This past weekend I went to Sevilla, which is a city three hours west of Granada. Sevilla is much larger than Granada, so it was a nice change of pace. Unfortunately though, we got there late Friday night and then left on Sunday at around four, so we didn't get to spend that much time getting to know the city. However, what I did see of the city was amazing. On the bus ride to Sevilla, we stopped at El Torcal, which is a national park in Andalucía with some really cool limestone formations, for a quick hike. In Sevilla we took a bike tour through the city and through a big shady park, which I absolutely fell in love with. I definitely love Granada, but I do miss large grassy areas, nice running paths and shady trees! Sadly, the parks in Granada consist of more landscaped dirt than grass, so it was great to be able to walk around and relax in the shade (since it was ridiculously hot in Sevilla!).
We also got to see the famous cathedral in Sevilla (which is the largest in Spain for those of you who were wondering) and the Alcázares Reales, which is a royal palace with some amazing gardens. My favorite part about the cathedral was that we got to go up to the top of the tower, named Giralda, and look out onto the city, which was breathtaking. The Alcázares Reales reminded me a lot of a smaller Alhambra, since they both have Arab architecture and elaborate gardens. However, in Sevilla we had to pay for our tapas, since Granada is the only place in Spain where the tapas still come free with your drink. Plus the tapas in Granada, hands down, are better than in Sevilla, but then again I am a bit biased. All in all, Sevilla was a great experience but by the end of the trip I was so happy to be back in Granada.
Also, I've been counting down to this upcoming weekend because a group of us are going to Las Alpujarras, which are a mountain range part of the Sierra Nevadas, to make a two day hiking excursion. A friend from API went a couple of weeks ago and he said the views at the top are more than worth it. So, we'll be taking a bus up to Capiliera, a little mountain village where the hike begins and from there it's about a four hour hike to get to the refuge where we'll be staying the night. The next morning we'll set out again for the top of Las Alpujarras (which is about two more hours) and then start our way back down to Capiliera to catch the bus back home. I've heard that this time of the year is the best time to go, so I'm super excited. I can't wait to post pictures next week!
I've posted some pictures of Sevilla below, but I'm going to post more once I download the ones that I took with Doug's camera. I miss you all back home and I hope that your enjoying your day so far!
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