Mom visits!

Hi!
One class left until the weekend! I got through my first 2 tests of the semester and I think they went well-- It's finally gorgeous weather in Granada and all of us are so excited to be able to spend time outside.

Unfortunately, when my mom was in Granada last week it was rainy and cold all week but we still had an amazing time! I met her at the Madrid airport on Sunday and we flew back to Granada together, checked into our hotel, and then walked to my apartment. Maria was waiting for us with a huge lunch, even though she told me she would have my mom over for lunch on Monday. She was excited to meet my mom and I spent the entire lunch translating questions and answers back and forth between them. They were able to communicate a little because my mom speaks a little Spanish and Maria a little English so that was fun to watch. She cooked tortilla espanola, my favorite, and a lot of other food- it was delicious! Later, my mom and I walked up the Albacin to the San Nicholas viewpoint and saw a beautiful view of the city at sunset.

On Monday it was raining when we woke up, but we still walked around the city and bought some souvenirs in the silk market. We went to my apartment for lunch with Maria and this time she cooked us Paella, the other traditional Spanish meal. The food was great and we had another long conversation about politics (Spanish people love Obama), her family, life in Spain, and other topics. I learned so much about her throughout those two days because my mom asked questions that I never even thought to ask her! The lunches with Maria were two of my favorite parts of my Mom's visit.

My mom came to art class with me because we had a field trip to the San Jeronimo Monestary and even though my teacher spoke in Spanish the entire time, my mom understood a lot of it! We heard female monks singing and saw them walking around inside as well. After class, we went for tapas with two of my friends at one of our favorite tapas places. I loved introducing my mom to my favorite tradition in Granada!

On Tuesday we relaxed and walked around the city. We found great lunch and dinner places that I never knew existed. We went to Cafe Futbol for cafe con leche and dessert after dinner and tried a typical sweet of Granada. It was great!

We woke up early on Wednesday and hiked up to the Alhambra. Even though it was my second time there, I still loved it and enjoyed learning more about its history. That night we went out for tapas with a bunch of my friends at one of my favorite tapas bars, La Riviera, and had a great time!

After class on Thursday, we flew to Madrid to begin our Madrid/Toledo leg of the trip. We were so happy with our hotel room and had a great location-- in walking distance of everything!

Friday was a huge touristy day for us-- We started with the Prado Museum and walked around according to Rick Steve's guide which was so helpful. We then went to the Thyseen Museum, the Puerta del Sol, Palaccio Real, and Plaza Mayor. We were so impresed with Palaccio Real-- it reminded us a lot of Versailles because of how cool it was to see where the royalty lived. For dinner we found a fish place close to our hotel with a waitor who spoke perfect English and was so nice to us.

On Saturday we took a 30 min train to Toledo where we spent the day touring the historic city. We saw the Santa Cruz Museum, The Cathedral, two synogagues/museums, the outside of El Greco's home (under rennovation), and Santo Tome, which has El Greco's most famous painting. We were so impressed by the Cathedral and enjoyed learning about El Greco while in his hometown. After relaxing in the Plaza de Zocodover, we walked back to the train station and returned to Madrid. We walked around the city and ate dinner before going to bed.

We started off our last day in Madrid by going to El Rastro, the biggest flea market in Eurpe! It was so overwhelming and fun! Next we went to the Reina Sofia Museum and really enjoyed seeing art by Picasso, Dali, Miro and other famous paintors. After the Museum we got corn and sweet potatoes for lunch from a street vender that were delicious! We then walked through the huge park, people-watching and enjoying the warm weather. We ended the week with a great walk around the city, dinner, and then returned to the hotel to pack for our flights.

I am so lucky that my mom visited-- I had an incredible time with her and it was a week I'll remember forever!