Ellen's visit

Sorry I haven't updated in so long! There's just been too much to write about, I think. Ellen came for Semana Santa and, with Biz, we conquered the South of Spain (Granada first, and then Sevilla). To get to Granada we took a five-hour bus together, passing a beautiful, dry and rocky range of mountains about an hour before arriving at our destination. From the Granada, we could still see the mountains in the distance, but now we could tell they were snow-capped. There's not much in nature that makes my heart soar (you know the rush-feeling I'm talking about?) as much as snow-capped mountains. Seriously. There are a lot of beautiful things in nature, but you just throw some snow-capped mountains in the background, and you've got a breathtaking scene.

Ellen and me at San Nicholas Viewpoint

Highlights of our first day there: wandering Granada's labrynthine streets searching for the San Nicholas Viewpoint (where Bill Clinton took his family in 1997) (beautiful view of the Alhambra, the city, and the mountains) and looking for some caves we read about where Gypsies still live (and some hippies, too)! We found the caves but were scared off by mangy, barking dogs and the fact that these were people's houses, still lived-in, not yet historical artifacts. How would we like it if tourists came to peek in our homes? We decided to turn back around. But not before I snapped a couple pictures. :)

A modern cave-dwelling

That night we accidentally ran across a procession on our way to a bar. We were stunned by the seriousness and stillness of the people watching the two-ton floats being carried down Granada's narrow streets. The floats' main centerpieces are statues taken from specific churches in the neighborhood. Some of the statues are from the fifteenth century, and some are newer. I thought of all the eyes that have seen and adored these exact statues being carried down the street (on people's backs) every year for the past several centuries. I've never experienced anything like it.


from Alhambra vista

The next day we met up with our new friends Tim and Jeff to go to the Alhambra (Tim goes to church with Biz and me, and Jeff is his friend visiting from Canada). Since all the online tickets were sold out already, we (just the girls--the guys were still driving in from Malaga) had to wake up at the crack of dawn to wait in line for tickets--which is never fun anyway, but especially when you're on vacation. We spent most of the rest of the day wandering through the palaces and gardens, admiring the incredibly detailed handiwork--mostly Arabic poetry--carved into every square inch of ceilings or walls in every building the fortress. I followed Rick Steves' advice and tried to picture it back in the height of its glory--with colored walls, functioning fountains and maybe some snake charmers and hookahs attracting the young and old royal Moors.

with my trusty Rick Steves guide at the Alhambra


Alhambra wall detail

friends at Alhambra viewpoint

That evening, the group of us bought some bread, cheese and wine (and cider for me, of course) and relaxed on the terrace on top of our hostel. We got up there around dusk and watched the city turn to lights. An American guy and a Norwegian girl that Ellen had met the previous night came up to join us, and then a couple more girls from England decided our party looked like nice and sat down, too. It was freezing cold, so Tim fetched us blankets and we huddled up together on the couches, laughing and telling stories for hours. Afterwards we went to a little nearby hookah bar then returned to our hostel, dreaming of Arabic poetry.

Sevilla's skies clearing up

Ellen, Biz and I took the next day's bus to Sevilla, the world's Semana Santa destination (it's processions are the best). Sadly, it started raining right after we got there and the processions for the night were cancelled. We all sat in a cafe and wondered what we should do next--our bus to Madrid wasn't leaving till 1:00 that night, and it didn't look like the rain was going to stop. We decided to take a taxi to the bus station to lock up our bags and wait inside for our bus. After being there about ten minutes, the sky started clearing up and we were off to walk along the river, taking silly pictures and singing along to Biz's iPod on the way. The day couldn't have turned out lovelier, with sunbeams streaming through once storm clouds and changing the color of the river every few minutes. Biz and I miss our dear Ellen now--her vibrant personality, and her effervescent laugh.