The views from the aeroplane and coach windows were worth the early morning start. All you could see from Malaga to Granada were olive groves covering the expanse of land between the road and the mountains. We got dropped off at an old shopping centre to meet with our families before going with them to our houses. Being built on the mountain side meant getting used to walking up and down the steep slopes between streets. Fortunately the school itself was right in the centre of the city. With the main shopping street less than a minute away and the cathedral just a couple more.

Separated into groups we met our teachers the morning after our arrival. They were patient and extremely kind from the start all the way to the end of our time with them. Each group learnt about the culture around Andalucia and specifically about Granada. One of my favourite customs of the city is that if you order any drink, like a simple juice or Fanta, the waiter will also bring out a small tapa for you to enjoy with it for no extra cost. After school we were led to our 1st activity. Flamenco dancing. Our instructor taught us some basic moves before chaining them together in a dance. The challenge was coordinating both your feet and arms to move separately yet gracefully.

A quick sandwich lunch was provided by our families and then we were off on an orientation tour of Granada. Walking through the streets we saw the outside of the Cathedral and walked into many Moorish architectures like an old housing building where rooms would have been on the top floor and a market on the lower. To finish off the day and the tour we climbed through the old Jewish quarter up to the only viewing platform that overlooked the Albaicín, the Moorish quarter. 

The guided tour of la Alhambra was by far our most intense activity. We got a bus up to the gardens and Generalife which used to be the summer palace, despite being only slightly further away from the main palace. Our guide, also our flamenco teacher, showed us around the grounds. It was amazing to see all the intricate work done to carve the walls and spaces, although it was sad to see some of the work got destroyed by later residents of the palace. That said, the view from the top of the Alhambra was spectacular. With the city below and the expansive mountains all around us. Definitely worth the four hours of climbing and walking we had to do to visit everything.

On the last day of school we said goodbye to our lovely teachers and got on the metro to the Nevarra shopping centre. A bit of shopping and browsing later we navigated through the small streets of the city centre to get to our Arabic calligraphy class. Each of us was taught and then wrote our names in Arabic using a bamboo qalam and ink. The experience overall was great. With our inked souvenirs we gathered in a nearby square to celebrate the end of our trip as well as the work put in by our teachers to make it so memorable.