Granada

Happy November, everyone! I'm officially done with midterms, and Ben (my boyfriend) is coming TOMORROW... Needless to say, I am a very very happy girl right now!

Last weekend, I went to Granada with my study abroad group. We have such awesome excursions included in our program, and Granada definitely did not disappoint. It was such an amazing city- more beautiful than I could have ever imagined!

Granada is very hilly, as it's located right at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains. The hilly terrain makes it a lot different than Sevilla, which also means that it tends to be a bit colder there. Granada also has a stronger Moroccan influence than Sevilla, perhaps because it was the last Moorish city to be conquered during the Spanish "Reconquista" (Reconquest), when the Christians reclaimed the Muslim areas in Spain. 

We arrived in Granada on Friday around 1:30. After getting settled in our hotel rooms, we headed to the city center to get some lunch. Granada is known for serving tapas (appetizers) for free with every drink you order. I was expecting this to mean something very small, so I was surprised when plates of meat, sandwiches, sausage, and lots of bread were brought out. Yes, the drinks were a bit more expensive than in Sevilla, but Sevilla is exceptionally cheap. We got most of our drinks, tapas included, for less than three euros. Pretty awesome deal! 

We "tapa-hopped" a bit, and ended up having a pretty complete lunch, which also meant a 4 p.m. buzz, but hey, it was vacation!

Alex and me at the second tapas bar with "Alhambra" beer--the beer of choice in Granada

After tapas, we did some exploring and shopping. There were so many cool shops with interesting lamps, ceramics, tapestries, scarves, and other souvenirs. These shops definitely had a different vibe than souvenir shops in Sevilla. Instead of things about toros (bullfighting) and flamenco, Granada had a lot more artistic and Moroccan, as I mentioned before.

We met up with our program directors in the late afternoon, and they brought us to a few sights around the city center, including the main cathedral. Our final stop was for some churros and chocolate- on them! We were served more churros than we could have even imagined eating, incredibly thick chocolate, and coffee. I highly recommend that anyone who comes to Spain tries churros and chocolate. The churros are very different than anything I've had in the U.S.!

We did a bit more walking around before heading back to our hotel, pausing for a picture below the famous Alhambra of course! 

At night, we met back up with our group to walk over to watch a flamenco show in a cave! Okay, so it was a man-made cave, but it was pretty amazing!

I was one of the last people in, which meant that I got the last seat right next to the stage! The early late bird gets the worm? I took several selfies with the flamenco drummer who was sitting about two feet away from me. No shame.

We danced the night away at a discoteca that had a view of the Alhambra, which we then woke up and visited the next day! 

The Alhambra is a royal palace and fort complex that was originally used by the Muslim royals in Spain. It has since had many additions by the Catholic kings, including extensive and beautiful gardens. It is the most-visited tourist attraction in Spain, and is considered to house the country's most significant Islamic architecture. Although the history in this complex is interesting, the sights were so incredible that I found myself zoning out from the tour to just look around and take pictures. So, here you go- just a small selection of my photos taken there!

Windows

Ceiling

After our trip to the Alhambra, we got some more beer and tapas for lunch while we watched the Barcelona vs. Madrid soccer game in a bar. It's the biggest match-up in Spain, so it was really fun to see the Spaniards' reactions. Then, we walked over to the "tea street." Translated literally to just that, this street was filled with small tea lounges, hookah bars, and shops. We stopped and had some tea and a crepe... it was like a dream come true.

Our tea was called "1001 Nights."

After walking and shopping a bit more, we headed back to the hotel for dinner. We ate quickly, because we were rushing to make our 10 pm ARAB BATH appointment! We went to the Aljibe de San Miguel arab bath, click HERE to see some pictures, because it was absolutely amazing! Three of my friends and I enjoyed an hour and a half of relaxation. There were seven baths that we got to alternate among; six were variations of warm and hot, and one was cold. We also each got a 15-minute massage. It was so relaxing to just sit and close my eyes and reflect on how lucky and content I was both in that moment and overall here in Spain.

The next morning we hopped on the bus and drove an hour and a half to the Torcal de Antequera, a nature reserve in the Sierra del Torcal mountain range in Málaga Province. We went on a short hike and had a bocadillo (sandwich) picnic. It was such a unique place, and worthwhile stop on the way back home to Sevilla.

We got back to Sevilla around 5 pm on Sunday, and so commenced the studying... kind of. My midterms were all pretty easy. Yay for "college"!! 

