Granada --> Madrid

I cannot believe this trip is ending in two days. I feel like it isn't a trip but my normal life. I spent at least half the bus ride to Madrid today contemplating whether or not this was a bad thing. I think khojas are trained to feel this way. We are such a mix of so many things that we always feel like we belong and always feel like something is missing. Or maybe that's just human beings in general. I think I'll figure out whether or not there is an answer to this one with more traveling. I felt like I was home when I got out of the bus today in Madrid. I could have walked the route home with my eyes shut.

It's funny. Sevilla and Cordoba were nice cities and I thoroughly enjoyed myself in both. But I also felt like I missed Madrid. Then, I got to Granada. What an awesome mix of new-old, traditional-progressive, city-pueblo! I found everything I was looking for in Andalucia there. La Alhambra and Generalife is breathtaking. As is La Catedral. I was unable to take pictures in both locations (very, very dumb rules), but I think I have stored the memory well enough in this little brain of mine. Also, Las Cuevas were not far from La Alhambra. They are these caves in the mountains were gitanos (the original gypsies) live and other squatters. SO awesome. I wish I could have spent a few more hours (at least) there, but the schedule was so tight.

The awesome thing about this trip is how much I'm learning about what to tell other people. Like, in Sevilla, there is a path that takes you through everything in a span of a few hours. Oliver told me about it. Go through Los Jardines de Murillo straight into La Plaza de Santa Cruz (it is small). Take the curve to the left, pass the flamenco studio, and wind through the alleys until you get to the main road, where you make a left. This takes you through the bazaar like area of El Barrio de Santa Cruz and leaves you at the corner of La Catedral and El Alcazar. How awesome is that?!

I have also learned that one does not need three days in Cordoba. Two would have been plenty. Also, who knew the bus ride from Granada to Barcelona was fifteen hours?! Not me. Bus tickets and train tickets need to be bought ahead of time. Going to the station an hour before the bus leaves is never enough time. Most likely, the next two buses will be full. Also, if the trip is on a bus and more than three hours, you can expect a smoke break. If it's closer to five hours, you can expect a half hour lunch or dinner break. I love that Spaniards factor these things into a scheduled transportation routine. These guys have their priorities straight, son!

Also, the only thing that you KNOW will be open in the day during "siesta" hours between 2 and 5 are bars. Even tourist attractions need to be double checked. For example, La Sinagoga in Cordoba? Not open. Same with El Alcazar. Also, if you don't book your Alhambra tickets at least 24 hours in advance, you won't see the monument. Too many people are touring that thing on a daily basis.

Granada is a very young city. There are a lot of universities and students there and the people on the streets are a good mix of both locals and tourists, which is not something I found easily in Sevilla or Cordoba. There were also a LOT more places to catch the games. In the other cities, none of the bar, cafe, or restaurant owners had invested in Canal Liga (the official futbol channel) but in Granada at least fifty percent had. Also, there is a huge Arab population there which contributes to the zeal surrounding the futbol culture in the city. When a game is on, all the Arabs are eating shawarmas in their restaurants, mingling with both locals and tourists, and screaming at Canal Liga. It's awesome.

Speaking of awesome and futbol, when I got into Madrid today, it was about 11:10 PM. I was walking to the metro line that I had to take and was followed the entire way by a group of girls who were also catching the same line. They were covered in yellow and green - their clothes, their skin, their accessories - and were singing the Brazilian national anthem. It was so much fun. They sang it all the way into the metro car (is that what they're called? I'm not sure). I can't believe I had to miss that game! Although, out of yesterday's games, my favorite was DEFINITELY Cameroon versus Denmark. Wow. So close on both sides! At the end of the game, the commentators said, "Y, para Cameroon, ha llegado la hora de decir adios a La Copa Mundial de dos mil diez" (and, for Cameroon, the hour has come where they must say goodbye to The World Cup 2010). I felt so awful for them. Their ball-management was sick, and I haven't seen such a close game in this entire World Cup thus far. That was good futbol. I have a feeling we may not necessarily see France, England, or Spain get anywhere this year. I don't mind, though. Those damn ex-colonial-crazies need a good kick in the pants every once in a while, no?

Okay, enough about soccer. Tomorrow, I am going to wrap up last minute things in Madrid, insha'Allah. Can you believe I have been here for 11 days? Sometimes, that number seems so big and, at other times, so small. I think it still hasn't hit me that I am finally in Spain! After all these years of studying the language, befriending the people. Although, in all fairness, there is a huge difference between Spaniards and Latin Americans. Angela (my host in Granada) said it perfectly this morning: los españoles son mas .. no se, mas europeos (Spaniards are more .. I don't know, more European). What she meant is that Spaniards are colder than say Latin Americans, which I have to say is true, if you're in the mood to generalize. The people here remind me of the people in England or France.

I have still managed to find awesome human beings here, though. There is an heladeria (ice cream stand) right when you walk into Albaicin (the historical, older portion of Granada). You go through this huge, "Moorish" archway and then through the little Arab enclave area and you hit the heladeria directly. The girls there were awesome. They knew everything about Granada!! I exchanged email addresses with them. I hope we can keep in touch.

Albaicin is beautiful. Old but young. Even the graffiti there puts me in my happy place. I'm going to start rambling if I don't put this computer away. Adarana is home and I am going to go and say hi. Then, I want to go for a shower and hit the sack. A bed sounds soooooo good right now!