I apologize for the stark lack of content. I'll do better by throwing up brief posts. Writing a lot always seems daunting when you just have an iPhone and you're very busy. I'll give y'all some highlights right now and post more often from now on, retroactively describing London, Sevilla, Granada, and Barcelona later. So here goes.
1) London washed over me with all that inexplicable charm with which it did my first time there. Maybe it's because the culture is just slightly different, or maybe it's the fact that this world of charming accents and perpetual dry sarcasm suits me well. Either way, I adore that place. I've re-decided that I want to live there for at least a little while. Three Brits I struck up a conversation with one night actually argued about the relevance of the monarchy. How absolutely cute. Crispy M&Ms still exist there. I fainted.
2) Sevilla was brief but a thrill. I was stunned by the richness of the architecture and how fun the people were. I almost stayed one extra day. However, I'm glad I didn't, because...
3) Granada was divine. The hostel was a breeding ground for random people coming together with ease. My first night there I got in at 8pm ready to relax. A Tapas tour at 9? Perfect! I enjoyed the people I met on that 3 hour escapade. It's incredible how an atmosphere can attract a certain kind of people. That first evening in Granada and the next made me fall in love with the hostel experience. Yeah, you don't get all the comforts of your own living space, but if you forgo that for a little while (or splurge on your own private room), you get dunked into a sticky vat of touch-and-go friendships stuffed with the opportunity for personal growth and immersion in rich culture, without ever really grounding yourself. At the Oasis Hostel in Granada, we got just that. After touring the Al-Hambra during my second day, I sat on the couch in the main area and got beckoned to dinner with a bunch of other sole travelers. We all eventually became close, to the point that I stayed an extra day and forewent some time in Barcelona. Also, since our hostel was in an Arabian district, we ate so many kebabs. Ugh, so painfully good. Almost Kebabalicious, but not quite like home (authenticity begone). Alright, more on this later.
4) Barcelona is a surprisingly incredible world city, but because I missed my Granada friends (I get attached easily) and the relaxed life there, I didn't enjoy the city as much as I could have. That being said, my friend Antonella showed us a nightclub where we got free-flowing popcorn! I barely even like popcorn, but it certainly provided a few kernels of joy. This night going out in Barcelona reflects one common topic in hostels about Spanish culture: the youth enjoy staying out until the sun peaks its blasted yellow head out the next day.
5) In general, traveling alone can be refreshing. You move on your own terms and meet people constantly. I feel like I can't shift my body without stumbling across someone who is eager for a conversation and a quick dive into someone else's head. Imagine the territorial and economic frustrations that for some have defined human history and then imagine today vast arrays of cultures colliding here and there, thrilled by each other, sharing deep laughs and talking for hours. It all reminds me of one of my favorite "life lessons" that holds true especially when dealing with others: our differences in understanding and how we each live feel as big or as small as we allow them to feel. It's all about perspective. The fact that you drink whole milk and I drink skim can br trivial or vital; there's no objectively wrong "level of importance." It's healthy to try to crawl into someone else's perspective, and even if solo travels and hostels serve as a specific type of people (the ones who'd be okay with traveling like that), they still provide at least some kind of rich avenue for expanding one's understanding of the human condition.
1) London washed over me with all that inexplicable charm with which it did my first time there. Maybe it's because the culture is just slightly different, or maybe it's the fact that this world of charming accents and perpetual dry sarcasm suits me well. Either way, I adore that place. I've re-decided that I want to live there for at least a little while. Three Brits I struck up a conversation with one night actually argued about the relevance of the monarchy. How absolutely cute. Crispy M&Ms still exist there. I fainted.
2) Sevilla was brief but a thrill. I was stunned by the richness of the architecture and how fun the people were. I almost stayed one extra day. However, I'm glad I didn't, because...
3) Granada was divine. The hostel was a breeding ground for random people coming together with ease. My first night there I got in at 8pm ready to relax. A Tapas tour at 9? Perfect! I enjoyed the people I met on that 3 hour escapade. It's incredible how an atmosphere can attract a certain kind of people. That first evening in Granada and the next made me fall in love with the hostel experience. Yeah, you don't get all the comforts of your own living space, but if you forgo that for a little while (or splurge on your own private room), you get dunked into a sticky vat of touch-and-go friendships stuffed with the opportunity for personal growth and immersion in rich culture, without ever really grounding yourself. At the Oasis Hostel in Granada, we got just that. After touring the Al-Hambra during my second day, I sat on the couch in the main area and got beckoned to dinner with a bunch of other sole travelers. We all eventually became close, to the point that I stayed an extra day and forewent some time in Barcelona. Also, since our hostel was in an Arabian district, we ate so many kebabs. Ugh, so painfully good. Almost Kebabalicious, but not quite like home (authenticity begone). Alright, more on this later.
4) Barcelona is a surprisingly incredible world city, but because I missed my Granada friends (I get attached easily) and the relaxed life there, I didn't enjoy the city as much as I could have. That being said, my friend Antonella showed us a nightclub where we got free-flowing popcorn! I barely even like popcorn, but it certainly provided a few kernels of joy. This night going out in Barcelona reflects one common topic in hostels about Spanish culture: the youth enjoy staying out until the sun peaks its blasted yellow head out the next day.
5) In general, traveling alone can be refreshing. You move on your own terms and meet people constantly. I feel like I can't shift my body without stumbling across someone who is eager for a conversation and a quick dive into someone else's head. Imagine the territorial and economic frustrations that for some have defined human history and then imagine today vast arrays of cultures colliding here and there, thrilled by each other, sharing deep laughs and talking for hours. It all reminds me of one of my favorite "life lessons" that holds true especially when dealing with others: our differences in understanding and how we each live feel as big or as small as we allow them to feel. It's all about perspective. The fact that you drink whole milk and I drink skim can br trivial or vital; there's no objectively wrong "level of importance." It's healthy to try to crawl into someone else's perspective, and even if solo travels and hostels serve as a specific type of people (the ones who'd be okay with traveling like that), they still provide at least some kind of rich avenue for expanding one's understanding of the human condition.
No comments:
Post a Comment