"Si, pero, no me importa si me gusta. Lo que es importante es si te gusta."
Probably my favorite words of wisdom from a local in Ronda. What these beautiful words basically translate to is me asking a random adorable elderly man if he likes Ronda and him responding, that yes, he likes it but it doesn't matter if he likes it, what matters is if I like it.
Why did I like this quote so much? Because it's true. Everyone likes different things and there is absolutely nothing wrong with liking something that someone else doesn't or having a different opinion of something. But yes, I did like Ronda, I liked it a lot.
I took this trip with four other girls, Maaren, Kara, Lauren (girls from Madison that I had not known before this trip) and another friend in my program, Kelsey (who is from Oregon).
Our trip started early Friday morning with a nice bus ride to Granda. Unfortunately, the bus ride was a little longer than I anticipated and with about 90 minutes left in the ride, I had to go to the bathroom. Now, yes, there was a bathroom in the bus, but for some reason it was locked. The bus driver insisted that it was open but after multiple attempts to open it, I can say with certainty that it was locked. Fortunately, I made it to Granada, ran out of the bus and into the station to the nearest bathroom.
We took a bus to the center of Granda and successfully made it to our hostel without getting too lost. We checked in and they brought us complimentary coffee and juices. I absolutely loveeeee hostels. I've only had one real hostel experience before and it was in the Everglades, one of the coolest places I've ever stayed. This hostel in Granada was pretty neat as well! It was very spunky! I just love the idea of hostels, people from all over the world using common space...it's just such a neat environment!
After settling in our room, we got ready and headed off the La Alhambra. La Alhambra is one of the most visited attractions (2nd or 3rd most I think) in Europe! It is a huge ancient palace and it contains traces of the Muslim, Jewish and Christian religions. It was honestly one of the most beautiful things I've seen in my entire life.
After La Alhambra we went out to eat at a Moroccan restaurant, which was actually delicious! We decided that Friday would be our "night out," and we had heard from some friends to check out a fun discoteca. We wanted to go out, however, we weren't quite feeling the "going out" attire. So, we decided to wear out Nike gym shoes to the club. I'm honestly quite surprised they let us in, but let me tell you that was the best decision we ever made. So comfortable! However, I'm sure I looked absolutely ridiculous in my high wasted jeans, tank top and cardigan, and bright blue nikes with neon yellow laces. I'm still happy with the decision.
Saturday, we woke up and went to a small cafe near our hostel for breakfast/lunch. It was absolutely delicious and hit the spot! We then did a little bit of wandering around the city. We went to the Moroccan Markets and did some bartering for goods, I felt like I was back in Mexico when I would barter for cheap souvenirs. We then hit up the Jewish neighborhood and did a little tour of a free history museum. It was a relaxing afternoon! After some more exploring of the neighborhood we went back to our hostel and got ready for dinner. We first went to a spot called "St. Nicholas" which had a great view of La Alhambra at sunset. We then found a restaurant to go to for dinner. In Granda, it's a thing where if you order a drink, you get a free Tapas. The hostel recommended we go to this restaurant because they do this for you. However, they brought out one tapa after we had finished our meal and could not eat any more! (We expected it as an appetizer and were slightly disappointed). However, the food was fantastic!
We called it an early night because we had a 6:45 train to catch for our trip to Ronda! We got up early, caught a taxi and made our way to the station! It was a pretty easy trip to Ronda and once we got there we really had no clue where we were. Also, since it was Sunday, it seemed that everything was closed. We were wandering down an empty street and a woman came up to us and asked us what we were looking for. Of course, we replied COMIDA (FOOD)! She was so sweet, she directed us to a cute little cafe and we had a wonderful breakfast! We then went to el centro and got a map of the city. It's such a cute town, right in the mountains with a famous huge bridge with a waterfall underneath! We all went on a little hike down to get a nice view of the bridge/ waterfall. I wanted to continue hiking, and so did Maaren so we went on a little adventure through the trails, hill, and little towns of Ronda. (This is where we met the little old man who said the wonderful quote posted above). This hike was quite the workout and I will most definitely be sore in the morning!
After the hike we all met up and had lunch at a cafe in the city (yummy)! We then got some chocolate truffles (subpar). Maaren and I decided to do a little more exploring before we had to get back on the bus! We found this cute little gardens/cave that would take you to the bottom of the cliffs. There was an advertisement saying the Michelle Obama had been there, so we thought it was worth the visit! It was 4 Euros, but I of course tried to barter with the man saying we were poor college students. He said he couldn't change the price but was nice and asked where we were from. We said the states and he asked which one, and Maaren replied Wisconsin. He then said that his girlfriend is from Wisconsin! Actually a town super close to where Maaren is from. What a small world! Best part about the story, he then told us we could go in for free! It was actually super cool! We went through a cave and got to the bottom of the cliff and had an awesome view! We then went back up did a little more wandering/ exploring! We also ran into two of my friends Becca and Sheila who were visiting Ronda for the day as well!
We then had to get going and catch our bus (which was 30 minutes late...spanish time...ahhh.) But we made it back, and just in time for dinner with Virginia! She prepared a wonderful meal and we talked about our weekends!
All in all, it was a great trip! So cool to see some other cities in Spain and how different they are from Sevilla. Sevilla is definitely still my favorite, and I love calling it home :)
Other notes from the trip: When we bought our train tickets and our alhambra tickets we said we had a carnet joven, which we thought was just a student ID, because it gave us a discount...apparently not! I guess it's something that only Europeans could have so we ran into a little trouble with that. Everything in Granada is named after la alhambra..the main brand of beer there, the restaurants, cafes, everything. There is a chain called Pan y Chocolate (Bread and Chocolate) in Granada...two of my fave food groups....I went there 3 times within our 2 day stay...no shame. I had tortialla for 4 meals within 3 days...again...no shame. Took a fabulous shower at the hostel...no time constraints and hot water, some of the little things you take for granted!!
Sending Smiles From Sevilla,
Rebecca
Granada! The little creek/ river that ran through the town! and a famous statue/ fountain!
Some of the Moroccan Markets! I loveeeed the lamps and so badly wanted to buy one, but never would have been able to get it back safely!
My heaven.
Found the Spanish Jews!
Our spunky hostel!
Moroccan veggie food at a super cool restaurant!
La Alhambra views!
RONDA!
That's right. I went to the same exhibit as MICHELLE OBAMA. haha
Just showing off my awesome tourist/hiking outfit: (fake) leather jacket, pashmina (2.5 euro scarf), yellow sweatshirt, leggings, and bright blue nikes! I stripped off layers throughout the day... as you'll see in the photos!
An awesome group for an awesome trip!
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