Until next time,

A

An Amateur's Guide to Spanish Fashion

I started writing this post yesterday, which was a rainy, rainy day in Sevilla. Compared to a 45 degree high today in Chicagoland, though, I can't complain. I wore a light sweater for the first time this fall. As much as I've been enjoying the warm weather here in Sevilla, it was so nice to feel the cool, autumn breeze yesterday morning when I rode my bike to the elementary school where I've been volunteering.

This week, I decided to write about something that is near and dear to my heart... FASHION! ;) I've always loved fashion, and it has continued to be a "hobby" for me in Spain. I have really enjoyed observing how Spaniards dress, and I've taken a few too many trips down the two main shopping streets: Calle Tethuan and Calle Sierpes. It probably doesn't help that they're only a 10 minute bike ride away from my apartment...

In true "Ailie style," I tried to do some research about Spanish fashion before I came to Spain. I didn't have much luck figuring out what people actually wear on a daily basis, so it's been fun seeing the different styles and comparing them to the U.S.

Many of the styles aren't too different than in the U.S. The only difference is that almost everyone dresses super trendy. At first I thought maybe it was just because I had never really lived downtown in a city, but I've come to the conclusion that that doesn't explain it all. Spaniards just know how to dress. So, here we go. 5 and a half weeks worth of observations put in to my very own "Guide to Spanish Fashion."

The most popular stores here in Sevilla for 20-somethings:

See some familiar names? I had been to Zara, Mango, and H&M in the States many times, but they seem have entirely different selections here in Spain. My personal favorites are Zara and Pull & Bear. I've also had fun walking through small boutiques.

Now you know where the Spanish fashionistas are shopping, but what exactly are they wearing? Here are a few trends I've picked up on in my time here.

First, I've seen a lot of women wearing light-washed jeans, which is something I don't see too often in the U.S.

A style I really like while the season here in Andalucia is still transitioning from Summer to Fall is a light neutrals look. All of the stores have fall clothes out, but it's still been anywhere from 75 to 90-something degrees in the past couple weeks. Therefore, Spanish women find creative ways to mix and match pieces to stay cool, and light colors seem to help on the bright, sunny days.

Some other popular items are chambray, shirts with words/quotes on them (usually in English or sometimes French--almost NEVER in Spanish even at Spanish stores), and skorts.

As in the U.S., leather/pleather can be seen in all forms. Leather isn't reserved for purses, shoes, and jackets. I see a lot of leather shorts, skirts, pants, and shirts. A more surprising trend that I've seen a lot in the stores here is plaid. I guess the 90's trend is big in the U.S., too, but I'm not used to seeing anything other than button-downs or flannels in plaid. 

Slouchy pants are also HUGE here, either printed or solid. As seen on Kristin Cavallari (Cutler) below, this is also a trend in the U.S., but I think it is a style that women can wear for a bit longer here to stay cool in the heat without wearing a skirt or dress.

As far as shoes go, Vans seem to be a popular choice for people around my age. Sevilla is a very walkable city, but that often means a 25 minute walk multiple times a day. That doesn't keep people from wearing heels, though. It seems like most women over about 30 wear heels almost every day. Now that boot season is rolling around, however, I've been seeing more flat shoes.

That's all I've got for now, everyone. I've wanted to start a street style blog for a few years now. I'm considering doing a post a week on here with some street style photos, as long as I can muster up the courage to ask random people in Spanish if I can take a picture of them... What do you guys think? Comment & let me know! :)

-A

Photo sources:

http://belayanastya.tumblr.com/post/23725784134

http://www.fashforfashion.com/2013/05/deardiary-fashion_3.html

http://www.pursuitofshoes.com/2013/09/pursuitgoestony-bien-fait.html#_a5y_p=987980

http://chicisimo.com/outfit/biker-y-cuadros/

http://www.pullandbear.com
http://weheartit.com/entry/81705195/explore?context_user=LinFaWindy&page=5

Portugal

Last weekend, I went on one of the most incredible trips of my life to the south of Portugal. I traveled with 5 of my friends through a company called We Love Spain. I can't even begin to describe how incredibly beautiful Portugal is... It definitely was the most beautiful place I've ever seen. The cliffs, caves, rock formations, beautiful turquoise/clear water, mountains... It was all so amazing.

The bus ride from Sevilla to Albufeira, the town where we stayed, was about 3 hours. After getting settled and changed into our swimsuits, we met back up with our group for a boat tour. The boat tour consisted of a one hour BYOB ride on a pirate ship along the coast of Albufeira and a one hour speed boat ride through caves, arches, and along the coast, as well.

During our pirate ship ride, the drivers stopped to let us all jump in. The water was pretty cold, but it was refreshing and such a beautiful turquoise color. We brought some local beer, listened to music, and sat on the top deck in the warm Portuguese sun. :)

Post-jump with my "Sagres" beer

Pirates?!

