Jan 10 - Catedral, Discoteca, Snow!

Hola a todos,

Yesterday I went to see the cathedral here in Granada, and it was extremely beautiful. Its located very nearby, closer even than our school. The part that is used still for church was free to enter, and a group of violinists were practicing inside, which made the experience that much more beautiful. I used my flip video to record them, and it is on facebook if you'd like to watch it. Afterwards, we exited and walked around the outside to the entrance that you pay for, but we were stopped by gypsies multiple times trying to sell us lavender and read our palms. They grab your arms, probably trying to distract you so they can steal from you, but we all were on high alert and kept our hands on our bags, pushing through and saying, dejame en paz, or leave me in peace. Then we got to go inside for only 3,50 euros, and it was very beautiful. The ceilings were extremely high and beautiful in themselves, and huge columns filled the room with detail. Most of the architecture was white, but the paintings and altars were mainly gold detailed, and very large. The center area was a big circle with gigantic paintings from the 1600s in it. I also did multiple flip videos of the inside.

After the cathedral, we walked around the shops, and Kathleen got a killer navy leather jacket for only 18 euro. I'm still on the search for boots, which can be overwhelming here with the number of zapaterias, or shoe stores. We headed home for lunch, I had cauliflower soup and fish with a sweet potato, and of course pan, or a loaf of french bread. She also brought out the cheese from Galicia which I love. Afterwards, we wandered around more, and came home for dinner, which was pizza!! and a egg and noodle soup. We almost always have a soup at meals, and I really like them. Breakfast is always the same, two pieces of toast, what look like mini pieces of toast but are really biscuits, (hard as a rock, I swear), and a small rectangular lemon cake. After meals, senora always puts out a platter of fruit for dessert, and I try to eat it but usually I am stuffed as they feed you a lot.

Then we decided to finally go out in search of a club here or discoteca. Our french roommate, Cami, (pronounced Ka-mee, emphasis on the final vowel) walked with us to the meeting point (burger king), and a group from my school and the french group of students went to a bar nearby. It was very cold out, so we didn't explore too far, we just found a place and decided it would be good enough. When we first got there, it was just midnight, and it was almost dead of people. In spain, most people arrive at bars or clubs around 1am, and leave around 5am. I have no idea how they can do this and still work around 8 or 9, but that must be why they have the siestas from 2pm to about 5pm here. We had fun there, and stayed till just after 3am. The walk home was peaceful, not as busy as Madrid, where people stayed out walking very late, even older couples or people walking their dogs in the middle of the night. Here we saw people, but it was fairly quiet.

Today for lunch we had some kind of sweet mashed potato with chicken, but we ate the chicken off of the bone, which was a new experience for me. The chicken was delicious, she put some kind of peppers or juice on it. Of course, more bread, and water. I will not get to have delicious milk until I return to the states, because I don't think I can do the type of milk they have here. It isn't refrigerated, it comes in a bag or a box and they serve it room temperature or warm. Not my thing. So we've been having water a lot which is fine, and occasionally a soda at a restaurant (in a small glass bottle of course), or like today at cafe futbol, a hot chocolate with churros. Also, today it was snowing a lot, and the spaniards were telling us how it hasn't snowed this bad in 20 years! By the time we walked home though, it had all melted into puddles, but still they find it very intense. This week should be warmer, but rainy. I'll take a little rain in the warmer weather over freezing every time I go out!

Tomorrow we start our intensive language classes. Mine is from 9 to 1pm, an Kathleen's is from 10 to 2pm. We are thinking about going to see a Spanish movie this week in Spanish. Last night our senora was watching the third installment of lord of the rings in spanish, dubbed over so it sounded goofy, but still fun to watch some of it.

Not sure what dinner will be tonight, but I hear Ana Rosa, our senora, preparing something in the small alley kitchen. We eat between 9 and 930pm. Hope everyone is doing well! Love Nikki