Happily by Accident

As is usual on Mondays after work, I slowly rode my bicycle home. Usually this takes me about 10 minutes. This particular evening though, I had forgotten one important factor. Today was the second day of Semana Santa; Holy Week.

Easter is quite the festival here in Murcia, Spain. Streets are filled with people and the city becomes a maize; alive in its own right, leading people through the streets to where it wants you to go. Chairs align the road so that people can sit and enjoy the processions, unknowingly following a Spanish 'yellow brick road'.

The processions continued every day from the 13th of April this year to the 20th. They became more impressive as it got closer to Good Friday. Not all processions are equal though either. That Monday night's one was quite festive with the marching band and the Nazarenes in their KKK-like attire.

The Nazarenes dress in tunics and lead the procession, with torches lit, and candy-filled pouches in their coloured tunics. As they walk along, spectators are given sweets, biscuits or even hard-boiled eggs from the hidden bags of the Nazarenes that take part. They carry religious sculptures of Jesus, like an open air exhibition to famous artists like Francisco Salzillo.

Each day the Nazarenes wear different coloured tunics. Today was red. Tomorrow might be green or blue; each with a meaning. Each with a pointed hood. Each colour represents a parish in the city. Each day, a different parish represents the city.

Back to getting lost in the maize. As I said, I forgot that the processions would be taking place. I shouldn't have. I watched them set up the chairs on my way to work that afternoon. But I did; so... I had to find my way across the river to where I live. Every side street I took; every main street, every alley was bordered off with chairs. I could not help but be lead towards the centre of the city. Always finding my way back to the cathedral, the focal point of my small (and in that moment) anthill of a city.

Eventually, 40 minutes later, I decided to make my way back to my work and go around the bus station, near the edge of the city. Still, I had to work my way through the streets, past the many families enjoying the parade. I couldn't help but love this little place I call home right then. It's the people that make places special.

I missed the important days of Holy Week as I was in Italy, but I felt lucky to have gotten caught up in the build up of that week; happily by accident.

After Holy Week were two more important days for Murcia; 'Bando de la Huerta' and 'Entierro de la Sardina'. Bando is the first Tuesday after Easter and pretty much one big street party. It is actually a part of the spring festival but every local I have spoken to say it's just a good excuse to drink out in the open.

I was back from Italy just in time for Entierro de la Sardina - Burial of the Sardine. It is a traditional festival that closes the carnival celebrations. Another street parade with lots of music, beautiful dancers in amazing costumes and people throwing toys into the crowd for children.

As the parade came to a close and the festivities were ending, the giant sardine statue that was in the middle of the main intersection transformed into an enormous bonfire, like an offering to the gods for the coming year; concluding the spring holidays.

The Burial of the Sardine was over but I was waiting in anticipation for one more thing; the fireworks! I am child-like in a way; I still get over excited when I see an amazing firework display; as if magic really does exist in this world of ours for those few enchanting minutes. The fireworks that night were truly amazing. They left me in awe...

Murcia's two week holiday was over, but oh, what a wonderful way it was to end them.

*Fiestas and Fireworks*

Year after year, the city of Valencia prepares itself for a celebration that demands their time and devotion, inviting people from around the world to welcome a new season through fire and light. It is the city's pride and joy that people flock to take part in; the festival of Las Fallas.

This was my favourite 'fallas'

The fiesta takes place annually in March to celebrate the beginning of Spring and to throw off the final drags of winter. The festival is 5 days of loud fireworks and crackers, street parties and the giant, satirical monuments that are known as 'fallas' and 'ninots'.

The monuments tower over the city

From the moment we arrived, we could see that the party had begun in parts of the city. We walked to our apartment, past the 'ninots' and wondered what they were. They represent the age old tradition of burning the supplies of torching excess winter supplies and, over time, took form and shape of people and grew in size. On 19 March, the day of Saint Joseph, patron saint of carpenters and a public holiday in Spain, the monuments are burnt and thus the festival of 'Las Fallas' ('The Fires' in Valenciano, the language spoken in the area) was born.

Hello random strangers!

