Two weekends ago (Already! Delayed posting this time....sorry!) was a wonderful 5-day long holiday, because of the 6th and 8th both being holidays, making Monday an extra one off. Usually on Fridays we have meetings with parents, do admin and prep work, but instead, we had the day off, so it was lucky and wonderful!
I had planned a while ago to head down and visit Ramon and Isabel in Granada, so off I went on Friday morning, catching the 7am train down to Madrid. It was a comfy ride, despite it being about 5 hours, but at least they had a movie playing. :) Luckily, Ramon and Isabel were just coming back from a roadtrip to the south of France with some friends, and stopped to visit their daughter Mabel in Madrid. So we had arranged to meet all there and that saved me from a long bus ride by myself down south. Instead, I met up with them and we drove down slowly, stopping for lunch on the way at a truckstop-hotel/restaurant, which had decent, quick, and large-portioned food. :) Further along, we went to Guarroman, a village in Jaen, to buy some famous hojadres, a local specialty sweet. After a three course lunch, I was totally stuffed but had to try the famous delicacy! ;D
We arrived in Granada around 8pm and of course proceeded to have some dinner an hour or so later.....I knew this was the start of a few days of busy eating!
Granada means pomegranate in Spanish--and these ones are fabulous because you can eat the entire thing rather than just the fleshy bits around the small seeds!! Unlike the ones we find in Canada....
Ramon, Isabel and their son Raimon
The family plus Isabel's mom, who came for lunch one day
Other member of the family--Ketta
Isabel preparing another yummy meal
The next day, we woke to a day of nice sunshine, but brisk temperatures--welcome to the wintery streets of the Spanish mountains! People always think that southern Spain is all about warmth and summer, but Granada is surrounded by the Sierra Nevada, so the altitude is noticeably colder.
Look, there is snow up in the mountains!!
I was prepared with my winter jacket, though in the sunshine of the day, it was quite nice and not super chilly.
One of the narrow streets in the Albaicin, the Jewish neighbourhood
Over the weekend, we took advantage of the daytime sunshine and walked through the beautiful old areas of Granada, last stronghold of the Moorish kings before they were pushed out by the Catholic royalty way back in the time. A wonderful variety of Arabic treasures such as:
the ever-charming and amazing Alhambra
and remnants of past times hidden in the streets, as well as the Jewish quarters pictured above. The locals and tourists flooded out into the streets to head into the old town to take advantage of the perfect weather, and traffic was pretty crazy, despite it being a Sunday afternoon....
It always amazes me how these taxi and bus (the red thing at the back of this photo) drivers navigate the narrow streets, coping with tight turns, bumpy roads and pedestrians left, right and centre..... I only bow in admiration as they fold in their side-mirrors... ;)
The city centre was buzzing as well, with shoppers, diners and others hanging out in the streets. In one of the main squares, they had set up a Christmas market with various kiosks of artisans, and a tent showcasing a big nativity scene (very typical here in Spain).
One evening we decided to do something other than walk around town, and headed to the local mall and went bowling. Here, Ramon is not super pleased about getting his butt-kicked by us. :) He was missing out on getting the strikes that we were lucking out on!
Tuesday I caught the bus super early at 7am, to arrive in Madrid by noon. Met up quickly with a friend from Salamanca, who is now studying in Madrid, and we caught up a little bit before I took the train back to Santander. If only every weekend was a 5 day one.... ;)
And now, some miscellaneous photos from Santander.....
Sunrise as seen from our flat....this was around 8am. It always surprises me that the sun rises later here than back home...just like the people's habits! :D
The main building of Banco Santander all lit up at night
A Christmas tree in the middle of one of the main squares
The cathedral (which I still have to visit...)So last weekend (the one that just passed) I explored a bit more of Cantabria and got to know two places close by:
Number one, Santillana del Mar.....
Look at the cute little old-style Banco Santander!! :)
What is it eating?
Number two little town, Comillas.....
Always surrounded by the sea--one thing that makes Cantabria oh so wonderful! :)
One of the upcoming-best places to study Spanish in the country
El Capricho, another work by the country's pride and joy, Antoni Gaudi, created in the early 1880s, in Neo-mudejar style. Now a gift shop and restaurant, which unfortunately can't be accessed unless you are a paying customer....
The days leading to Christmas are being filled with exam creation/giving/marking, report cards, Christmas activity planning, some shopping and get-togethers, and vacation planning! So lots to do and not enough time before it all comes down to the end!
Dec 22nd is the day of the national lottery "El Gordo" (literally the fatty....the big one....)--I hope to win it all and start the new year with a bunch of Euros in my pocket, updating my blog from around the globe... ;) Travelling can be expensive at times, but dreaming is always free!!
Hey Noreen! Thanks for the great pictures - it looks nice and cozy in Spain:) We've had a bit of snow, some rain and cold temperatures! But nothing to stop us from going for walks with the strollers! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2010! Adeline and her men
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