The speed boat ride was also very fun. We were all just so happy the whole time. It was a perfect mid-80s day- we really couldn't have asked for anything more.

When we got back to our hotel, we ended up going to a nearby supermarket to buy some food for breakfast and lunch, since we stayed in apartment-style hotels with full kitchens. We decided to save money on breakfast and lunch so that we could go out to dinner and enjoy some local cuisine. And, boy, did we go for it! On Friday night, I had a delicious swordfish with a ton of onions on it. It was very delicious and fresh. (My real taste of Portugal came the next night, though. Get ready for it several pictures down...)

After dinner, we went on a bar tour with our group. At the first bar, there was a Michael Jackson impersonator who was actually very good. He didn't even lip-synch! He called up my friend Caroline on the stage, and she worked it as a back-up dancer!

Caroline & MJ

Caroline, Kathleen, Olivia, & me at the second bar where we danced the night away!

After a minimal amount of sleep, we woke up and met our group. We headed to a magical place called Cabo San Vincente in Sagres, Portugal. Cabo San Vincente was known as the "End of the World" before the Age of Discovery, since it is the farthest southwestern point in Portugal. 

It was so incredible! Just quite cold...

Creative poses at the End of the World ;)

We hopped back on the bus and drove to Lagos, Portugal, where we spent a few hours at Dona Ana Beach. It was a bit cloudy and cold, but the sights were so beautiful we didn't care! The water was really clear, and there were a ton of cool rock formations and caves.

There was a cute restaurant at the beach where we went for some tea, coffee and dessert. I got a plate of kiwis for "dessert" (it really was on their dessert menu) and some mint tea. It was perfect!

We left the beach and made a stop at Ponta do Piedade, an absolutely unbelievable lookout point. After taking some pictures, we climbed up to the top of a rock point. I'm not usually too afraid of heights, but it was pretty small up at the top. It made it even more exciting though!

Our bus then departed for the nearby city center of Lagos, where we had two hours of free time to walk around and eat dinner. 

After getting lost on our way to the restaurant where we originally wanted to go only to find out it was closed, we asked some guys in a surf shop where to eat. The place they recommended ended up being one of the most memorable dining experiences ever! It was called The Garden, and we ate outside on a uniquely-decorated patio.

The fish of the day was sea bass, which I had never tried. I decided to just go for it, because "when in Portugal," right? I had a glass of wine and a delicious "Sex on the Beach" cocktail (good decision). When the waitress brought out my dinner, I was a bit surprised to see a whole fish, eyes and tail included, on my plate. I had never eaten a whole fish before, and was a little nervous about it. It ended up being one of the best fish I'd ever had. I was happy with my choice and proud of myself. (I immediately told my mom and dad! Haha!)

We drove back to Albufeira and went out on another bar tour that night. It was very fun, and I broke my personal record for "latest night out ever." Still proud of me, Mom and Dad?

Thankfully, since we didn't have to meet our group until 1:00pm, we got a decent night's sleep in preparation for our last day. On Sunday, we went to Dos Pescadores Beach in the city center of Albufeira. This beach was a bit busier than the other areas we had been to. When we got down to the shore, we were greeted by a water activities cabana that offered activities such as parasailing, jet-skiing, and banana boating. I had never been parasailing before, but I had always wanted to try it. Three of my friends wanted to do it as well, so we spontaneously decided to just go for it... BEST. DECISION. EVER.

We hopped on a boat and went out to sea. My friend Caroline and I were up first. I wasn't too nervous, but I just didn't know what to expect. After getting strapped in and hooked up to the parachute, we sat down at the end of the boat, and... up we went! We went up so much higher than I thought we were going to. I had seen people parasailing on many vacations before, but I don't honestly think I've ever seen anyone go as high up as we did. It was, without a doubt, one of the coolest experiences of my life. We looked down at clear water, long stretches of beaches, and tons of white-washed buildings with red roofs sitting along mountains. 

The Portuguese boat driver had a good time making us go up really high and then stopping so we would slowly descend to the very cold water. We had such a great time cracking up and soaking it all in!

We rode on the boat while our two other friends, Alex and Laura, went parasailing. Back on land, we hung out at the beach for a little while, and then walked around in the city center before hopping on the bus back to Sevilla!

Laura, Caroline, Olivia, Me, Kathleen, Alex

It was such a great weekend that I will remember for the rest of my life! I can't say I'd mind going back some day...

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to my mom and dad for giving me the chance to see this beautiful country. I felt so blessed the whole time I was in Portugal. Can't wait to see you guys in 5 and a half weeks!!

¡Adios!