Andalucía: Part 1

Since our first major cultural tour of the year ended two weeks ago, it's probably about time for an update. I've decided to split this trip into a couple of posts.

So on this trip I really got to know the people in ESDES really well. Sometimes, there are some that seem to think we're still in high school, i.e., when several guys and I got on the bus to start the trip, there were more seats saved than there were people on the trip. Seriously? But for the most part, everyone here is amazing in their own way and I'm really, really happy with the group.



Epic cathedrals demand epic organs.

So Monday morning we all got in the bus to start our trip. The teacher gave us an itinerary of the trip which included a list of all the students. It was here that I realized the gender ratio. In our group, there are sixteen (16) guys and FORTY (40) girls. Now I know my mother and grandmothers are reading this, and I know what they're thinking and the answer is NO. But anyway, we headed out. It was a couple hours to our first city, Granada. When we arrived, we checked out the cathedral, which was gorgeous, large, beautiful, yada yada. It was neat while we were there, but this would become a standard as I later found out. What I thought was cool though, was that it took three centuries to finish it. Can you imagine how many people lived and died working on its construction? And I got to see the finished product without doing a thing. I felt proud about that.


The Alhambra looked amazing, but new friends are hard to beat.



So when that was done, we got some free time for food and what not. Some friends and I found a Greek type hole-in-the-wall place. All of us ended up getting "Shawarmas." They're like gyros you'd find in America except....well honestly they're just like gyros you'd find in America, and they were outstanding. I'm consistently finding that Greek kebab-type joints are the cheapest and tastiest places around. Methinks a future trip to Greece shall be in order.So we were told to be back at the hotel by ten. Not for curfew, but we apparently had an excursion planned. I wouldn't know though, I promptly lost the itinerary as soon as we got to the hotel. We had a tour through an old Arabic village. It was a sweet experience, especially at night. It ended with us looking at the Alhambra, which was all lit up and fancified. I loved it, plain and simple.



Awaiting the dancers.



So after all that, our group was led to this Flamenco club-like place. At the time, there was a group already inside. Eager to get in ourselves, we huddled around the door, awaiting our turn. I'm not sure what started it, but as the European tourists slowly trickled out, we treated them like celebrities. Half of us pulled out cameras and as they exited we took pictures (mostly for the flash) and loudly cheered. They gave us high-fives and cheered back. I like to think we gave them a weird story to give to their grandkids. It was magical. Anyway, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but I had seen Flamenco once before and was excited about it. A couple years ago I went to a show in Lincoln. It was basically tap dancing with fancy outfits and Spanish music. We were led into a small cave-like room filled with chairs and interesting art. A guy came and took drink orders as we sat down. Then the dancers came. Ya know, I've always seen myself finding a girl that's smart, funny, beautiful, nice, outgoing, fun to be around, and who can cook a cottage cheese loaf like my mom's. But if she lacks any or all of these qualities and is a Spanish Flamenco dancer....yeah, I could definitely go for that. Anywho, there were four women and two guys, as well as another guy playing guitar and singing in the Spanish style. It was a lot like what I'd seen in Lincoln, but now up close. The way the women swish their dresses, how fast the guys spin and tap their shoes, it was truly something to behold. But the experience was way more than just the dancing though.

It wasn't until the second dancer was finished where it hit me how special this really was. The show I saw in Lincoln was good, better than the show these six dancers gave us actually. But the atmosphere of this place blows my other Flamenco experience out of the water. As we walked in, we could see in to the bar, where there was a faint scent of cigarette smoke coming through. It was the type of place where you just knew there were some 50-ish-year-old Spaniards in the back room puffing some 'gars and playing some cards. Classic as well as classy. And here I was, sitting in a tiny room with fifty friends, sipping some sodas, listening to Spanish guitar the way it's supposed to sound, watching native Spaniards share their culture with us through dance. This was all around one in the morning as well, an incredibly surreal experience. When I came to Europe, I was excited to see the big cities, to see the sites I've heard about so much. But the forty-five minutes I spent here are something I think I'll remember more than hearing the chime of Big Ben on Westminster Bridge and more than seeing all of Paris from the top of the Eiffel. It was an exceptional start to the trip and I couldn't wait to see what the rest held.