We adventured into the city, not knowing where to go or what to do but wanting to party and experience what the city had to offer. We landed up dancing the night away and having midnight kebabs to keep our energy levels revved before wandering around the busy streets and making new friends along the way. I found a photo on my camera the next morning; we were all smiles but I have no idea what the names of those strangers are, yet in that moment we just happily enjoyed each other's company.

The next day we made our way to the centre of the city to listen to the daily noisy event of 'la Mascleta'. At 2pm firecrackers are set off and a fanfare of gunpowder ensues for the next couple of minutes. Thousands are drawn towards the 'ayuntamiento' ('town hall' in Spanish) to watch the concert of noise and smoke. Feeling the 'doof doof doof' in my chest as the crackers went off was exhilarating and after it finished, the people slowly dispersed into side streets to carry on with their drinking and partying.

The crowd slowly started to disperse after La Mascleta

The city doubles in size to about 3 million people during the festival. I wasn't surprised when the 5 of us that had gone together, were separated during the day. With so many people in the streets and with each of us looking at different things, it was bound to happen. By the time we found each other again, we were all exhausted and decided to go home to relax before going out again that night.

The streets came alive through music, dance and drink

As we walked home, firecrackers were being let off every which way we went. I could never really quite relax as I jumped at every single one I heard and had to watch out for where they were being thrown; I was constantly twitching as if I had an odd disorder. The festival has been known to be a little dangerous because of the free-for-all mentality of playing with crackers and, of course, accidents do happen. Children as young as 5 were lighting their little cherry bombs, with no safety gear on, while parents looked on with a sense of pride. I did enjoy the smell of the gun powder though; it reminded me of my own childhood.

Sitting on the bridge,
waiting for the fireworks

I was most excited for the famous fireworks display that lights up the night sky. However, for some unknown reason I was expecting more grandeur and allurement. I think this was my own fault though because my friends happily enjoyed the fireworks. That's what you get for going in with a certain expectation. Lesson learned. Looking back I think that they were really great but in the moment, I seemed to have been searching for magic that just escaped my grasp. Genuinely though, the pyrotechnics were an amazing sight.


Afterwards we went for a drink but I lost my 'ganas' (my desire to go out) and wandered the streets hunting for a taxi to go home. That was a failed adventure all on its own because no free taxis could be found anywhere, so we ventured through the city trying to find our way back to our temporary abode; our feet aching and our bodies tired.


We woke up on Sunday, not ready to go home but a little beat from the hustle and bustle of the festival. As night approached, we got on our bus and took the 3 hour trip home. I looked out the window and saw an orange full moon rise and that helped to ward off my Sunday night blues.

One more thing I can happily and successfully tick off my bucket list: Las Fallas (Spain 2014)

15m tall Moses sits in the city centre

Only in South Africa

"I believe that South Africa is the most beautiful place on earth. Admittedly, I am biased but when you combine the natural beauty of sunny South Africa with the friendliness and cultural diversity of our people, and the fact that our region is a haven for Africa's most splendid wildlife, then I think that we have been blessed with a truly wonderful land"

- Nelson Mandela

I come from a country with a turbulent past and not so steady future. We are a complicated people with complicated feelings towards our country. South Africa is really a special case when it comes to our different cultures and lifestyles and how it affects our opinions about important local matters. But with all that said and done, I have to share why South Africa is truly one of the most unique places to grow up in. We are unique and vastly different to other cultures because we have so much diversity that we are, ironically, one of a kind. Europe seems an odd place to live, with odd customs and strange traditions that I find perplexing.

Our lekker way of speaking
We have the best slang terminology. Our slang is a mix of languages; from Afrikaans to Zulu and Khoi San and even Portuguese! English comes alive with bright and colourful words that give the language flavour.
Now now - soon, but different to "just now": "Ja ma, I'll do it now now."
Ag - an exclamation: "Ag man, don't be silly"
Babelaas - hangover: "I'm a bit babelaas from last night"
Eina - ouch or sore: "Is your head eina?"
Lekker - cool or good: "I had a lekker holiday"

Braai is better than barbeque
South Africans don't barbeque like the rest of the world. We braai. And we don't braai meat; we braai boerewors and vleis.

