Granada

Two weekends ago we did a weekend in Granada, in southern Spain. This was a trip planned by the program, so we didn't have to bother with the stress of buying tickets and finding hostels. We stayed in a nice hotel just near the center of Granada. Got there Friday evening, and had all of our meals in the hotel. Saturday we had the option of touring the arab quarters and the old town, or skiing at Sierra Nevada. Logically, I chose to ski. This was the first time I had skied since I broke my arm at Massanutten in 7th grade, so I was a little nervous, but I did surprisingly well and had a blast. On the way up to the slopes, our bus drove through the cloud line, and there in front of us were the most beautiful mountain peaks I have ever seen. We didn't get on the slopes for a few hours, since this place is ridiculously popular and packed full of skiers. Once up the gondola and on the slopes, it was so much fun. But, since it was really sunny, I got an awful burn on my face, complete with the contrasting whiteness where my sunglasses had been. They called me "mapache"...raccoon in Spanish. It blistered the day after, and peeled until Friday. No worries, I'm pretty again. And will be wearing sunscreen everywhere from here on out.
Sunday we toured La Alhambra, which was breathtakingly beautiful, even in February. It's been pretty awesome to see all these buildings/sights that I had to study in my history of architecture classes way back in first year.