Buenos Dias

"Buenas Dias" That's what I woke up to on the plane from Chicago to Madrid. They were handing out breakfast and orange or pineapple juice. Breakfast was a croisant with ham and cheese inside of it. I was expecting something fruity so I admit I was quite shocked when it was meat and cheese. There also was cantaloupe, 2 grapes and honey dew for the fruit, a kit kat bar, and a cranberry muffin. Not bad for the airplane. 

When we arrived in Madrid, it was the most gorgeous airport I have ever seen. The architecture was magnificent and very modern and colorful. We (Rachael, Michael and I) found our terminal at the VERY end of the H J K terminals, K98. It was a LONG walk and we were very tired. We got there at about 8 am and none of us slept a wink. We don't believe anything got pickpocketted, like expected either, so that is always a plus! We also met up with 7 other people from Winona at the airport. Leah, Sam, Adam, Maggie, Amy and Chelsea and Katie. We then all chit chatted for a little bit and boarded our final flight to Granada! The flight was about an hour long and there was near nobody on it, probably about 40 people or so. Empty compared to all my other flights!

On the flight from Madrid to Granada, I slept a good chunk of the time, FINALLY! It was the best sleep I had in a while and I was upset when I heard on the speaker that we were landing soon. I was excited to be in Granada, and the views coming in were gorgeous.. seeing the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the city under it, breathtaking! But I do not have pictures because on takeoff the flight attendant approached me to put my camera away and that I could only take pictures once we were in the air. I snapped this picture somewhere outside of Madrid and I thought the landscape was stunning! 

When we arrived in Granada, we got our baggage from the baggage claim, and nobody from the group had theirs lost! Which is a shocker because Iberia usually loses luggage, I guess. We then proceeded to meet our program director, German, and he distributed out a map and showed us to our taxis. The taxi driver that we had is one that you would want if you were on the Amazing Race. He drove SO fast and was passing and weaving in and out of cars like nobody’s business. I was a little scared for my life because the cars drive so close to each other. We couldn’t find a parking spot on Mila’s (house mom) road so the taxi stopped in the middle of the street and put his hazard lights on and helped us unload our luggage and walked us to her door. That was scary because there were cars honking nonstop for him to move his car – one way street with cars parked on both sides – and he rang Mila’s apartment and she came down to get us. We got to her house at about 2:00 pm.

She spoke so fast and was so excited to see us and has so much to say that Rachael and I were in shock. It was a little overwhelming. She told us to unpack and then she would have lunch ready for us. Lunch was spaghetti, fresh bread and a salad with olive oil dressing. It was actually really good. Mila loves to cook so we got lucky with her :)

Rachael and I then spent the rest of the evening unpacking and adjusting to the house. We then decided to go out and explore the town with the map that German had given us. We didn't get lost but we definitely did lose our way a few times. We were looking for the park that is nearby but we never did find it. We then returned to the house and were playing on our computers when a guy poked his head in and said hello. He is our other roommate, for the next week. He stayed with Mila over his winter term here and is from Jersey. He invited us to the Tres Reyes parade with his group and we went. I snapped this picture near a bridge that we were at of a city that overlooks Granada. It reminded me of the movies.

Wes, our other roommate, introduced him to his friends from his winter term program and they got tapas (appetizers) and drinks so we sat around the table and talked about everything under the sun. We then went to the parade together and Rachael and I got a snapshot of us waiting for the parade!

I did not get any pictures of the parade because our location was not the best. The parade celebrates the Three Kings that visited Jesus. It is like Christmas here in Granada. They throw candy and dress up and have floats that carry the kings. There also was bands and lots of costumes. The kids go wild when they see the Three Kings and all scream for candy!

We then returned home and ate dinner at 10 pm (an hour later than expected but it all worked out) and stayed at the table and talked until 11:30pm. I then showered and went to bed.

That's my first day in Spain :) Many many more to come!