It's not ketchup. It's called tomato sauce
And the best tomato sauce is by far South Africa's favourite "All Gold", with its famous 36 tomatoes. I don't know how many of my international friends "correct" me. "Don't you mean ketchup?" No. I mean tomato sauce. What does the word "ketchup" even mean?

The proper school year
School starts in January and ends in December. As how it should be; with reasonable holiday periods in between school terms for kids not to get bored. Summer holidays and school terms are too long in America and Europe. We much prefer our school year.

We don't speak Afrikaans because we're from Africa
Too many times I've been told this while travelling abroad. I shake my head at people's ignorance but, to be fair, I can see where they get the assumption from; yet we all know what happens when we assume! Afrikaans is a dialect language of Dutch with smatterings of other languages that gives it a different feel on the lips compared its mother tongue. It is not Dutch, although it is the daughter language of it. I guess it is an African language in its own right.

We are not just black and white
We are truly a rainbow nation. We are black, white, Indian, Asian and coloured and yet we are all South African! I love it. We all seem to fit into a ticking box. Within each "box", we diverge even further into our own separate cultures. I still forget sometimes that other countries aren't as diverse as ours. We have no one main religion so even on Christmas, you'll find something open.

Christmas in summer
Christmas means sunshine and beaches; holidays and summer rains; shorts and dresses. Two Christmasses now abroad in Europe and I can honestly say that there is nothing better than a Christmas Day lunch in the garden followed by swimming in the pool or spending the day on the beach.

Rooibos tea is more popular than black tea
I grew up drinking rooibos ("red bush" in Afrikaans) since I was a little girl and I remember my family in Poland asking us to send them boxes of it before it became popular abroad. We don't call it red tea though. It is, and forever will be, rooibos.

We play soccer not football
The country is divided on this, depending on who you speak to. Some of us, like me, will call it soccer but many of my friends who follow the English league, will go into heavy debates about how it is not soccer but the age old game of football. It doesn't really matter though because the sport comes second to rugby; our pride and joy.

We raise silkworms as a hobby
As kids, we raise silkworms as pets. I remember how excited we would get each season when it was time to trade and see who had the most silkworms until our parents decided that enough was enough, and we threw our shoe boxes away, which we kept filled with mulberry leaves for the little guys to munch on until they cocooned themselves. When they emerged as pretty little white moths, we would watch in awe as they laid their eggs on the sides of the box and died. I think this was my first lesson in the cycle of life and death.

We have the coolest currency
OK, so the rand isn't particularly strong and if you ask any South African, they'll tell you how much they hate it but even though it's this, that and the next thing, it is still the coolest looking cash I have seen on my travels thus far. I still feel proud when I show my students our coins and notes. I mean, come on, we have animals and the newly added Madiba. Who wants presidents and kings when you can tell how much money you have got by looking at which animal of the Big Five is on the note.

Where are the animals in the rest of the world?
You can pretty much go to any reserve and see zebra, buck and giraffe. Walk into my house during the summer and I guarantee you'll see a rain spider somewhere. We're careful of snakes and let's not get started on the monkeys at the coast. Our bird life is famous and Cape Town is world reknown for whale sightings and cage diving with Great Whites. Visit the Kruger and you'll find our precious Big Five. Where are the animals in Europe? Nothing in Spain and you have to venture into the forests of Poland to maybe catch a glimpse of something wild. My British friends had a debate on whether Scotland even had snakes. I still find this puzzling and kind of funny. How do you grow up not camping in the bush and having to be careful of the hippos and hyenas?

My childhood was pretty epic, with summer vacations at the iconic Vaal Dam, raising silkworms, trying to whistle like the man in the All Gold tomato sauce commercial (thirty sixxxxx), calling our domestic worker Gogo ("granny" in Zulu) as she helped raise me and was part of our family, not understanding that having black friends was newly socially acceptable, and other typical South Africanisms.


We, as a country, might be young and have many problems but one thing I can say and hold true to, is that my country has made me special and I will always be a daughter of Africa.

