The advantages and disadvantages of Granada

I'm going to write a short summary on some topics. There will be some good points but then other points won't be as good.

1. The language:

So here goes, if you plan on coming to Granada to learn Spanish, you will definitely suffer! After all, nothing is feasible and over the course of the year, we can adapt and even speak like them. You are going to say 'Soy de Grana' or 'ere de Eramou? ' (eres de Erasmus). Something which is hard when you occasionally come across certain courses that are taught by a native Andalusian teacher with a very thick accent... you understand nothing... sometimes you feel like they aren't even opening their mouths to speak. The worst are the 'abuelos' (the old folks). Sometimes it's difficult to understand the old country people in France but then... if you understand the abuelos, consider yourself bilingual! The positive point in all of this is that you will no longer have problems understanding Spanish, since you will have learnt with the most difficult. Northern Spain? Pff ridiculously easy!

2. The stairs

Granada is city which is all uphill. Forget the bus or any form of transport (except the bike maybe), we walk! If you live in the Albaicin or the Realejo, it's normal to arrive at your door breathless and sweaty! No pasa nada, we do less sport and get rid of the beers drunk the night before. The only thing is that these climbs are not just when you go home but for any daily activity. A piece of advice, make sure you check twice that you have everything in your bag so you don't have to go all the way back.

Here are the good ones...

3. Tapas

Granada's statement: their tapas. I have already spoken about this in my previous articles; it is customary to get a drink on the terrace and eat tapas at night. Then it is easy to find tapas that isn't too fatty, the only small problem is that tapas is free but only if you buy a drink first: it is an incentive to drink! And it is often easier to be happy when climbing the stairs to go home.

4. The sun

In Granada, it can rain 30 days out of the year and lets say 15 of the 30 are often due to storms because of spikes in temperatures being too high. Whenever it rains, it's a good excuse not to go to class... I spent December in a t-shirt because it was 25 degrees, very mild temperatures. The problem is that in June, it gets to 35 degrees and you die...

5. The fountains:

It doesn't seem like it, but it may be the one thing missing in France. You can find drinking water fountains everywhere in the city of Granada and you're glad to find them when it's 30 degrees!

6. Parks:

You can find plenty of truly magnificent parks to walk in and have a good time, in Granada.. the problem is that you need to sit on benches. Not grass. No grass simply because it's too hot and the grass burns in the summer and it's also difficult to find a place to sit if you don't have a terrace.

7. The Alhambra:

When I talk about the Alhambra, I am not talking to you about the palace but about the beer. So here it is, in Granada, the beverage isn't expensive but on the other hand everyone is given the same: Alhambra. A 4degré isn't worth it, do not even try to drink it hot.. Do you want other brands? There is the Mahou or maybe Estrella but that's it! Otherwise you have to go to speciality shops and pay a fortune!

8. The airport:

Granada airport is very nice but the flights are expensive and I often don't know how many stopovers it takes to get to France. Otherwise you must take a flight to Malaga airport first.

9. Location

You cannot fault Granada. This city is ideally situated. It's around 40 minutes from the first beach, one hour from the mountains and from the Sierra Nevada, where you can go skiing. There are enormous spots for climbing, hiking and cycling. There are numerous lakes around Granada. There are also larger cities that aren't too far away like Malaga, Seville, Cordoba, etc.

10. Timetable

One can say that the Spanish timetables are good. But I assure you that they are good for holiday makers. I don't think that this happens in my college, the University days are separated in two. Morning groups from 9am to 1pm and evening groups from 4pm to 8pm. I only have classes in the morning and in France it's already 11am and your stomach is growling now because you're hungry, the downside is that you must wait till 1pm to go out... in the evening, don't forget to get drinks before 11pm because that's when a lot of people tend to eat. And you don't go to clubs before 2am or 3am in the morning. The small problem is that the next day you have less of your evening. Anyway, you still have an afternoon nap :) Timetables are made fast.