Flamenco, Cuevas, y Iglesias!

Hey all! So Saturday night (after the hike and a lonnng nap haha) we saw a Flamenco show in el Sacromonte up in el Albaicin. It was amazing! It was sort of like an auditorium with a large glass window behind the stage, and when they lifted the curtain, we had a gorgeous view of la Alhambra lit up!! It was amazing. I am posting pictures and a video even though I can never seem to capture how amazing everything is. After the show (around 10) we went for tapas and to a discoteca nearby in the caves! We got there at 1 AM and we were the first ones there! The bouncer literally had to unlock the door so we could come in...I know - CRAZY! There were 2 floors, and the upper level was surrounded by windows and we could see la Alhambra lit up. I don't think I can ever get sick of that view from el Albaicin :) It is gorgeous! Then on Sunday we slept a lot and went to a little coffee shop to plan our trip to Italia! (I felt so European ;) But for lunch Sunday, we had CHICKEN GIZZARDS! And they were the first thing I really could not get down. So ever since then, my senora has been fussing about me not eating anything and making me eat 2 oranges after every meal "so I don't starve." And everytime I tell her I like something, she says I am lying because I didn't eat a lot! haha...Her intentions are good, but I have a constant stomach ache from being so full! Katie and I are all stressed out because we have to make ourselves eat all of the things we like just so she will make them again. She thinks my favorite food is pasta so she made us lasagna tonight. (She said I am a spoon food person and I don't like things I have to eat with a fork and knife?!) haha she is hilarious. But anyways, today we went on a tour of Capilla Real and La Catedral in Granada. (They are both churches) It was amazing. The architecture is so detailed and beautiful both inside and out! Without the tour guide (our profesora), I would have never noticed the details and known the history that went along with it. In Capilla Real (1492-1521) we were not allowed to take pictures, but we went down a flight of stairs below the sanctuary and saw the actual coffins of Los Reyes Catolicos!!!!!!!! (Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand II) I had no idea their bodies were here until the tour, so it was quite exciting!! (For those of you who don't know, they were the Catholic Monarchs of Spain and they funded Christopher Columbus' trip to America!) And their bodies are right here in Granada like 6 minutes from my apartment! I still can't believe it! After walking through the sanctuary, you go into a museum type room that holds one of the queen's crowns and a kind of jewelry box made out of gold and some of their robes, pictures, and other belongings! It was really cool, and I wish I could have taken pictures. One of the small details of the architecture that I loved was that their initials - F and Y - (Fernando and Ysabel) were engraved everywhere! They were in script (which is why I would have never noticed it) on the outside of the buildings and everywhere on the paintings and walls inside. I seriously had chills - the history was so interesting! In la Catedral (1500-1712), which is right next to Capilla Real, we saw a lot of artwork and stain glass and huge organs, and it was just absolutely enormous! We were allowed to take pictures inside so I will post them. On the walk there, we saw a lot of buildings that belong to La Universidad de Granada, and I think it is so interesting how important the university is to the city. They own so many historical monuments and people are so proud of it. I feel really lucky to be going there, and the tours they offer are teaching me so much about Granada and Spain in general. I love it!! After the church tour, we went to an Irish pub called Hannigans and watched Barack's speech. It was packed with Americans, but all of Spain was watching it at home. It is so interesting how people love him here, and they seem to like us more because he is our new president. When people talk about Bush, they actually get really angry. There are books with Obama's face in every book store window and he is all over the covers of magazines. It really makes me feel like I should be more aware of other countries' current events. People always want to talk about U.S. politics with us and what we think about things. People will immediately dish out criticisms (about Bush mostly), but they don't mean to be offensive. They just want to discuss it, and they are very open about their opinions. There is really no such thing as "politically correct" here. It is kind of nice since we are obsessed with it, and we are always scared to say the wrong thing when we have debates or discussions at home. I am learning so much and feeling so lucky to be here!! I still miss everyone so much! <3