Spain 2024-Impressions
A long train ride seems like a good time to reflect on impressions and ideas that have impressed us so far on this trip. These are in assorted order. (Now we've been home from Spain for 9 days, and I am in Iowa to help my mom, so now also seems like a good time to reflect on the trip.)
- Easy mode – Our plane arrived slightly late, giving us only 60 minutes or so to get through customs, take a train to the main airport terminal, take another train to one of the two main train stations in town, find our train to Bilbao, scan our ticket, find our car, get on. We made it with minutes to spare. It's a testament to life in Spain. We were helped by a friendly agent at the airport train station and shooed along to the proper car by another agent at the train station, but the rest of the journey was thanks to attention to human factors and usability in Spanish public services.
- Bike life – As we've mentioned, we love biking around here. The bike lanes, the easy to rent bikes, the safety extended to bike and scooter riders, and the expectation of care extended to pedestrians. The bike ramps on stairs where there was no other ramp option is a no-brainer. Not good for folks with mobility issues, but an elegant detail for bikes.
- Scooter-share – This was our first time seeing scooter sharing programs in Europe.
- Relationships – We've observed several different relationships here. In and of themselves, nothing unique, but joyful and interesting to observe in this quiet time.
We spent a long time visiting in a cafe with a Tennessee-transplant son and his Washington State Mom. They were spending 3 months traveling around Europe, then he would spend 3 more months traveling around the United States.
The night we went to the fútbol game there was a Dad and son at the sushi restaurant where we ate, dining together before the game. Their quiet camaraderie, joking, gentle teasing of each other, I loved watching it.
We were on a bus ride around the city, and a 20'ish looking young lady had a seat open up next to her in her rear-facing set of two. Her mom was sitting in the seat in front of me. She kept trying to quietly get her mom's attention, but was not succeeding. So I confirmed with a finger point which person she was trying to connect with, tapped Mom, and gestured to her daughter. Mom moved over in the seat next to her daughter, and they laughed, chatted, and shared items on their phones with each other the rest of the ride. Again, so loving and kind.
At a coffee shop where we were having breakfast, two female friends were at the table next to us. I could not hear their words, but based on their body language, excited hugs, and joyful faces, one of them either shared that she had gotten engaged or that she was going to have a baby. The delight, the shining eyes, the bouncing and hugging. It's making me teary thinking about it now.
- The communal touching – There is so much physical connection everywhere you look. Not romantic holding of hands, although there is plenty of that, but friends strolling down the street, arms serpentined together. Kids and parents holding hands; all ages, all genders.
- Smoking – There is still so very much smoking here. Mostly cigarettes and some vaping, although we did smell a little weed, which was a first for us in Spain. Young people smoking still shocks and saddens me.
- Parents walking kids to school – We saw this so frequently. It was more likely to be dads, although we saw both. It felt so wholesome and healthy. Lots of kids in uniforms, but the backpacks were the more consistent element.
- Stinky sewer gas – A couple of our earliest apartments had a slight odor, and Buds did a little research when it happened more than once. It seems the Spaniards are newer to the U-bend strategy that we have long had in the United States that helps to stop the gassy smell from coming back into the home. It was not terrible, and certainly not off-putting for us, but noticeable.
- Food culture – We like how we eat when we are in Europe. We like how we feel when we are in Europe. These two things are connected. Italy still tops our list for consistently amazing food at all sorts of different places, but Spain makes it easy to have fresh, whole foods inexpensively. And as we've repeated multiple times, when we had our own kitchen, we made simple, delicious, healthy meals that fueled our body and spirits.
Yes, all this can be done in the United States, but it's harder and more expensive. Fresh produce and fresh fruit was cheaper. Little things like asking for vegetal milk in my coffee was done for free or a very small surchage. The oatmilk they added at Dunkin' on a recent long drive here in the United States cost $1 extra.
- Yes, and... – Buds came up with a goal for us on this trip. The idea was to respond to each other, and this country, and this way of living with a "yes, and..." To be open to new ideas, different perspectives, and each other. It worked beautifully, and yes, we are trying to continue the habit in our life in the states.
- The dads! -- All over the country we saw dads showing up. Dads pushing strollers, carrying babies, walking dogs, and pushing babies. Overall we saw more dads on kiddo duty than moms, and how fantastic is that!! This also caused us to realize we do not often see Dad art in public spaces. The two pieces of art we liked most on this trip were both maternity related and lovely, but we hope to see Dad-art in the future, too.
- Couplehood – This was our longest trip, just the two of us in 22 years. It was our first time abroad, just the two of us in 23 years. It's hard to find words to explain how much we loved this time. We missed our children and our home and our pets. The Rochester life suits us beautifully. These things can all be true, and I can still say that this time away was magic. Our connection, which has always been fantastic, is even deeper and more joyful than it was before. If it is possible to be addicted to another human in a way that is healthy and positive and growth-inspiring, then that is how I feel about Buddie.
Here's a big, commentable album of all of our pics for you comment fiends out there. We're looking at you Blonde Assassin. 🥰
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