The Adventures of Merrick: Granada

January 14th 2013

Yesterday, I made my first trip out of Alicante. I was adopted by a group of climbers to go to Guadalest for the day. It was extremely beautiful :) There is a church on the mountainside that is absolutely breathtaking, and the drive up there was it's own sight-seeing adventure. It was the first day I was on nice, untagged rock as well. I think the hardest thing I got on was about a 6b/c(?) or something around a 5.10d (I'll figure out this grading scale eventually). Unfortunately, I didn't have the forethought to take a picture when it was lighter outside :/

The people I went with were beyond great. Despite my lack of Spanish, which inevitably leads me to be even more timid and quiet than usual, they made a huge effort to include me in conversations and were very open to helping me understand things they were saying in Spanish. I learned one very silly saying in Spanish, too:

"Estoy en mi salsa: --> Basically means "I'm comfortable," but when translated literally makes no sense. I'm in my salsa teehee.

They even made me feel special in saying they want me to climb with them more because I give them motivation to try harder things ^_^

January 17th 2013

Note to self: Do not expect to be able to wake up for an 8am class after losing 3 games of beer pong, taking 2 shots of tequila back to back, and chasing it with sangria. It doesn't work.

Only the study abroad kids go out during the week, so two bars on the main strip have a beer pong tournament every Tuesday night starting at 12 or 1am. Upon entry, competitors get to enjoy an open bar of beer and sangria. Makes me wish that I was in the afternoon beginning Spanish class. That and the fact that I suck at Spanish.

I went to the rock gym, or "rocodromo" as it is called here, on Tuesday. There are no set routes, just holds in nearly every bolt. Going there is essentially one big game of add-on for the group of people there. I definitely will get stronger there, because while the holds may not be super difficult, climbing with guys who like long, dynamic, muscly moves make it a bit more challenging. It's gonna be fuuuuun!

January 21, 2013

Granada. It's pretty cool.

Recap:

I originally was going to skip out on this Granada trip, seeing that it was extra to go and I felt that I could do the trip for cheaper. However, turns out that nearly everyone in the program decided to participate, so I saw it as a good networking opportunity with the kids in my program. And, upon further research, I learned that going on my own would save me a negligible amount.

The beginning of the trip emulated a scenario quite like one you would find in a low-budget horror film. The bus broke down for near an hour in a small deserted dark town, where we had to wait for a replacement. It begins raining like crazy (as it was most of the weekend) and we come to learn that the new bus does not have functioning windshield wipers. Essentially no visibility. On a mountain pass. Going uphill. In the dark. Pouring rain.

Don't worry, we survived. Our hotel was right next to the Alhambra, an old fortress that was turned into an Islamic palace in the 14th century. We also visited the Cathedral of Granada, the Generalife, the Capilla Real, the Plaza de Santa Fe, and the a town built in caves that looked a lot like Hobbiton. So much history crammed into one weekend!

Aside from the planned excursions, the unplanned exploring of Granada was an adventure of its own. Here is a list:

-Encountered a man in a pig suit at the discoteca.
-Arrived in Granada during a trash strike, meaning there was trash EVERYWHERE.
-Got lost in the rain at 3am walking back to the hotel.
-Dodged gypsies near the cathedral.
-Enjoyed a free tapa.
-Actually reached the end of the rainbow, no joke
-Ate churros with chocolate at the best chocolateria in town.
-Took my first solo adventure at night, seeing as I was the only person unwilling to pay 30€ for a flamenco show.
-Watched Pitch Perfect.
-Drove through snow :D

End recap

Overall, a very fun trip. I could go into detail for paragraphs upon paragraphs, but I figure I'll stick to the main highlights. Also, pictures are worth a thousand words, so here is a couple thousand more words about the trip: