Week at a Glance

Thursday June 20, 2013

The day was pretty laid back so at night we decided to go and get Sangria and Tapas at Chopp.  It was so delicious.  We ended up not eating until midnight which is normal here.  It was a great experience being surrounded by the locals.

Friday June 21, 2013

After class we took an hour salsa class and an hour merengue class.  They were so much fun!  For the salsa class we did line salsa and learned a short routine.  For the merengue class we had partners and would switch.  We learned a routine and got to practice it with different partners.  I was the guy.  The music and the dancing were so much fun.  It was a great way to connect with the group.  After that I did some homework and studying.

At 11:30 we met in the lobby to go to Boal’s ICEBAR.  We all decided to dress up which was so much fun.  We took a cab and it was about 10 minutes away.  We paid and included were 2 free shots and 2 free mixed drinks.  First we had to put on these huge, furry jackets.  We entered the ice room and it was freezing.  I was wearing sandals and my feet were so cold.  It was a square room and the walls and ceiling were covered in ice with a bar on the side.  It was so cool and we were all taking so many pictures!  Next we walked to the club.  Here there was a lounge outside as well as a room just for dancing.  Laura and I got hungry so we ran next door and shared a sandwich.  After we got drinks and went dancing!  It was SO much fun!  At first the DJ was playing Spanish music, which I enjoyed but then when we took over the dance room he started playing more and more American music.  We were all dancing and having a blast!  We left around 2:30 to head back to the hotel.  It was such a fun and exciting day!  I loved it because it was a new experience.

Saturday June 22, 2013

 Today I met Erik in the lobby at 9:30.  The timing was perfect and I only waited 10 minutes.  I took him to the beach right by our hotel.  I was so proud of myself that I was able to get us down to the beach without getting lost!  We put our feet in the water and took in the rays for a little bit.  Next we walked back to the main street by our hotel and grabbed breakfast.  The orange juice was fresh squeezed and so yummy.  We then took a taxi to the airport to surprise mom and dad.  We figured that dad would be tired and stressed trying to find my hotel so we went to get them.  It was so exciting when they saw us!  After we hugged we went to find our car, which took about 30 minutes.  We finally found where to pick it up and waited on a line that took about and hour and a half.  It was so frustrating.  We finally got our car, which is a White Audi.  We drove to my hotel first to pick up an over night bag and to get Erik’s bag.  From there we went to Mijas Golf Hotel which is about 20 minutes away from my hotel.  The hotel is so beautiful.  We are on the top floor, which means we have our own private roof deck.  The view is also incredible.  We can see the pool and the golf course.

View from the room

 After mom, dad and Erik went to the grocery store and I stayed in the hotel to study.  When they got back we went to the pool.  It was so quiet and relaxing.  After the pool we went upstairs.  We saw the sun set while drinking wine and eating snacks on the deck,  The end to a perfect first day with the family.

Sunday June 23, 2013

Today we woke up at 6:00 am to go to Granada.  This morning it was quiet chilly.  It took us about an hour and fifty minutes to get there.  They only sell 2,000 tickets a day so that is why we got there so early.  Once in Granada we went to Fort Alhambra.  It took us about 4 hours to walk around most of the fort.  It was absolutely beautiful.  The architecture was so intricate and one of a kind.  At 11 we went into Palacios Nazaries.  Each room was so grand and amazing.  The brick kept the rooms nice and cool.  The stone laid on the floor was even done in an intricate patter.  It was exquisite.  The weather was perfect which made the day even better. 

Next we took a taxi to go across town where we got to see the fort from a distance.  The Sierra Nevada Mountains were in the background covered in snow at the top.  It was a beautiful lookout point.

Next we walked down to Centro Nuevo to grab some food.  We had tapas that were so delishious.  We had paella, cured ham and cruquetta.  It was all to die for and so fresh.

We went back to the Fort to get the car and drove home.  We cooled off by the pool and enjoyed the sun.  The sun doesn’t set here until around 9:30 so we really get to enjoy being outside.

Around 6:30 we went to the supermarket and grabbed some food and snacks and then they took me back to my hotel.

I still can’t believe that my family is here and that we pulled it off.  It was an incredible day and everything was so beautiful.

At 11:30 we walked to a beach for San Juan festival.  Alejandro told us it would take 20 minutes to walk there.  We should have learned by now thats Spanish time and it really took 1 hour.  This is a festival to kick off the summer.  At midnight you go into the water for good luck.  I just put my legs in to my knees.  The bonfire was huge and super hot.  The beach was packed for miles.  It was so much fun!!  We walked back to the hotel and stopped for gelato.

Today was a very fun filled day with lots of exciting thing that I experienced!  I am feeling very happy and blessed.