walls reminded me a bit of the Great Wall of China images I have seen, but on a much smaller scale! Scaling them were a challenge but the view made it all worth while.

My favorite stop in Portugal was our daytrip to Belém, a small city just outside of downtown Lisboa. It has the famous Torre de Belém that we encountered on just about every postcard we saw, as well as their famous pastries...yum! This was also an important site for the famous Portugal explorers such as Prince Henry the Navigator and Vasco da Gama. It was a perfect day for sight-seeing from the tops of these monuments and for sitting in the grassy park (something I really miss here in Spain) for lunch. Riding back to our hostel in an old streetcar was also fun, although not as spacious or smooth as the public bus system. Since we took our pastries to go, we had a little treat from Belém that evening after dinner. Now I´m looking into the cost of ordering and shipping these treats back home...for future reference :) All in all, the trip to Portugal was stressful at times, due to an unexpected visit to the U.S. Embassy and transportation bloopers, but Kaela and I still had a great time touring such a diverse and world-influenced city.

I´ve posted a few pictures from my weekend in Granada during Semana Santa on the upper right. The procession I saw on Saturday began at the doors of the Alhambra and made its way throughout the city, ending up at the Catedral. I enjoyed the processions on Sunday because they represented the resurrection of Jesus and there was also an amazing float of Mary that contained over 100 lit candles. The traditional wardrobes worn by the processioners are a bit repulsive because they simbolize something much different in the United States but it was really neat to see such an elaborate display of a religious celebration within the very city I live in now.

That´s it for now...check below for more pictures from my trip to Portugal. Ciao!