Submitted by Caitlin Baker on the 2012 spring semester program in Granada, Spain…
This past weekend, a few friends and I went on an awesome olive oil tour of Andalusia. Since the winter months aren’t a very touristy time here it ended up being just us and our guide. It was very personal! We toured a beautiful olive farm and visited an old mill where they used to make olive oil before the process was modernized. The mill was in this little town on the outskirts of Granada — very quiet and peaceful. There was a drinking fountain there that spouted water straight from the Sierra Nevada!
Afterwards, we sampled olive oils with bread, cheese, Serrano ham, and some wine tasting. So Mediterranean! It was such a good time and such a great way to explore more of the culture of Andalusia. Olive oil is one of Spain’s, and specifically Andalusia’s, biggest agricultural products so it was interesting to gain more insight into the history and process behind it. We took the tour in Spanish which made it feel even more refined. It is funny how something as small as that can influence the feel of something so much! We had a perfect day for it too — high 50s and lots of sun. Warmer weather is finally coming to Granada and I can already tell it will make me love it here even more!
