Grand Granada

I'm happy, you know why?
1.  All your support, love and kind words. 
2.  Mini successes with the Spanish language.
3.  I'm living my dreams.

Since my last post, I was able to find my way to the bus station.  I had to take two metro trains and a short walk.  Once there, I was able to ask when the next bus to Granada was, how much it cost, said I would like a single, one way ticket, and what gate the bus will leave from... all in Spanish!!!  Thank goodness for that little Spanish phrase book I bought at Powell's bookstore in Portland last week! 

The bus was to leave at 18h so I had several hours.  I stopped rested and wrote at a cafe where I had some sort of wierd pizza - topped with chevre, asparagus, red and green peppers, mushrooms and olives - that they served with a fork and knife.  Washed it down with a 1.5 liters of water - I learned the hard way the the tap water is no good.  I still had a few hours after my late lunch so I took a walk, found a nice park with an amazingly ornate fountain, and bought some apples for the road. 

The bus ride took a little more than 14 hours but I had a great seat next to the window and just behind the back door so I had a bit more space in front of me.  About every hour, there was a stop and about every other stop the driver allowed us out to stretch our legs.  When we came to Valencia a young woman got on the bus and took her seat next to me.  She is from the east coast of Russia, next to China and this is her first time in Western Europe.  She was in Valencia for two weeks taking a Spanish course but she said she is like a dog - she can understand some things but she can't speak.  We shared some laughs.  I also managed to get some sleep!  Not sure how much because they were short but deep naps but I feel fairly rested.  I woke up to see the sun rising over the hills of the Andalucia.  And now, I'm in Granada!

The first sight of Granada was the bus station - not very impressive looking at all - but once I took a bus towards the city center, the landscape improved greatly.  Near the center, I found a group of American girls.  I asked them if they were staying at a hostel - no, they are studying abroad but they pointed me in the direction of one they heard was nice and cheap.  My first stop was the Office of Tourism where I picked up a map and asked the woman at the reception desk where hostels and good places to eat were. 

The hostel that the girls had told me about was full but the man who let me in said not to worry, there was a great hostel about a three minute walk from here, on pedestrian-only streets called Oasis.  Sounds nice, right?  It is!  Check in is at noon so I'm currently waiting in the lobby.  They were full last night but there should be space for me tonight.  They showed me a breakfast and a place to put my luggage.  I'm really happy.  Barcelona is an impressive city, but it was much too big for me.  I love Granada already, the slow pace, the atmosphere, the architecture and this hostel looks cozy and friendly.