The Cathedral of Murcia

I'd been in Murcia for 6 months and I still hadn't been inside the cathedral that is Murcia's main city attraction. If you know me, you would realise how remarkable that is. I am a lover of cathedrals. The architecture and history of these majestic buildings enthrall me in every which way possible.

I am by no means religious though. Don't get me wrong; to each their own and all that but for me it just doesn't sit well with who I am and what I believe in. I digress. Cathedrals. So after wandering the city centre this past Saturday; meandering through the streets during the siesta, I decided to enter its big, grand doors and see what I had been missing.

The facade of the cathedral

La Iglesia Catedral de Santa Maria en Murcia; the Cathedral Church of Saint Mary, is the heart of the city centre. Let me first explain that the cathedral can be seen from nearly any point in the city. Murcia is by no means a big town so this isn't really a difficult feat but it is still impressive nonetheless. It is the most important monument building this southern city has to offer.

The cathedral was created  in 1394 and was built on top of a Moorish mosque. This is quite intriguing as the Christian king at the time had made a pact previously with the Muslims, stating that no mosques would be destroyed.

Anywhere you walk in
the city centre, the bell tower
can be seen.

I first entered through the museum which is a part of the cathedral. It is built on the Muslim remains. It preserves the remnants of medieval paintings and a collection of gold and silver artifacts such as beautifully detailed chalices. I found the history of each piece on display interesting and enjoyed absorbing all the facts.



After walking through the museum, I made my way inside the church. It was icy cold inside and I didn't feel that instant gratification of peace and serenity that I so hungrily look for when I enter buildings such as this one. I didn't stay long and soon enough exited the front of the church, onto the main square. I took a closer look at the facade of the building. It really is an  amazing piece of art by any standards.

The church continued to grow until the 18th century and is a beautiful mix of artistic styles. It is a brilliant summary of the architectural styles of more than 5 centuries. Its facade is Baroque with a Gothic interior.

The Bell Tower

The heart and entrails of the king Alfonso the Wise are buried under the main altar. He left them, he said in a testament, as a gift and proof of his love of Murcia and in thanks to the fidelity that the city showed him. To be honest, I don't know much about Spanish history and its kings but any king that thought it worthwhile to bury his heart in this little city is alright by me.












I came across this short video that allows you to take a look at the cathedral through the means of a summary of a new virtual tour. Take a look and see just how beautiful the heart of Murcia really is. Thanks to Romereports.com for allowing me to share this with you.

A Dash through Scotland

"This is a city of shifting light,

of changing skies, of sudden vistas.

A city so beautiful it breaks the heart

again and again."

Alexander McCall Smith

Edinburgh

Anna and me

At the last minute my friend and flatmate, Anna and I decided that I should stop in Scotland to visit her. Brilliant! I had never been to the UK before and I was going to kill two birds with one stone as I was planning to see Ireland too, and before anyone freaks out at me for saying that Ireland is NOT part of the UK, I lump the two together when speaking about that part of the world. My sincere apologies but my stubbornness prevails on this one folks.

I spent less than 48 hours in Scotland; you can't call that as seeing a country but I jammed as much as I could into those precious few hours and was lucky to see quite a bit.

Glasgow

I arrived late into rainy Glasgow but I finally met up with Anna and we walked around some of the town before giving up as the weather was clearly trying to best us in seeing whose will was greater. Ours obviously wasn't; nobody likes being cold, wet and blown away. Fortunately though we found some refuge in the coolest temporary sanctuary; The Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. It is one of Europe's top art galleries and, amazingly, it is free to enter.

Just chilling with the King at the Kelvingrove

Afterwards we caught the train to Edinburgh and I immediately fell in love with the city. It's the type of place I can imagine myself living in. I've only had a connection like that with a few places and Edinburgh definitely falls into that special category.

Greyfriars Bobby

The city has a smaller population than what I expected, with only about 450 thousand people but still makes it the second most populous city in Scotland. I think I forget that European countries aren't as big as South Africa sometimes.

