The Family Visits Spain! April 1-4

The moment/blog post you've all been waiting for - Steve, Di and Auntie Josie come to Europe!!  I had such a great weekend with them showing them around my home for the past few months and I think they enjoyed it just as much.  They were amazed at how different the culture was and how beautiful Europe truly is - much different than the states.  Even though we had such a short time in Granada (they arrived on Friday afternoon and were gone by early Monday morning!) I was able to show them some of my favorite parts to the city...


On Friday I surprised my parents by meeting them at the airport!  One of my friend's family was on the same flight so we were able to wait for them together.  The fam finally landed around 1 in the afternoon.  Mom and Auntie Josie looked a bit tired but excited and my dad was in high spirits - he slept the entire 8 hours!  The travel agent had arranged a car so we took that to their hotel and got them checked in.  They stayed at Hotel Carmen (which was beautiful!) right down the street from my apartment.  We took advantage of the beautiful day and I showed them around my home for the past few months.  They were amazed by the views and how different/pretty the buildings were.  We stopped by my school and then walked up the street to eat at a place recommended by our program.  It didn't take my dad long to get used to Spanish food - he ordered boiled octopus for his first meal!  After lunch we wandered around the streets and walked into a few shops.  Another thing I forgot to mention, we don't really have a big shopping center anywhere (like a mall) so the streets are just lined with shops.  Aunt Josie and my mom were in awe.. and I'm pretty sure my dad shed a few tears because he knew what was in store for him haha!  I took them to a famous ice-cream shop, called Los Italianos, that is ALWAYS packed.  Michelle Obama even stopped there when she came to visit Granada last year. They were all jet lagged so we went back to the hotel so they could sleep for a little bit.  For dinner I took them to Restaurante Sevilla which is famous for paella.  My dad was dying to try it and all of them liked it a lot!  Ours was filled with seafood, chicken and vegetables.  To walk off dinner we headed towards Plaza Nueva and I showed them the Alhambra illuminated at night.  Ask how many times all three of them tried to pronounce Alhambra.  My dad and Aunt Josie finally got it after 3 days.. my mom, not so much.  She was convinced it was called Alambriance...


Saturday we got an early start and signed up for a tour of the Alhambra and Generalife.  The tour group picked us up at the hotel around 9:30 am and provided transportation up to the Alhambra. There we met our tour guide, I forgot his name, who was conducting our tour in both French and English.  Everything he said he said in both languages - how exhausting!  I was able to teach my family a little bit too since we're learning about a lot of the same things in my Culture of Islam class.  They especially enjoyed the second part of the tour, the Generalife, which are gardens and the previous sultans' summer home.  From the Generalife you get a gorgeous view of the Alhambra! I'm pretty sure they took about 90 pictures there.  We took the bus back down to the heart of Granada and got lunch in one of the main plazas called Bib-Rambla.  I introduced them to Menu del Dia (the multiple course lunch I explained before) and they couldn't believe how heavy lunch was!  They all loved the laid back atmosphere of Spain and just people-watching.  Aunt Josie couldn't believe how all Spanish parents dress their kids the exact same way, regardless of age.  When we were all full we did a little bit more shopping and enjoyed the weather (which was sunny and close to 70!).  On the way home my dad demanded ice cream once again so I took them to another place we love going to. Still full from lunch, we decided on getting on very light dinner - how perfect for a tapas night! I introduced them to Calle Navas - a street lined with great bars for tapas.  It was hard to find a table at first since it seemed like everyone in Granada was out for the night, but we finally sat down.  For our first class we got tuna sandwiches and chip-like things.  We ordered an appetizer of tomato salad and an assortment of fried fish to pick on.  Again, we just sat and talked and my parents and Aunt Josie soaked in the culture.  I think getting tapas was one of their favorite parts!


Sunday we woke up to some cloudy and rainy weather.  I took them to mass, yes in Spanish, at the Catedral at 11:30.  I hadn't been there myself so it was an experience for all of us.  Mass in Spain is VERY short and the priest didn't look up once, he just kept reading!  We were out of the church no later than 12:00 - unheard of in the states.  Right around the corner from the Catedral is the Capilla Real.  Here we found many paintings from the 14th and 15th century from various artists.  We also got a look at the tombs where Isabel and Fernando are buried.  They're buried underground and their caskets are kind of freaky to see, but again, interesting.  We walked back to Bib-Rambla, since that's where many of the good restaurants are, and tried another restaurant called Monolo's.  After lunch we headed to my apartment so my family could see where I lived and to meet my senora!  I told them about the 2 kiss custom but I think we were all a little nervous.  As a thank you present for taking such good care of me my mom bought Encarnita a small crystal cat (since she's obsessed with cats) and a photo album.  My senora LOVED both of them and was excited to meet my family!  It was a little exhausting to translate between Spanish and English, but I made it work.  we went out on the roof of our apartment building, the terrace, so they could get a nice view of the entire city of Granada.  My family took a bunch of pictures with Encarnita too so I'll have to upload one when my parents send them to me when they're home!  We said our goodbyes and made our way to a small cafe to get a pastry and warm up a little bit - it had been raining on and off all day.  They all had a very early flight (7 am) to Rome the next day so we decided to call it an early day.  When we got back we skyped my brother, Bobby and Grandma Smith to check in and I left them so they could get a good nights sleep.


Overall the weekend was everything I expected!  I'm so glad I was able to show them all the things I loved about Granada and they seemed like they really liked it as well.  After they visited I realized I take some things that I have here for granted since they are so normal to me but so new and different to them.  I'll definitely miss these things heading back to the states!  I'm excited to see how the rest of their trip goes throughout Italy and can't wait to hear all their other crazy adventures :)


As for me, only about a month left - it is crazy how fast it has gone.  I probably say that every week haha.  This weekend I'm going hiking in the mountains with the group in a small city about an hour away.  The following weekend I leave for Italy.. then it's Easter, Portugal, finals and home sweet home back to the states... how bittersweet.