The Lay of the Land

Last night, despues mi siesta, my host mother asked if I would like to accompany her and my host father on a walk around El Albaicín, the old city of Granada. 

History time: Granada was the last city in Spain to be ruled by Arabs. There are still many Arabic buildings which are tremendously beautiful. However, there is only one mosque left because the Catholics turned them all into Catholic churches. 

We drove el coche the top of a hill with a spectacular view of the city. 

And here's me playing tourist.

When the Arabs ruled Granada, they built a wall around the city. The wall is no longer there, but there are still some stretches in tact along with the brilliant puerta (which I wish I had taken a picture of).

Along with Arab influence, there is also a lot of Moroccan culture as well. Lining the calles of El Albaicín are countless Moroccan shops selling leather bags, teas, traditional clothing, and MUCH more. 

Of course I had to take a picture (or rather have my host mother take a picture of me looking like a total tourist). 

I was very happy to find out that my host parents love walking. My host mother even said (well, it was in Spanish do I think she said) about walking around the city, "This is our gym."

We ended up walking around for dos horas! It was a blast and I got a ton of exercise (hay muchas hills!). 

All the time we were walking, my host father told me about the history of Granada. He would first tell me in Español, and if I didn't understand he would repeat it in English. 

That's basically been the system around here- Spanish and then English. It's working well and I think my Spanish is improving a already (only an ippy-tiny bit though). 

This morning, I woke up at 8:30, which apparently is early (my host brother, Samuel, asked me "Why do you get up so early??"). 

Since I was up-and-at-'em already, I took a shower and read some of The Catcher in the Rye (which I am loving, by the way). My host mom then made me some toast with her homemade blueberry jam (YUM) accompanied by some apple juice. 

Now, I am home alone because my host brothers are out (one has classes, the other is taking his driving test), my host father is at work, and my host mother had to run a few errands. 

I went out on the balcony for a while...I have not yet gotten used to how stunning Granada is. Even the part that I am living in which is much newer is gorgeous! 

 ( I found that I have been utilizing the Panorama function on my phone's camera a lot more often since I've been here.)

That is all for now, much more to come. 

Muchas gracias!