I will have you know that during this trip I tried my utmost to master the accent of a true Scotsman and their odd (for me at least) way of pronouncing certain words. For example, 'book' is pronounced with an oo like 'soup'. They roll their 'r's and pronounce 'road' with an 'or' sound like 'board'. I became an irritating parrot; mimicking every funny sounding phrase I heard. The South African accent is by no means easy to learn but I was definitely not having much luck with the Scottish one.

The next day we adventured into the cold city and I was captivated by what I saw. We walked the Royal Mile; a succession of streets that form the Old Town that lead up to Castlehill with the Edinburgh Castle. Not that I even knew that the city had one of those; shows how much I know about the world. The walk is quite famous. Where else could you stroll down the tail of a long-extinct volcano?

Funny faces at the Camera Obscura

We stopped at the Camera Obscura and took some quirky photos of ourselves in the illusion mirrors.

We walked through the German Christmas market and ate traditional bratwurst and chatted in a coffee shop whilst drinking mulled wine, something I'd never fancied before. We visited the Writer's Museum which I thought was pretty impressive. The museum celebrates three well-known Scottish writers; Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson. 

Quotes by various authors are captioned outside the
Writer's Museum

Two days is hardly any time at all in the grand scheme of anything so before I knew it I was off to Portugal for another whirlwind of an adventure but my Christmas trip would not have been the same if I didn't visit my dear friend in the land of the Scots; leaving more world wise and only bringing a love of a country into my heart.

Edinburgh

The Land of a 1000 Welcomes

The widest street in Dublin

Ireland is fondly known as the land of a thousand welcomes. I truly got a taste, quite literally, of that little saying on the plane during my journey from Alicante to Dublin when, after showing his true Irish roots, a man also on his way to the city, convinced everyone around us that we had been dating for years and kissed me as we landed; "to keep your mind off the turbulence". It was definitely the most amusing flight I had ever been on and what a great way to start my adventure in Ireland!

Felicity and me

I arrived in Dublin and was  warmly welcomed into the Hamill family with open and loving arms. This was my first Christmas away from my family and although it was hard, I felt as though I was adopted temporarily into this amazing little clan that were kind enough to let me into their home.

I was greeted by a new language; English like I'd never heard it before. Words like "fair play" and "grand" mixing with "slainte" but it was "yer man" that bested me until finally I figured out that it meant referring to a man you don't know the name of. More than once I replied that no, I'm single but thanks for asking.

Finding our way to Glendalough

I had never been to Ireland before and was amazed at how beautiful the country truly is. Sometimes you have expectations of places and they don't always live up to them. I was happily surprised that the country lived up to its reputation.

The cemetery in Glendalough

I've never seen a street
tell me which way to look

The streets were chaos during the Christmas rush; I heard the typical Dublin accent with "quality wrapping papers" as we headed down Henry Street towards Mary Street. At times I would just stop walking and stay in the same spot until people stopped battering me around.



I visited Trinity College and had my first Guiness at Pygmalion. I hunted for my usual magnet and postcard. Dublin itself is a great city but I need to go back to see more of it and really experience what the city has to offer.

"Merry Christmas"

I had my first "traditional" Christmas dinner with stuffed turkey, ham and Christmas pudding! In South Africa, my family celebrates a regular Polish Christmas eve dinner rather than Christmas day. It was my first holiday season away from my family and it was so great not feeling so far from home; I felt at ease and I enjoyed my time with the Hamills.

An Irish sunset

"Wherever you go and whatever you do,

May the luck of the Irish

Always be with you."

An Irish Blessing

The view in Glendalough

What 2013 Taught Me

Open your eyes, look within.

Are you satisfied with the life you're living?

Bob Marley

Without a doubt, 2013 was the craziest and most memorable year of my young life so far. I have cherished and regretted, broken hearts and had mine broken, travelled to 25 amazing cities and lived in 2 different countries.
I've never really believed that people can change, no matter how much I wanted to, but I think that when so many experiences happen in such a short amount of time, one can alter their views of themselves and on life. Here's what 2013 taught me:

1. You have to be true to yourself. People are always going to get hurt by our choices. You will be hurt by theirs. Such is life! Everyone has their own path to take and if we are not true to what we want then we damage ourselves far more in the end.

