Las Alpujeras

Yesterday I went on a hike to Las Alpujeras, mountains about an hour away from Granada. We drove and then stopped at a little town about halfway up the mountain. The town had cobblestone streets and little shops selling sheep wool rugs. It was completely surrounded by mountains with breathtaking views. Some of the highest mountains even had snow! Then we began our hike. I being the adventurous one that I am, decided to take the difficult trail. The trail was pretty much all single file and wound its way up the mountain. Most of the time there was a drop off less then a few inches from where we were walking, a bit scary at times. After about 2 hours of hiking uphill, we finally reached the top! Then we had a picnic on the top of the mountain and then hiked down the other side. It was so beautiful there are no words to describe the scenery and then the elation of finally reaching the top! My feet are a tad sore today, but it was definitely worth it. Below our pictures I took during the hike.

This is the town where we began our hike.

My friend Alex and I on our way back down the mountain. 

Before we began our hike.

Waterfall from the snow melting in the mountains. This is where most of the water from Granada and surrounding areas comes from. 

Bridge over the waterfall.

The town. The sheep wool rugs are on the right hand side.

View of the snow from the town.

~Elizabeth~

Pictures from the IES Center

This is a picture of the street from the IES Center.

 Terrace of IES Center overlooking the city.

The caves where the Gypsies live.

The Bell Tower of the Alhambra. View from IES.

Street where IES is. On the right hand side.

The street in front of IES and Megan my roommate.

Church across the street from IES. Originally a mosque. Very typical in Granada.

Hola from Spain!!!

Hola! After arriving on Tuesday morning in Malaga, I spent the day getting a cell phone and touring around Malaga. The next morning we had orientation from 8-5 then we took buses to Granada. The countryside is mazing with rolling hills covered with beautiful trees (maybe cherry trees??). I have never seen anything like it. When I arrived, my roommate Megan and I were met by our host mom, Amparo. She is a nice older lady who has six children, the youngest of which is studying at a university in Valencia. We live in a nice 3 story house and Megan and I each have our own room. Amparo made us dinner for the first night, zucchini soup (interesting, but actually very good), which kind of tasted like broccoli cheese soup. Amparo does not speak English, which I think will be very helpful. Right now my Spanish is awful, but it is already starting to improve. I have enjoyed my time so far tremendously. All of the people in my program are great. I am now in a 2 week orientation program, where we take classes every morning and then have activities in the afternoon. So far my favorite part about Spain is the siestas;)

I am going out for tapas tonight and will try to post some pictures when  I return. I can't wait to explore Granada!

~Elizabeth~

Adios los Estados Unidos

After months of anticipation, my departure to Spain is less than 48 hours away. I am both excited and nervous. This experience will be a once in a lifetime opportunity and I can't wait for it to begin. However, I am nervous about solely speaking Spanish. I have enjoyed my last week in the United States with a farewell dinner with my whole family at Agatucci's, last minute shopping with my mom, and packing. Some how I was able to fit all of my clothes into my suit case with 2lbs to spare (a small miracle)!!! I will leave Monday afternoon and arrive in Spain on Tuesday morning. I will be sure to post lots of pictures and description about my trip. Thanks for following my blog!!

~Elizabeth~

Going through security at O'Hare