I’m currently traveling through Spain. I am visiting many new cities as well as some that I have been to before. I have visited several other cities in other countries on other trips as well, often separated by about a quarter century between visits. I am finding again and again that my reaction to a city has changed over the years. And, thankfully, the change is generally for the better!
I really did not enjoy Barcelona 30 years ago. It is a favorite city for many people. When I was there last several years ago I really enjoyed it. I will be there again in a few weeks. What will I think at that time? And for me, the bigger question is “have these places changed or have I”? My gut reaction is that the majority of the shift has been internal. I am different at 52 than 23. I am a father. I have had a career and many homes and over a quarter century with a wonderful woman and nearly as long with a great little monkey girl. I am humble. I know that I do not know. I know that it is okay that I do not know. I really think that there are two types of people, those who know that they do not know and those that DO NOT know that they do not know. After all, those who speak do not know, those who know do not speak. Hopefully speaking does not include typing or sharing 🙂
Did Sevilla grow a ton in the past 27 years or did I? Did they recently build a huge complex for the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition or did I somehow not notice it then or not remember it? My memory is not going yet. I’m so confused.
What else that I think has changed around me is simply a reflection of the changes that have gone on inside me? Of course, we all are connected, there is no “outside of me” and “inside of me” there just “is” and “is not”. I keep ending up back at the same place. What a great place. Is there only one place? Is it here? Is it now? Eckhardt Tolle sure seems to think so and he seems pretty wise to me, and happy..
Of course some things have changed massively. I now have a Spanish SIM card inside my cell phone that directs me to all the popular places to eat complete with turn by turn directions. I also have all my train boarding passes painlessly purchased and stored. No more going to train windows and speaking like an educationally challenged two year old Spanish child trying to get a ticket. The world has changed. Lots of stuff is so much better, we need to remember that when we get jaded over the things that we have lost to time. No longer need to memorize landmarks to help you get back to your apartment in the early hours of the morning (in Prague).
I am typing this into the cloud. Thank you cloud. Where were you in 1993? But, damn, I miss the 500 peseta coin. It felt so perfect between my fat thumb and thick little index finger. It was my favorite coin in the world. You could get an entire quick cheap meal for one coin back in the day. Euros are weird, the pictures on them, to my knowledge, are all of fictitious places so as to not offend any culture left out of these permanent stamps of place. Such an abundance of bridges and walls and buildings and peoples and sadly we then need to resort to imaginary places. Do I do the same thing? Could I even notice? Would you please alert me should you think that I am doing just that?
