On Sunday, I boarded a tour bus along with my classmates and Study abroad coordinators. In the beginning, I was a bit apprehensive and not elated at all about the journey, especially since our departure time was scheduled for 6:45 a. m., and Spain clocks had just gone up an hour that same morning So with an apprehensive mind and a sleepy demeanor I boarded the bus. The good thing about the ride was that students could sleep for an additional 2.5 hours before our arrival in Granada, and sleep is exactly what I did.
Midway, the bus driver pulled into a gasoline and mini market station to allow us to take a 15 minute bathroom break. The second students walked off the bus, it began to pour down raining. Wow I thought, what a horrible trip this is going to be. What I didn’t know was that I was about to experience one of the most amazing times in my life. After arriving in Granada, I began to hear excitement filled voices resonating through the tour bus from other students. As I sat up to gaze out the window of the tour bus, I was immediately presented with the most amazing structures I had yet to witness while in Spain. My prejudgment of the city was quickly fading away. I quickly searched for my camcorder and cellular telephone. I didn’t care which one captured the amazing structures, but I knew that I had to start capturing the view of this beautiful city.ย
Our first stop after exiting the tour bus was to meet up with our tour guides. After that we separated into groups of three. it was still raining as we began our journey, but I was hopeful that the sun would come out for us.
As we walked to the city center, our tour guide began to provide us with the history of Spain in order for us to understand how the unique structures in Granada came into play. In our Student Life and Culture class in Seville, we had already learned about the reign of the Moors, Islamic, and Visigoths in Spain that inspired their structures. But in Granada we began to learn how the Arabic culture had a major influence in their customs, structures, and culture.
After walking around Granada for about two hours, students were allowed to take a lunch and personal discovery break before we gathered again for the second half of our tour. I believe our tour guide took us to monuments based on not only their importance to the culture, but also based on the aesthetic appearance. Once we arrived at the Alhambra, most of the students and coordinators were completely soaked from head to toe due to the consistent downpour of rain that we had endured. However, by the end of the tour, I couldn’t tell if I was soaked from the rain or the constant tears of joy that fell from my eyes.
