GRANADA...en la vida no hay pena mas grande que ser ciego en Granada

the quote that says the biggest shame in life is to be blind in Granada is true. I'm not the biggest fan of "love" these days but this city makes you fall in love with it, and with life.

This trip was two things for me...

1. I had a meeting there for potential partnership for Globally Grounded.

2. It's the city that affected me most when I was in Spain 9 years ago when I studied abroad for the first time and I couldn't leave Spain without seeing it one more time.

All the feelings I felt when I was 20 were brought back to life in the gardens of the Alhambra, or walking around at night at the Mirador San Nicolas listening to the Spanish guitar...or watching the faces of the women dancing flamenco in the flamenco cave.

the meeting was successful and excited me again about my studies, and about the future that is in store for young people that participate in Globally Grounded programs.

When I arrived in Granada Sunday morning, it was 9am and I hadn't slept much the night before. As soon as I arrived at the hotel I napped until lunch time.

I headed out to the street known as NAVAS which is a street that is lined with tapas bars. I finally decided to try my luck with one because I thought of Sarah and the great food I had in Galicia with her...and my new addiction...croquetas caseras. They are croquetes with deliciousness inside and I WILL learn how to make them!! It was nice chatting it up with the bartenders and stuffing my face with queso manchego, and croquetas.



After lunch, I decided to walk off my food and enjoy the city for the afternoon. Check out the sites in and around Granada...









this was weird but I thought it was an interestingly artistic way to keep people out of this area...if that's actually even what it was for.

As you might have noticed from other posts, I'm really in love with graffiti art. There are so many different styles and it's amazing to see it all over the world and how different and similar the works are.



This is the area where all of the shops are located.


After walking around for hours, I decided to go on a night tour and a flamenco show. On the tour of the city and the flamenco show...




I love seeing a city lit up at night by something so beautiful and just checking out the stars...

view from El Mirador de San Nicolas

This is written all over the city as are a whole bunch of things but I liked this one because it's true, and I hate cigarettes.

Flamenco time...










the following day was my meeting day and we met from 9am-11pm but it was an amazing meeting and I got to see the Alhambra again after 9 years. No matter how many times you see it, the beauty and magic of the place never changes...

okay now...you see this box??? well it's where the leones of the patio de los leons used to be. Of course when I am there again they are restoring the leones... :(

I don't know what they do or don't do to the water that runs through that fountain but it feels so amazing on your skin, especially in the hot Granada sun...

I know I already said it before but I truly believe that even if you've known romance...you've never experienced it like you experience it when you're in Granada. I very much alone on my trip to Granada but even alone I could feel the power of romance in the gardens, in the amazing flowers in bloom all over the walls and trellises. You feel like you stepped into another world, into another time.

Okay so ... this is tagged all over Barcelona...I know what the words mean but like WHAT DOES THIS MEAAAN? We were trying to discuss this philosophically one Sunday afternoon and we got no where...anyone with insight? otherwise to me it's going to just mean 'beauty is your head' which is kinda strange....

Granada remains everything it was to me and more. I had a weird weekend experience there, did a lot of thinking, there was disappointment, there was pain butt i had a lot of good come from that time away right before the big return to the U.S. and no matter what goes on now that my time in Spain is over...I always have this as a reference for how beautiful the world is and am blessed to be able to honestly say...que en la vida no hay pena mas grande que ser ciego en Granada.

GRANADA

Granada, calle de Elvira, donde viven las manolas, las que se van a la Alhambra,
las tres y las cuatro solas.

Una vestida de verde, otra de malva, y la otra, un corselete escocés
con cintas hasta la cola.

Las que van delante, garzas la que va detrás, paloma, abren por las alamedas
muselinas misteriosas.

¡Ay, qué oscura está la Alhambra!

¿Adónde irán las manolas mientras sufren en la umbría el surtidor y la rosa?

¿Qué galanes las esperan? ¿Bajo qué mirto reposan? ¿Qué manos roban perfumes
a sus dos flores redondas?

Nadie va con ellas, nadie; dos garzas y una paloma. Pero en el mundo hay galanes
que se tapan con las hojas.

La catedral ha dejado bronces que la brisa toma; El Genil duerme a sus bueyes
y el Dauro a sus mariposas.

La noche viene cargada con sus colinas de sombra; una enseña los zapatos
entre volantes de blonda;la mayor abre sus ojos y la menor los entorna.

¿Quién serán aquellas tres de alto pecho y larga cola?

¿Por qué agitan los pañuelos? ¿Adónde irán a estas horas?

Granada, calle de Elvira, donde viven las manolas, las que se van a la Alhambra,
las tres y las cuatro solas.


volveré a enamorarme más algún día...hasta entonces España