Day 14

Today was our last day in Granada, and was definately more relaxed. I slept in until about eleven, and then went into town to go shopping. I bought some gypsy clothes and a stone chess set (which was only 20 euro). We had a long siesta and got a chance to edit photos and work on our assignments. Tonight was a meal to remember though. We walked back up to Albayzin (gypsy quarter) and ate at this place called Morayma. From our table we could watch the sun set on alhambra. Then we had a five course meal. We started with just cured meats and cheese, then salad. Next, we had a local specialty: orange with cod and onion. It sounds gross, but it really was good. Then we had a gazpacho thickened with bread. Then came the blood sausage, which I actually liked. After the sausage, we had asparagus wrapped in bacon in a white wine and cheese sauce. This was absolutely delectable. For our entre, we had braized pork, perhaps the most tender I have ever eaten, and mashed pumpkin. Dessert was an assortment of cakes and pastries along with a traditional arabian tea. After dinner, we walked through the wine cellar of the restaurant, which they kept cool using a fountain of ice cold water, and up many flights of stairs until we reached a tower. From the tower, we had a completely unubstructed view of Alhambra, as well as the surrounding city. I can't imagine how many men it took to sieze the fortress.

Tomorrow we go to cordoba, and then on to Sevilla

Au Revior

Day 13

Today we drove about two hours outside of Granada to go on a hike in the Sierra Nevadas. The road was extremely windy and it was essentially one lane, even though there was two way traffic. Every town we passed driving up to the trailhead was whitewashed, and looked quite picturesque. After a little while, we arrived and started hiking down the trail, but, within five minutes, the group unexpectedly separated. We tried to find the other half of the group, but decided to keep hiking down anyways. Good descision. The trail got a little steep and slippery because we were basically walking down a small creek. However, the trail evened out and the view was absolutely spectacular. Along the way, we saw an abandoned stables that was built into the side of the mountain (probably a little over one hundred years old). Kate and i decided to hike down to it and explored the inside. It might not have been the smartest descision, but it was pretty interesting regardless. About an hour later we made it to the town below, and had lunch. All along the hike there were cherry trees that you could just pluck cherries off of because they were all in season. Anyways, in town, I drank from a fountain (here in granada and in the mountains the fountains are all meant to be drinkable) that promised a girlfriend if you drank from the water every day. After lunch, we got back on the bus and returned to Granada.

At night, we went back to the andalucian part of town and took long exposure shots of Alhambra. Some of my pictures turned out really great. Tomorrow we kinda have the day off.

Day 12

Today we went to the stables in granada. Essentially it was just like in the USA, except that
lierin is a beautiful person inside and out what a woman. Whoaaa where did that come from. Idk, someone must have typed that in my computer. Anyways, we watched a horse jumping practice while we were there, which was pretty cool. After the stables, we had a siesta; i was dead for a good three hours today. tonight, several of us watched the US - Brazil game; I really thought they were gonna pull it out, but whatever. They had a great tourney though. Tomorrow were going on a hike, which I'm really excited about. Hopefully the views are pretty.

Day 11

We spent today in our On Assignment groups. Our focus is on the impact of modernization on Andalucian culture. Immigration is a big issue; for example we spoke to a moroccan shop keeper today about the discrimination Spaniards tend to have toward North Africans. I also got some great pictures of a Spanish wedding, as well as a large outdoor orchestral concert that was held in the Cathedral square. Interesting Day, im getting a little tired though

Day 10

Today we went to see a famous matador test females to see if they had the right genes to give birth to bulls worthy of bull fights. It was absolutly nuts. All the matadors, including the most famous one, Salvador Vega, were showing off to try and impress the girls in our group. He especially liked hanna, and they started talking, so he invited here down to the pit to take pictures. After a while, he then offered her to go fight a bull with him. I dont know how hanna had the balls to do it, but she grabbed the other side of the cape and they did five or six passes. Then everybody who was watching at this ranch we were at applauded and went wild. She didnt really realize how famous this guy was, which was pretty funny. It'd be like if some famous baseball player invited you into the dugout during a game. But ya, he was flirting with her like crazy, and she was back.

Good Day

Day 9

Today we went to see a Flamenco practice. If you dont know the style of the dance, imagine a sexier and more vibrant form of tap dancing, with long dresses and lots of hand movements. The practice was almost better than seeing a show, because we were able to get extremely close when we took our pictures, which added personality. I really came to appreciate this style of dance and was caught up in the intensity of it all. We also said goodbye to Tino today, which was too bad because he totally changed the group dynamic for the better. Oh well, he's off to Turkey on assignment, au revoir.

Day 8

This morning, we went to a hotel conference room to listin to Tino talk about both his and our photos. Here's some advice:

To create a silloute, make the f-stop difference five or more betweeen the background and your subject.

Warm Colors in front, cool colors in back

Balance colors, such as red v. blue, blue v. yellow, pink v. green, and red v. cyan.

To add interest to a picture, use a splash of red to catch the viewer's eye.

If you're taking a portrait, don't have many lines in the background.

Give people room to breathe.

try to find and capture the face that people dont use for photographs. Be quick so they aren't ready, let them relax, and when they are comfortable again get your best shot.

You dont need a colorful picture to use color well; it's all about balance.

take a sequence of pictures to tell a story

If you are taking a portrait shot, the eyes must be in focus.

That was some good advice. Anyways after this we had a siesta, and then we went to an Irish Pub to watch the USA play Spain. Everyone, including myself, thought the USA had no chance against the best team in the world, but somehow they were able to win 2-0. Hopefully there aren't any riots in the streets. After the game ended, we went inside Alhambra, which is absolutely beautiful. The light wasn't that great for photos, because we missed the blue hour, but the ambience of the place was certainly magical.