Granada and Some Cultural Shocks

Hello Jaspers and fellow citizens of the world,

I cannot believe it has almost been a week since I left for Granada. Three of the most amazing days of my life were spent there! My mind cannot process how magnificent the Alhambra was, and I just want to go back and stay in the Generalife forever. Below are some of my favorite pictures. Sorry I cannot post all of them, but they are like a 100.

This is the first photo that I took. A part of Granada can be seen in the background.

This is the sign of the Palacios Nazaries.

Look at those geometrical shapes! Everything fits perfectly thanks to a perfect size they used when constructing the Alhambra.

One of my favorite fountains in the world: La Fuente de los Leones.

I am obsessed with their architecture, specially the shapes.

Another fountain, just because I love each and every one of them.

The famous room where Washington Irving wrote The Tales of the Alhambra.

Another fountain. I think I am as obsessed with water as they were.

The Generalife! My dream come true!

The Generalife from another angle.

Me under a "mudejar" arc.

Another breathtaking view of Granada.

Some cannons.

The Alhambra illuminated at night.

Another fountain!

A fountain and a garden, my two favorite things.

The Palace of Charles V.

 Another pice of architectural perfection

A cat enjoying the Alhambra because who says they cannot?

This is the name of the place where we watched flamenco. We went to an special neighborhood call Sacremento, where this flamenco "cave" is located.

I almost screamed when I saw this!

And now, as promised, some cultural shocks!

Milk and juice beverage!:

Yes, you read that right, they combined milk and juice to make a somehow tasty concoction. I did not like it, I tried really hard to like it, but I just could not.

The Metro:

Based on my poor experience in NYC of taking the subway, I cannot say that the Spanish metro is better than the subway. However, I must say that my classmate Jenifer Martin really likes it, and she was born in NYC.

Tap water:

They drink tap water here! I mean, we do the same in NY but usually we have filters and that kind of stuff just to make sure there are no toxins in our water. Well, not here! I must say that the water is really good, so I have nothing to complaint for.

Bags for groceries:

They charge you for each bag you use, so of course no one wants them. It is an amazing regulation, so people can stop using plastic bags and stop contributing to the pollution of the world. However, a heads-up would have been nice. The first time I went to a grocery store here in Madrid I did not know this, so I ended up carrying all of my groceries in my hands and backpack. Thank God I live like ten feet away from the store!

Potato chips:

I think the potato chips taste like nothing here because I am used to tons of sugar, salt and other bad stuff in my chips. But again, a heads-up would have come handy when I bought a big bag of Takis Fuego and they tasted like nothing. Huge disappointment for a Mexican!

Cars:

I'm really impressed that there are many people who rather not have a car because public transportation is so good. I think the same happens in NYC, but not in New Rochelle, where I live. I was shocked when I discovered that my host mom did not have a car; the horror!

Spaniards:

I have had little interaction with Spaniards because in most of my classes all of the students are internationals, just like me, but they are always willing to help if you get lost or have no idea where the nearest bookstore or bank is. What I do have to say is that their accents are much more different than the ones from Latino America, but they sound surprisingly similar to Argentinian Spanish. Also, Spaniards all have a different accent depending on where they are from. I think I can now recognize the Madrileños form the Andaluces. 

Green life:
I must handed to them, Spaniards are doing an amazing job at trying to keep the country as clean as possible from any kind of pollution. In every corner you will see two trash cans: one for organic waste and another for plastic. They even have containers to dispose used batteries in every bus stop!

Smoking:
To be honest, no one prepared me for the amount of cigarettes Spaniards smoke in a day. Some times I try to cross a street and a cloud of smoke comes from the opposite direction with the other cross-walkers. Even though it is common for me to see people smoking in NYC, Europe is definitely in the lead of young smokers. Teenagers as young as 14 years-old smoke, I just cannot believe it.

Thanks for reading! Until next time!

-Paulina