Quaint scenery, intriguing alleyways, great food and some interesting history. Ziallo recaps her first impressions of Granada as an Erasmus student.
Sitting by the window on the first floor of a teashop wondering what could be interesting to write about Granada, I recall the day I was packing to come to Spain. My flight was at 11pm but by 8 I was still packing. I was actually more singing and dancing with my sister in front of the mirror than packing. For me it was like going on holiday when everyone was about to start school. It all started when I decided to study Spanish with business as a degree course. Until now the only serious explanation I’ve had to that is that I wanted to live in Spain at one point in my life, so a four year course including a year abroad in Spain was the perfect arrangement for me. In second year I got so excited about it that I would literally tell everyone that I was going to Spain in my third year. In Spain? But where exactly? Then I decided to go to Granada because it’s in the South, which meant warm weather and tanned flirty Spanish guys. It sounded good to me. Once someone mentioned la Alhambra and I thought “who?” I had no idea of what it was – how embarrassing!
I finally got to Granada at the beginning of November, which was a month after everyone else. I had to rush to register, catch up with lectures and last but not least, get to know the city so that all the fun could start. I did a lot of wandering around. I’ve been delighted to discover that Granada is a lovely city, romantic in its own way and full of cosy coffee and teashops, tapas bars and bookstores. There are the normal main streets, always crowded where all the big shops are, but for me nothing can beat the charm of small alleys between coloured buildings a la Spanish. Some of the buildings have small balconies with flowerpots on them, which I find particularly alluring. I can easily imagine myself standing on a balcony on a starry night listening to my lover playing his guitar for me in the street! It might be cliché but it totally works for me. Equally attractive are the fountains and plazas, which are spread all over the city, as well as orange trees. Free oranges? We won’t need to go to the groceries shop for that! Unfortunately they look like private property. It was whilst exploring these numerous alleys that sadly I was once stupid enough to let an old gypsy woman walk away with my €15 after she pretended to read my future in the palms of my hands!
I’m lucky enough to be living in the central area of Granada, so I’m in the middle of everything that’s hot, meaning shops, bars, clubs, and even cute guys! During my first few weeks in Granada, giving in to the basic law of attraction, my friends and I found a tapas bar owned by a lovely English man. I don’t actually remember who first found the place but I love it particularly because the owner can remember my name! That’s enough to have me going back there whenever I can.
So you might be wondering, what about la Alhambra? The party animal in me thinks who cares about la Alhambra? But the studious student in me is dying to tell you that la Alhambra is a fortress city overlooking Granada, that was built during the 13th century and has been the home of the Mohammed’s dynasty between the 13th and the 15th century before being conquered and subsequently turned Christian by the Catholic monarchs. Since 1870 it has been declared a national monument and it is now open to the public for a bit of glorious history.
I heard Erasmus students refer to their year abroad as the best year of their lives. Now that I’m an Erasmus student myself, is it going to be the best year of my life? I’m working on it.
Ziallo G.
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