Ben Murrell

I got up at 10:30am, ate, and went on a walking tour of the Albaycin. I got done at 1:00, then walked to La Alhambra for my 2:00 entry time. I got my ticket at 1:30, then waited a bit and had ice cream, then went to get an audio guide. I got behind two girls who kept asking questions – I thought I was going to miss my entry time… But, like most people I’ve gotten annoyed with for stupid reasons on this trip, they became friends: While I walked to the entrance of the palace, I was lost and I could tell they were too. I said hi and asked if they knew where to go (no) and so we made a group and I led the way. They were Aisha and Lindsey from the San Francisco area – they were studying Spanish in Seville. When I told them my name, they groaned – something about ex boyfriends named Ben… haha. Anyways. We did the whole Alhambra together and then went and got some tinto de verano (like sangria) and tapas at a bar. They had to catch a bus back to Seville and wanted me to come back with them (aww, but I had Barcelona to get to!) I saw them off at the bus stop, got Shawarma and ate it at my hostel. I finally reunited with Oliver. I showered, then met new people in my room. Oliver, Urs (Switzerland, physicist), Ilya, Margaux, and I went for tapas and hooka (shisha). After tapas, we ended up in a cool Moroccan/Turkish hook place with fountains and couches and had green apple hookah and tea. We got home around 2:00am.

Funny story – the night before, I was a bit congested and slept on my back which apparently made me snore. When I woke up in the morning, I remembered a small girl pushing me and telling me that I was snoring – oops! It was so distant that it seemed like a dream… I asked Ilya about it later and it was her! So I woke up to a small Swedish girl beating me with her sheets from across the aisle (we were both on top bunks). She cracked me up when she retold the story – “I looked for anything I could throw at you, but I couldn’t find anything, so I rolled up my sheet and hit you with it. After one time, you stopped for a second. Then I hit you again, harder. I was so tired, I’m so sorry for being a bitch! Then I hit you again and you woke up” this is the part I remember… she said “Sleeping on your back is not allowed! You are snoring! You need to roll over!” So I did – hearing her describe it was hilarious though, how I was “so obedient” – ha! I had her teach me a bit of Swedish for that one, so I can now say hi and bye in the language that I still can’t identify!

[[Commentary]] Granada is one of the few cities in Spain that still does free tapas. As you order drinks, they progressively bring you better and better food. And it’s good – not like chips and salsa… like real food.