A beach in Granada

So, you’ve got this image of Spain in your head, right? You know the one I’m talking about… Sunny beaches, snowy mountains, wine and tapas, fiestas, gypsies playing fiery flamenco music, mysterious medieval castles… Well, as it turns out, what most people think of as Spain is, in fact, just one particular area of Spain called Andalusia. And that’s where you’re going to be; in the heart of everything you’ve dreamed Spain to be.

And at the heart of Andalusia is Granada.

Granada is one of the most historically and culturally important cities in Andalusia (and Spain, for that matter). It was the location of the longest lasting Muslim dynasty in the Iberian peninsula. It’s where King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella granted three ships to a guy named Columbus (maybe you’ve heard of him ). It’s also where said king and queen are buried. You’ll see their tomb when I take you on a tour of the Royal Chapel.

Skiing in the Sierra Nevada mountains

Granada is home to the southernmost ski resort in Europe and the only one in Andalusia, making Granada’s Sierra Nevada mountains a prime tourist attraction. But the mountains aren’t the only thing that bring people from all over the world to Granada. In summer, there’s no better place to be than Granada’s beautiful beaches along the Mediterranean coast. Granada is also home to the most visited monument in Spain, the majestic Alhambra, a walled city of palaces built by the Nasrid to be a “Heaven on Earth.”

If there’s a college town in Spain, it’s Granada. Granada’s 80,000 college students (over 25% of the city’s population) make Granada the place to be for students in Spain. Plus, every year over 10,000 international college students (including a huge number of Americans) go to the University of Granada’s Modern Languages Center for the Spanish Language and Culture, and Hispanic Studies programs.

A GSE apartment

You’ll be staying either in an apartment or with a family. You choose. Apartments are great because you’ve got complete independence and will have other GSE students as roommates. Host families are great because you get all your meals cooked for you, you’ve got instant Spanish-speaking “conversation partners” and you get to experience a little bit of what it’s like to be a Spaniard. Either way, I go out of my way to make sure you have a fantastic living environment right in downtown Granada and very close to the Modern Languages Center where you’ll be taking classes. Also, you’ll have high-speed wireless Internet in your home or apartment.

Centro de Lenguas Modernas

Speaking of the Modern Languages Center… I can’t think of a cooler place to learn Spanish. The Center is located in a beautiful 16th century palace in the historic Realejo, the ancient Jewish quarter of Granada. The CLM (Centro de Lenguas Modernas) is the modern languages college of the University of Granada, one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Spain. The CLM is also a great place to connect with Spanish students who are studying English.

Julia Aguilar, GSE Program Director in Granada, Spain