Well from the beginning.... Friday August 29th 2009, after a whole summer of packing the suitcases and making sure everything I was bring was at least decently fashionable, Mom and Dad drove me to JFK airport where I boarded a 7 hour flight with 7 other fellow Bucknell friends to Madrid Spain to begin our 4 month long stay in the south of Spain. The plane ride was relatively quick, or at least it felt like the time went by a lot sooner than most flights. Maybe it was because of the on demand movies and music that each seat was given. So while listening to a Rascal Flatts album, I sat back, relaxed and began to think of the one the once in a lifetime oportunity that I was about to undertake.
Well before I knew it, we arrived in Madrid Barajas International Airport, where the supposed-to-be-jet-lagged group appeared excited to begin the adventure. After picking up our luggage... no problems..Thank God!.. at leaving the airport, we went outside to find Professor McKinney. There we greeted each other, spoke our first words of Spanish, and boarded our 5 hour bus ride to our final destination city... Granada.! Although I tried to stay up to catch a glimpse of beautiful Spain, the bumps in the road and the lack of sleep on the plane, soon put me to sleep.
We arrived in Granada around 5 pm and first checked into a hotel to for the first 2 nights there, to get some rest and settle in. The hotel was gorgeous! Hotel Basilios was once a convent and was now turned into a modern hotel, which still kept its original charm and historic character. That night we had a group dinner with Professor McKinney, his wife and kids, and Fatima our Bucknell en Espana director. I was at first taken back when I met Fatima for the first time. She wasn't what I expected her to look like. I pictured a older, heavier, short women, but instead i was proven wrong. Fatima is young, pretty, in her upper thirties and literally one of the nicest people you will ever meet. She is easy to talk with and truly cares about all of us, making sure we feel comfortable, teaching us a whole bunch about Spanish culture and traditions, and helping us each step along the way.
The first two nights we ate a restaurant called Bordeaux. It was amazing. I couldn't wait to eat authentic spanish cuisine. For those of you who all know me... I love to eat!!!
We had calamari over roasted potatoes which were amazing. The calamari was so tender and light, probably the best calamari I have ever eaten. To wash it all down, we had some sangria. Literally my favorite drink. For those who don't know what it is, its red wine and Fanta limon (like sprite) and various pieces of fruit, normally peaches or oranges are tossed in as well. The drink is not strong at all and is just all-around enjoyable to eat.
Following dinner, Fatima and professor McKinney, took us to the center of Granada, to "la fuente de las batallas" to see the night life. I could walk around without a smile on my face. The city was gorgeous at night and at that moment I couldn't believe that I would be studying here for a whole week. After about an hour of exploring we returned to the hotel and went to bed.
No comments:
Post a Comment