Find part 1 of the series here and part 2 here.

We arrived at Granada after a long bus ride and checked into our hotel where, on opening my window to get fresh air, I was surprised to find out that my room faced into an inner courtyard where I could shout across to my friends.

We went out for the night to the Wall Street bar, where drink prices fluctuate like the stock market, and then headed over to Mae West, an old Hollywood inspired club, where we danced the night away.

We had the morning off from scheduled activities so my roommate and I took a stroll through the city to see some of the sites and get some ice cream at Los Italianos at the recommendation of our trip manager. We started talking with a woman in line who told us how she had travelled from a nearby town just for the ice cream.

In the afternoon we all hopped back on the bus to drive to Alhambra for a guided tour. The tour guide who led my group insisted that he knows all the best camera angles so he took my phone and made me pose for him to demonstrate for the group.

The Alhambra is a unique and well-preserved structure, consisting of a palace and fortress. It was built by the Moors when they had control of the area in the traditional Moorish architectural style. After the Reconquista, when Granada was retaken by the Catholics, the Spanish King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella took up residence in the palace and added on to the existing structure.

I opted in for dinner and a flamenco show where we had to take smaller busses up a tiny, winding road to get to this restaurant and flamenco hall built in a cave, Restaurante Cueva de la Rocio. The flamenco ended up being one of the highlights of the trip for me as the dancing and music was amazing – and the jugs of sangria was a plus. Afterwards, we headed back out to the Wall Street bar and in the morning we started our drive back to Madrid, where we said goodbye to half of our group.

We stopped in Toledo on the way, a medieval city that was used in the TV show Game of Thrones. Toledo is also known for its marzipan so I made a quick stop at Confitería Santo Tomé to try some. I don’t usually eat marzipan but this was incredible.

As a final farewell for the 30 people leaving at this part of the trip we had a night out in Madrid, the highlight of which was a bar called Espit Chupitos which in the basement had a menu of shots that took up the entire wall, including these fun shots that were lit on fire.

While saying goodbye to so many of my new friends was sad, I was excited for the next lag of the journey, where we were headed into Cordoba and staying in a 15th century monastery.

In the morning we headed over to Seville, our final stop in Spain before heading over to Portugal. My friends and I found a small local rooftop bar with a great view of the Giralda, the Seville Cathedral’s bell tower, and ordered some Tinto de Verano, a Spanish summer cocktail made of red wine and sparkling lemonade.

We had a whole day in the city, so I spent the morning reading on the steps of the cathedral, found a store to buy some more film for my camera, and checked out the university. I met up with my friends in the Plaza de Espania for a walk and then drinks in the park as we tried to keep cool in the heat. Later on, we walked around some of the sites before meeting the rest of the group for dinner.

The following morning we woke up bright and early to make our way over to Portugal.

Part 4 will be coming soon!