Where to study while studying abroad in Granada!

It's been almost four weeks since I arrived in Granada and the feeling of being in an extended summer vacation with a new group of people is finally fading away as the assignments build up. Before coming to Granada, I didn't realize how much I rely on having places to study and do assignments that were not my room. So when I realized I'd have to find my own little nooks to do work, my roommate and I set out on trying out local cafés that would replace the library or campus center that we were so used to having nearby at Bryn Mawr. Here are my current top 2 favorite places to study in the city:

1. La Tienda de los Unicornios

This is a little board game café that also has plenty of vegan options for snacks and coffee, plus a rewards card where, after a certain amount of purchases, you can get a free drink or snack! They have a large selection of drink options, both hot and iced, and one of my favorites is their chai that lowkey reminds me of my mom's.... All of their hot drinks also come in the cutest mugs ever and their cute decorations of local artwork and fun lights always give me something to look at when I'm having a hard time focusing on doing my work. Plus, one of the baristas usually has her son hang out in the store after elementary school to wait while she finishes up her workday and he might be the world's cutest 6-year-old. He loves to ask me questions while I'm trying to work and even helps me with my Spanish (AKA corrects me when I say something weird or wrong) which sometimes makes me feel silly, but I'm trying to take every language-learning opportunity as it comes.

• La Qarmita

This café is also a bookstore, and they have separate sections of books that are new and for sale and books that you can take to your table to peruse while drinking your drink. I felt super focused in this café for some reason, probably a result of having other people in tables around me with laptops out getting work done or reading their own books, and I managed to get most of an essay done in one sitting here. Their coffee bombon also changed my life if you enjoy an espresso shot (or two) with condensed milk while you work. Their empanadas were super delicious, too, though I'm not usually the type to order café food. They have a lot of space, especially to sit with multiple people, so I really enjoyed working with one or two friends there and getting distracted by the books around us together.

To be honest, there's still so many cafés I have yet to explore, but my brief time at these two has made me excited for the prospect of changing up where I study every so often so I don't get bored. Though I wouldn't go so far as to say that I've become a local, knowing the names of streets and plazas nearby and getting places without having to use Google maps always makes me feel like I'm mastering my life here. I can't wait to see how my studying habits change over the course of the next 3 months studying in Granada!