School trips are usually given a bad rap because you’re “stuck” sight seeing all day, then forced to stay in crappy hotels, and so wiped that you can’t even go out and explore the city on your own. This was not the case with NYU and Granada.

Architecture at La Alhambra

When I say Granada was absolutely stunning, what I actually mean is that you should probably need to pack up a bag, get on the next plane to Spain and drive to Granada. Nestled at the base of the Sierra Nevadas (no, not the ones in California as I was reminded), Granada is not only home to the largest “college population” in Spain, but also to the world famous La Alhambra. We had the distinct opportunity to go to La Alhambra, the Cathedral of Granada, El Albacín, and La Capilla Real de Granada (where King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel are buried).

Looking out onto my kingdom

On Saturday morning, we were up bright and early for a buffet style breakfast (yum) at the hotel, and then immediately on the bus to La Alhambra. Once we arrived, we were immediately separated into our Spanish and English groups and on our way into the giant palace/fortress/mini town (if that’s what you’d like to call it). Though I speak decent Spanish (just enough to get around, flirt with a waiter, and ask for directions), listening to our teacher for 4-5 hours in pure Spanish is mentally taxing as well as a tad boring – I ended up staying interested by taking millions of pictures. I felt as if I could have spent all day at La Alhambra – it was beautiful, intricately detailed, and quite simply impressive. With panoramic views of Granada, the mountains, and the village below, I was in heaven. We were definitely incredibly lucky to go on such a beautiful day (I think it was close to 65-70 degrees), seeing as it was February and it’s usually not that pleasant.

Following La Alhambra, we were taken to a wonderful lunch at Mirador de Morayma. They sat all fifty of us down on this beautiful terraza overlooking La Alhambra and served us until we could no longer stuff our faces. We began with glasses of red wine, cheese, olives, bread with a scrumptious blue cheese dip, toasted almonds, and various sausage meats. The next courses included a fish wrapped in vegetables; Salmorejo with avocados (like gazpacho but even better); onions and peppers over hardened crackers; salmon and lettuce salads; and a cheese cake for dessert.  To say that we were full at the end of our meal would be an understatement.

Lunch overlooking La Alhambra

NYU was smart enough to have us “walk off” our lunch and led us on a walking tour of El Albacín. We trudged down the hill, towards the river and back to the city. I was really surprised at how close everything was. From the top of La Alhambra you can see the whole city, yet everything is all in walking distance or close proximity to the next sight. We ended up at La Catedral de Granada – a strikingly different church than the one we found in Segovia. It was extremely large, a lot lighter (in terms of colors) and surprisingly enough, hidden among what appears to be ordinary buildings. We didn’t spend much time here, because people were starting to say “If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all?” I used to think like that, but the more churches and cathedrals I go to, the more interesting and distinct they seem to me.

Catedral de Granada

On Sunday, we packed up our things, but before leaving the city we made a final stop at La Capilla Real de Granada and a walking tour through Albacín again. This is the final resting spot for Los Reyes Católicos (Fernando y Isabella), which is unique because the other kings and queens of Spain are buried together somewhere else.

We may or may not be slightly dysfunctional – going delusional on the last day

I took over 1000 pictures this weekend and not a single one can illustrate how amazing this trip truly was. By the end of the excursion, I was not only  known as the crazy photographer, but also as the “dog photographer” by many of my friends and classmates. Every time there was a pup within a hop, skip, or jump I’d be there snapping away. I think on the last day, I had “photo shoots” with over nine different dogs – maybe I should start a blog/portfolio? Dogs of Europe anybody?

This is Macho the Border Collie. My favorite dog I’ve photographed so far.