Alicante by day…Granada by night!

Friday June 15

Alicia and I had made plans to hit up the Mercado Central in Alicante. It closes at 2pm and since our classes don't let out until then this was our first opportunity to go. We took the tram down and it was well worth it. This is definitely where the locals shop. It was much more like what I had anticipated our Wal-Mart shopping market to look like. The prices were pretty good too. I loved people watching. I also love how everyone shops with their own little rolling bags.

We ended up getting a café con leche and a croissant at a little outdoor café and did some observing for my sociology journal. Don't you love the outdoor flower market? It reminded me of Pikes Market in Seattle, a little bit…if you squint your eyes and tip your head slightly to the left. Lol!

Well it was time to get home and get prepared for the bus ride to Granada. I bounced down to the wifi place for another cafe and to email mi amor that I was headed out. Since text messaging is 1 euro ($1.32 US) I might as well get a coffee for the same price and I can send more info! I had packed when I woke up so it was make a quick PB&J, grab my things and schlep them to the tram station. Thank God my parents bought me my amazing luggage, which I get so many compliments on by the way! Gracias Padre y Madre! We met the troops at Plaza Lucero and waited for the…Spanish pronunciation…autoe-boos (bus). There was quite a group. Of course as with all late teen/early twenty something's combined with alcohol there was mas drama lingering from the night before. What I call la cultura Americana triste (sad American culture). Honestly taking a sociology course on diversity and culture in another country has made me feel quite indifferent towards my own. Do you ever feel that you wish there was more depth to our own society?  I don't mean the kind of depth that makes you feel superior to others like with religion or politics. I mean the kind of depth that you can feel on the streets, a collective culture that just being a part of it makes you feel united somehow. I think we have really lost that in the US. This is not to say they dont have their own issues in Spain.  It just feels different.  In my observations I see such a difference between here and there.  Its like WE have all become so distracted.  Consumerism is the opiate of the masses...to change a Karl Marx quote. The only people I see walking around with their cell phones missing out on what is really going on around us, is us. Not having my phone or wifi (I haven't turned on the TV once) has made me feel more human. Even keeping up with the blog has taken me from the moment. Ok..ok enough of the rant.

We left at 2:30pm. The bus ride was beautiful and the terrain reminded me of Arizona.

I spent the ride reading the next book "Another Place at the Table" which is the story of a family who took in foster kids. What a profound book. Talk about a big heart. This family was amazing.
We arrived 6 hours later at 8:30pm. We had dinner and then loaded small busses to go to the Flamenco show in El Albaycin, which is an old Moorish section of the city. We stopped at a lookout point where we had night light city views and a lovely view of the Alhambra.

The homes in El Albaycin and shops are built into the mountainside. They actually live in caves. I love it. It reminded me so much of the earthships in Taos, NM. Armando Sr. was telling me that the temperature in the caves are pretty consistent year round. The streets were super tiny and the bus had to maneuver unbelievably to navigate the streets. I kept trying to take a picture but it didn't come out in the dark. You could see where so many cars had hit the sides of the buildings. We were going up over curbs and cars were driving in reverse to get out of our way. A one way street is one thing but a teeny tiny one way street is another. There were gasps all around!
The show was fantastic. We hung out on the terrace for a bit

and then piled into a cave which was pretty narrow. Chairs were lined up on both sides and the performers danced in the middle.

 The musicians and singers were by the door.

  They are all a family of performers. I thought this was a better show than the one in Madrid.

 They loved our group in particular and at the end they got all interactive pulling a few of us up on stage. The guy kept whipping my braid around. It was hysterical. Everyone was beet red and embarrassed but it was so much fun and quite an experience.

Then we did a little walking tour of the San Nicholas area. Everyone was quite loud and I couldn't help but think about the people I the homes above us who were probably trying to sleep. There were some great night views of the other side of Alhambra, and I got some night shots of the street.  Cobble stone walls and streets.  They warned us to wear flat shoes.  Although our tour guide, a local woman wore heals.  I was very impressed.  I only saw her wobble once!

We got back to the hotel about 2:30am. Some of us went to bed and most of the group hit the streets. I don't know how some of them do it. I feel like I will never catch up on sleep.