My First Travel Love

Hint: it's Granada.

First and foremost, it is Granada, Spain, not Grenada in the Caribbean, 'kay?

Now that I've gotten that out of the way, Granada is, simply put, the beat of my Spanish heart. My study abroad experience there during the fall of 2010 was the first time I'd left the U.S. After a bumpy first week (in which I sobbed like a baby every single day, called my grandparents to tell them I made a mistake going there, and almost got left at a rest stop in Spain's version of Hee Haw), I composed myself and made a concentrated effort to enjoy the remaining 13 weeks of my experience. Once I got out of my feelings and stopped being so overwhelmed by a city in which the only language is Spanish (I couldn't even get some broken English goin' on, y'all) and by the fact that my host mother spoke absolutely nothing close to English--all of which was exacerbated by the knowledge that what little Spanish I knew had apparently left my brain--I fell in love. 

Granada is small and quaint, situated at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. It can be sunny and hot in the city, but look up towards the mountains at any point and there's snow. Life is slower-paced and freer down there. The people are happier and more open. The food, though it's still your basic pork and potatoes, is marginally better. Actually, the pastries are phenomenal down there; the rest of the food is meh.

What endears Granada to me isn't something that can be pinpointed. It's a combination of the weather, delicious pastries, slower-paced life, and friendly people. It's also the first city I visited outside the States, and there's something to be said about one's first international romp. I also made two lifelong friends there; though we all attended Spelman, I don't know that I would have met and actually bonded with Toya and Anaia, which would have made the second half of my Spelman experience a lot less eventful. All of these things, plus so many more, all combined to make Granada my favorite city in Spain.

That being said, I went back there from June 14-17 and revisited the city that taught me what it feels like to have wanderlust. Here are some outtakes:

This statue of Columbus kneeling at Queen Isabella's feet makes me cringe because
of its historical significance, but it was the meeting point for Toya, Anaia, and me every
time we went out together. Seeing it brought back so many memories.

Kebab. King. 3.50 euros for the most delicious shawarma I've ever had. 

Los Italianos; just the greatest ice cream (or gelato, if you're
that ice cream elitist who has to distinguish between the two) in Spain.
Even Mrs. O thinks so!

Granadine tapas are the only true tapas there are. 4 euro for a drink and
crapload of food!? I'll take it.

The Alhambra and las sierras as seen from the Mirador de
San Nicolas. Only one of the most breathtaking views I've ever seen.

Walking through the Alhambra!

View of the city

More Alhambra trekking

Just a glimpse of the beauty within the Generalife

My host mother is greater than yours. Trini and Me! Still as fab as ever!

My host brother, Freddy, and me

...and that's all, folks! I know, right!? No long, extended posts about every facet of my trip down memory lane. #shocker. However, since I'm leaving soon and don't really have much time to regale you with specifics, the pictures will have to explain it all. Further, I find that it's hard to truly verbalize just what Granada was, is and always will be to me, besides saying that it's where I learned the meaning of wanderlust and fell in love with travel.