I have never been so excited to do laundry!!!

I am in Madrid now after a few nights in Seville.  I am completely out of under-roos (sorry for the To Much Info) so have given in to doing my laundry and am waiting for my clothes so I have a quick minute to update y'all!

Granada was awesome, I completely loved it there and it is my favorite city in Spain by far!!  I had a LONG first day.  After 12.5 hrs on the bus through the night then following 2 walking tours which equaled about 7 hrs walking in total I was pretty exhausted but really enjoyed myself!  It's crazy because the "free" walking tours were lead by other traveling foreigners who came to Granada and just never left.  They were free-lance tour guides and it was cool to see Granada sort of through the backdoor.  :-)  Granada is at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains and is spread across a valley which yielded beautiful views from every angle.  Granada is known for it's great tapas which was fabulous for the budget backpacker!  You could get a snack with your drink for about 2 dollars.  Three of these and you were set!!!
I think what I found most fascinating about Granada was that at one time it consisted of three different religions co-existing in peace: Muslamic, Jewish and Christian prior to the Inquisition of Isabelle and Ferdinand.  This was also a very monumental point in history. In 1492 Isabelle and Ferdinand conquered Granada which was the last muslim community in Europe to be over-thrown.  If you weren't a Christian you had three choices, convert, live in exile or to be killed.  Once a city was conquered the mosques were either destroyed or converted into cathedrals except for the Alhambra.  It was such a beautiful palace that Isabelle and Ferdinand decided to live in it as their own (after making some minor modifications). Another important thing that happened in 1492 was that the Americas were discovered by Columbus.  He went to the Alhambra to ask for financial support for his voyage from Isabelle and Ferdinand making this a very monumental point in Western civilization as we know it today!   There is a saying according to my guide book that if you haven't seen the Alhambra then you aren't really living and I can honestly say that it was pretty incredible.  By far the most impressive and elaborate palace I have seen so far.  In addition to taking in the amazement of the Alhambra I met two pairs of travelers on the hike up the hill to the entrance.  One German couple and two french boys.  We grouped up for the day and it was so much fun!  They were all funny and very sweet, which really added to the whole experience! 

The Alambra from the Generalife Gardens

From Granada I did a 1 night stay in Nerja which was a beautiful beach town.  It was quiet and very pretty.  The hostel manager was Argentinian and he was very generous and hospitable.  When he closed the front desk we met on the roof terrace and enjoyed some Tinto de Verano (summer wine which is chilled red wine, ice and lemon soda.  Very refreshing!).  He had set up a little table with clothe and all, two wine glasses and a plate of bread, cheese and ham.  The only thing the lovely little display was missing was some candles!  :-)  But we just sat in the warm night under the stars talking about places we have been, places we want to go and about ourselves.  Very cool evening.  Once we were done with the wine he took me for a mid-night tour of his town.  We went to a hole in the wall Flamenco bar that only the locals know of and I heard some amazing guitar!!  Then he took me to some pretty look out spots along the coast of the beach where there was plankton lighting up the waves as they crashed along the shore, wow!  I really wanted to stay another night but I am running out of time and really wanted to get to Seville and Madrid with enough time to see them!

A view of Nerja

Seville was fun!  I did another "free" walking tour provided by the hostel which was very informational.  Seville is another very cool city.  After the tour 5 other girls and I went to get some tapas.  We were pretty much inseparable after that moment!!  We nick-named ourselves the Sisterhood of the Eternally Lost!!!  After tapas we walked through the shopping center, I broke down and did a little shopping but honestly I am so tired of my clothes by now so my wardrope needed a little refreshing!!  Then later we went out in search for a Reggae club.  Funny funny night, we got lost for like 2 hrs and were walking, walking and walking but thoroughly enjoying ourselves and shared lots of laughs.  The next day we were all feeling pretty rough and we didn't accomplish much other than food, more shopping and basically just wandering around the city.  They were so much fun, 2 of the girls were from Australia (but traveling separately) and 2 girls from Malta on a 2 wk holiday.  Very sweet girls and lots of fun!!

Now in Madrid, got here late last night.  Walked around for 2 hrs trying to find hostel.  Finally broke down and paid for a cab.  Disappointed in myself for giving into this luxury/cost but was getting so frustrated I wanted to cry or kill someone, it was getting late, my back and shoulders were aching, I was exhausted and I just had nothing left in me!  O'well.

Ok, laundry is done.  Hope you all are enjoying the good stuff!!!