Granada: part 1

I looked through the photos I took over the last 10 days and became overwhelmed with the task of debriefing about our trip. Because the photos are uploaded on the computer in chronological order, I'll update that way, too. So here goes...

Our first day in Spain was VERY full!  We met the rest of the English camp team, received our assigned roles for the camp, met church members, ate a delicious lunch, took a quick nap, explored the convent where we stayed, and generally got acclimated to Granada.

That evening we were invited to eat dinner at someone's house who lived up in the nearby hills. On our way, we stopped at a beautiful overlook where we could see the entire city. The sun was going down, the lighting was amazing, and the Alhambra (more on this later!) looked stunning.

Dinner was eaten on the rooftop, while watching the sun set over nearby houses. We tasted amazing local olive oil, drank Spanish wine, nibbled local delicacies, got to know our teammates, and watched a rainbow in front of the mountains.

As we walked home that evening (around 11pm), I was overcome by how the city seemed to have changed in just a few hours. The lights of Granada at night created such a different feel for a city we quickly came to love.

Getting ready for Granada

Well, our bags are packed, mostly. We have copies of our passports, drivers licenses, and credit cards. We have snacks for the plane rides and for long days with late dinners. Our collection of socks and underwear should be enough to last 11 days without laundry (!!). The bank got us some euros so we don't have to exchange money at the airport.

It feels so surreal. When we first started talking about going to Spain, I don't think I imagined we would actually get to go. Once we realized we would get to go, it seemed so far off... We had to finish school, interview for a job, paint our basement, go to Charleston, and do all sorts of summer stuff at home. But now, the time has come.

And we are ready.
Scared, sure. Overwhelmed, of course. Uncertain about so many details we have yet to discover.

But we are beyond grateful for the privilege.

We are ready to explore, play hard, ask good questions, stumble through our Spanish, be stretched, walk a lot, pray a lot, eat new foods, and make relationships for the long term.

Singing Nalgene's praises!

Can I just brag on Nalgene for a quick sec?

I have had Nalgene water bottles for as long as I can remember. Last year I branched out and bought a cool glass bottle from Target. And promptly smashed it to smithereens on my driveway. And then promptly went back to Target to get a Nalgene instead.

While at my Granddad's house last month, we put our Nalgenes in the freezer overnight, like we do every night at home. I woke up the next morning to find mine had cracked open. Maybe their freezer temp was higher than ours? Regardless, I was so so so disappointed. I love that blue Nalgene and it was really crappy to have no water bottle on vacation.

Upon returning home, I sent an email to the company with a picture of my busted bottle. They emailed me back quickly, promising to send a replacement. It came within a week, just in time for me to use in Granada. Yay!

Charleston trip: Part 3 (Sunday, Monday, and our house!)

On Sunday evening we finally got to walk through quintessential Charleston: water (!!!), pastel hued houses, sailboats, fountains, and old, old, beautiful homes. Since our house was on the northern edge of the city, quite a hike from the historic area, we drove to the historic area and parked along the water. The weather was wonderful and the breeze was much cooler than we expected.

Some highlights of this evening include watching little kids giggle through the fountains, staring at the sky and clouds as the sun started to set, eating gelato on a bench near the water, and taking what could totally be a band cover photo...

 

Our last day in Charleston, Monday, was a rainy, buggy day. We went to Magnolia plantation which is a 30 minute drive from downtown Charleston. It was gorgeous and I highly recommend visiting if you ever go to Charleston (which you should!). Our spirits were dampened a little due to at least two hours of rain and the resulting mosquito stampede we experienced afterward.

 However, the petting zoo was really fun. Plus, Lauren met us there!!!! The gardens were amazing and we got to see a couple small alligators. If it hadn't been so nasty outside, we might have done the swamp tour, which is where you can see a lot more alligators. Sounds really fun, but not when it's hot, wet, and buggy.

One of the absolute highlights of our stay in Charleston was the house we rented. Since there were four of us traveling together, we figured it'd be cheaper to stay in a place with two bedrooms and a kitchen where we could make some of our own meals.

