Have you ever seen something so outstanding that it doesn't feel like you're actually there and seeing it in real life? That's how my weekend went.
The past week has been busy with classes, exploring Granada, and trying (emphasis on trying) to improve my Spanish. Luckily, we were able to relax for a day with a trip to Almuñecar and Nerja on the tropical coast. Going into this trip, I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. I knew it would be fun, obviously, we would be on the beach. However, I wasn't aware of how absolutely stunning the towns would be.
   Our first stop in Almuñecar was an hour bus ride from Granada. The entire ride we were so consumed with the mountains and rivers that we were driving past, that it didn't even feel like an hour. We got off the bus at the top of a mountain and climbed through the ruins of an old castle (?).  The views from the top were unlike any other. The Mediterranean sea below was the bluest sea that I had ever seen (shoutout to Myrtle Beach), and the white houses perched on the side of the mountain contrasted with all of the blue. 100000 pictures later and after turning my dress into a shirt (it was super windy, okay), we boarded the bus for a 30 minute ride to Nerja.
   I thought Almuñecar was beautiful and it couldn't get any better, but Nerja was quick to prove me wrong. We walked through the almost desolate town before coming upon the busy town center.         Once again, all of the buildings were white and decorated with colorful flowers. An archway looked out to the insanely blue ocean. I was almost offended at how beautiful the scene was, and kinda upset that I don't live there. We split from our group for some free time on one of the beaches.
   2 things about Spanish beaches: most of them don't have sand, they have rocks. It's like walking on hot gravel and to be honest it wasn't fun in the slightest. I also though the ocean would be warm since we're closer to the equator and it's mid-july, but nope. Freezing. No bueno. At least it was pretty to look at from afar.
   We faced death climbed up a steep sand mountain on the side of a cliff (sorry mom) to get up to a breathtaking view of the whole city. Eventually, we made our way down to another beach which we quickly found was a topless beach. It's refreshing to see how carefree and nonjudgmental everyone is (I'm looking at you los estados unidos) and just hangs out with no clothes. I didn't partake, thought. Maybe next time :)

After Nerja, we returned to Granada and ended up spending the night with tapas, friends, and mucho vino. Luckily, we were able to sleep in the next day (aka I slept until 1pm, oops).

On Sunday afternoon we toured the Royal Chapel in Granada. I wasn't super pumped for this trip, as I'm not really into history. HOWEVER, it was SO interesting and I'm glad we had the opportunity to go. The cathedral is beautiful beyond words and the history is so rich. We even got to see the actual caskets that Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand's bodies are buried in which I'm still trying to process in my mind. Spanish culture has been so much fun to learn about, and I can't wait to see what else this trip has in store.
PS- If you haven't already, take some time to listen to the songs that I have on the playlist posted on the right sidebar! I listen to this playlist on the daily walking to class, and it gets me pumped and ready to go.