Spain In Review

What a surprise Spain was! Knowing little about this nation that gave the Americas its second most common language spoken as it is the second native spoken language in the world. Castilian(Castellano), as the Spaniards call it, is not the only native language spoken in Spain. Nor may Spanish culture be assumed uniform throughout the country. The Eastern region, bordering the Mediterranean, is the Catalan region where I spent all of my time. Barcelona is its city center and where I started my wanderings.
Days Spent in the Country: 10

Number of cities visited: 4

English spoken: Yes. Hardly did I encounter anyone not familiar with the English language… however, I did spend time in pretty touristy spots.

Most common phrase heard: Gracias. But sounding more like Grathias

Food: Tapas of course but trust me that is not all that is well worth your time sitting out in good company.

Drink: More and more is Spain getting more notoriety for their wines. Temperillo and the Rioja region are more commonly known words when I think of Spanish wine. Most wines are reasonably priced as

Funniest/Strangest thing: Exploring the town of L’Estartit, I was walking the main road looking for a travel agent to help me plan my way out of here. I had a strange feeling that I was being followed by a car. After walking 2 blocks, I was approached by a Caucasian guy who looked “Hippie-ish”. He asked if I spoke French. I said a could a bit. So he then explained in French that he was from Belgium and was traveling to experience the World and was looking for a partner to share it with him. He said he was traveling to Southern Spain and then asked where I was going. I politely told him I was going North and was not interested in traveling with him. He thanked me for my time and drove off in his peace-wagon. Funny thing is that he seemed very genuine and well spoken for. Not enough for me to be silly and follow this guy!

In one small portion of Spain, I found so much culture out of my cloud of vague “Spanish” stereotypes. Spain is full of art, intelligence, style, and natural beauty! By this time, I was looking to clear my mind a think more freely. And Spain became my 1st stepping stone to reflecting on my time traveling and how to prepare myself to re-acclimate to home after all the eye-opening experiences I had lived through thus far. How can this all end? Will I just return to my old Type-A American personality or will I be able to incorporate these new lessons of calmness and appreciation for the more simple things in life? And so Spain left me no concrete answers as I move on to Austria.