where have all the arabs gone?

yes, a possibly offensive title.

So this weekend was amazing. We went to Granada, the last stronghold of Moorish Spain before they were forced out by the Reyes Catolicos. It was absolutely phenomenal. There was so much more cultural diversity in Granada, because the Moorish influence is something they treasure, and there were real trees and tons of green things! Of course, I still went to the Catedral at Granada and viewed all of the majorly Catholic art. I'll be honest, it's all very pretty and all, but after you've seen more or less the same depiction of Jesus by three different sculptors you start to get bored. The Alhambra was much more entertaining because of the overall aesthetic, and the gardens rocked my socks. It wasn't my first time in a castle, but it was my first time in a castle this luxurious, although all of the furniture and wall hangings have of course been stripped bare. I am excited to return to this city, as there are a few things that I didn't get to do that I think should probably occur in my life, not least of which is to actually explore the Alhambra on my own, at my own pace.

I also had the best tea of my life in Granada, and I am now on a search to find tea shops of the traditional Arabic variety in Sevilla. My host mother assures me that they exist, and has indicated where three are on the map, but I fear that I will not be able to match the tea that - or the prices - that I found in Granada. Still, I think it's worth a shot, so I will keep you updated on how that epic search goes.

In more news, I think I'm getting sick and I don't know why. I've never felt this way before. It's really an unfortunately, dizzy and not good feeling. Hopefully if I just sleep a lot it will work its way out of my system. I want to be better by this weekend so that I can properly celebrate Carly's birthday and sunbathe.

Wish me luck