Melissa found this property on vrbo.com. It was about $500 per couple for 4 nights and 4 days, which is much less expensive than staying in a local hotel. Plus, we bought breakfast ingredients at the store for the mornings and we used the grill to cook dinner at home one night.

The house was seriously awesome! Clean, fresh, modern, and within walking distance of tons of restaurants, shops, and sights. We had off-street parking, wireless internet, a grill, cable TV, and super helpful owners who accommodated our requests and gave us the insider's scoop on the city.

I would HIGHLY recommend using VRBO for your future vacations and of course would recommend staying in the specific house we rented in Charleston.

Recipe for a successful July 4th

Lay around in your air conditioned house for most of the morning, after showering and cleaning the bathroom, of course.

Ask your husband if you can eat lunch at Chick-Fil-A. Make sure his car is parked in the back so he will drive and you can just sit lazily in the passenger seat.

Pack a couple snacks for the neighborhood parade. This is important. The parade, after all, does come right past your backyard and you don't want to get hungry on the long walk there/back.

Sit in the shade to watch the parade. You won't have as good of a view, but really, it's much cooler there. Totally worth it. Get up from your chair to high five some kids from youth group and friends from church. Then go back to that shady chair.

Don't take a single picture. Even if your outfit is super patriotic and includes red converse sneakers.

Casually mention to a couple friends that your grill will be on if they want to bring their own food over for dinner. Take out a couple burgers from the freezer. Cook up some green beans. Pour potato chips in a bowl. Eat some food other people brought to share.

Load the dishwasher. Which takes about 4 minutes.

Walk to the fireworks up the street. Take some snacks to share with friends for the long wait beforehand. Enjoy enjoy enjoy.

Charleston trip: Part 2 (Friday & Saturday)

Since we drove from Virginia to Charleston, we arrived in the late afternoon on Friday. Just in time to get settled into our cute house (more on this later!) and find some dinner.

Throughout our vacation planning, Melissa and I established a list of yummy looking restaurants we wanted to try. Hominy Grill was high on our list so we went there for our first dinner. The above photo is of their she-crab soup, a Charleston fav. It was good but pretty salty. I'd recommend the fried chicken/ribs combo, which Joel and I shared. YUM! 

After dinner we wandered around our neighborhood and got a feel for the city of Charleston. We saw some funny signs (like the one below), meandering tourists, and even more delicious looking places to eat.

Our top priority for Saturday morning was hitting up Charleston's farmers market, which was huge. And amazing! Freshly made pastas, southern sweet tea, homemade popsicles, fresh flowers, coffee sack posters, locally grown veggies, and more. We spent at least an hour looking around and taking it all in before we chose veggies from a local farm to cook for dinner on Sunday night.

Since Joel and Melissa had a wedding to attend on Saturday afternoon, my Joel and I had our first time alone together in Charleston. We took a beautiful ferry ride to historic Fort Sumter. We explored the fort and heard a park ranger talk about the history of it. Highlights include taking a nap on the ferry, seeing Joel excited about history, and taking pictures of cannons. :)

After we showered and ate pizza from the shop across the street, Joel and I spent the evening doing what we do best on vacation:

Charleston trip: Part 1 (Yorktown pit stop)

To break up the 12+ hour drive from Philadelphia to Charleston, we stayed overnight with my Granddad in Yorktown, Virginia. It's a 6 hour drive and we arrived there to find perfectly gorgeous weather. The beach had plenty of people around, but it wasn't too crowded to walk with our feet in the water. I love love love Yorktown and would live there in a second if we could find jobs, so it was a total joy to show some of my favorite people around town.

 Melissa is a beach lover, so our walk was right up her alley. I could NOT get over the amazing weather! 

We also stopped by the Yorktown battlefield, which is the site of an important Revolutionary War battle (aka: the British surrendered there!). My Joel was thrilled to share all sorts of historical facts with anyone who would listen. Plus, the sunny, mild weather made it great to just walk around and be outside.

Granddad and Thelma took us to dinner at one of their favorite restaurants. This guy was hanging around outside, just waiting for friends to pose with him. :)

Up next: the rest of our Charleston trip, including plants, animals, delicious meals, a farmers market, rainbow colored houses, a special visitor, and lots of self-timer portraits.