Spain All Night

Day 2 in Granada! Today we started our language intensive course, concentrating mostly on local colloquial terms. For example, instead of referring to a rich asshole as a "fat cat," the Spaniards would say "fat fish." Very useful stuff.

But we are learning a lot, and hopefully it will make our Spanish slightly less broken because to be honest we all sound a little rough, despite our staggeringly high number of combined years of studying Spanish. Oh well.

Late Afternoon Views of the Alhambra

Class went til 1:30, then we had an amazing three-course lunch at a restaurant nearby, pre-paid by Wash U (thanks WUSTL, thanks parents). We'll be eating lunch there all week (plus the crazy huge breakfast buffet every morning), and then dinner's on our own. So the plan is to stock up on calories before siesta, then stick to tapas later on. The free kind, of course.

After siesta, which I spent sketching on the balcony (tres Bohemian), we went on a walk around the Albaicin, the old Islamic area of the city. Besides the sweet architecture and amazing views, there's also a crazy network of labyrinthine cobblestone streets. Apparently the Moors weren't into straight lines, so it's easy to get lost, but Ramiro's a great guide.

We watched the sun set over the Alhambra and worked our way to a tapas bar for "tinto de verano" (shades of summer), a seasonal cocktail made out of citrus soda and red wine (mostly soda). After that we split a bottle of Cava (Spain's answer to champagne) with the group and hung out at the hotel for awhile, watching the still-active nightlife pass by the streets beneath our balconies. It's still pretty early for Spain, but we are feeling like a couple of oldies, so buenas noches!