2. Regrets are sometimes a good thing. Without the little ones, how do we know what it is we truly want. There is nothing worse than being stuck between two decisions you're going to regret either way. Choose the one that will hurt the least and deal with the consequences.

3. If you don't constantly challenge yourself, your life becomes complacent and can be detrimental to your happiness. Take that first holiday alone in a foreign country, read that book that looks too hard to understand, learn that language that interests you.

4. We always say that we have time; we'll do it in the future. I'll go on that road trip next year. I'll start that course in the new term. I'll tell him I love him next time I see him. Well, friends, family and strangers, I say fuck the future! Do it now. Challenge yourself now. Be happy now!

5. The people that want to be in your life make that little bit extra effort to be in it. Those friends that send you Christmas cards when you live so far away, the friends that want to skype you to see how you are, the ones who visit you when you're home for a short time. Friendships that are worth having are worth maintaining. I love the people I have in my life. I'm grateful for them every day. I started living by this little saying this year; quality life means quality people.

6. It's okay to be a little bit selfish. This year I stopped putting my needs and wants second to everyone else. It's all about balance. Don't forget that you are important too. Some people sacrifice so much to give to those that are less than grateful. When do you draw the line and say that enough is enough?

7. If you don't do what makes you happy, what's the point of your life. I found my pure joy in travelling. I decided to make it happen. I wish people would just grab the bull by its horns and do what they want in life! If not now, when?

8. Have goals. Without them, we lose our sense of purpose. With no direction, how are we to know what we have accomplished? Ambition and determination drives us to make our dreams a reality.

9. Don't let society judge you. We all have this preconceived idea of what we're meant to think, meant to look like, meant to wear, meant to be. Stop it! Just stop it. Be a little weird. Wear those crazy orange pants. Get that tattoo. Listen to that music. Whatever you want to do that makes you happy, just do it! Dance in the middle of the street. Talk randomly to a stranger. Just be yourself. It makes life way more interesting.

10. Lastly, and this took me a while to figure out, and I'm talking to you. YOU. The person who took the time to read this to the very end about the ramblings of a random someone somewhere on this earth, whether you happen to know me or not. You are constantly growing; evolving to become the best version of yourself every day. With every good and bad decision you make. Every trial and tribulation. Love yourself. If we do not love ourselves, this trippy ride we call life isn't as cracked up as it's meant to be.

To 2014! And all its new adventures...

Castles and Beaches

"Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time."

Marthe Troly-Curtin

One of the best things about Spain is definitely how I spend my weekends. I arrived in Murcia at the end of summer and it was still blazing hot, so my friends and I decided to spend our days at the beach. The city is an hour or so away from the coast by bus. Every weekend we decided to venture to different beaches. Alicante was one of the main places we decided to go to.

Alicante is an old city and historic port in the east of the country. When you arrive at the train station you immediately feel that holiday vibe that you look for when spending the day at the beach. Although the city has been around for hundreds of years, it is modern and vibrant with many things to do and see.

What attracted us most comes down to two things: the awesome beach and the Castle of Santa Barbara that sits atop the mountain, Mount Benacantil, overlooking the entire city.

The castle overlooks the port

The bus stop is right next to the port. It's about a ten minute walk to the main beach. Along the way, I was bombarded by sound; adusting my hearing to other languages. Alicante is a hot tourist destination for many Europeans. I heard German, Polish, Dutch and English more than I heard any Spanish. Living in Murcia, not much English is spoken so it was quite nice listening to my native tongue outside my circle of friends but also a bit annoying because I prefer listening to Spanish when I'm out and about.

Wandering the streets

The beach is very crowded. Unless you're looking for that kind of buzz, I would avoid this part of the coast and travel further south. As it is everywhere in Meditteranean, the water is a gorgeous teal blue with palm trees and white sands.





The first thing you notice about Alicante is the castle on the top of the hill. The Castle of Santa Barbara dates back to Muslim control but is named as such after the capturing of the city on the feast day of Saint Barbara by Castilian forces. Not quite who those guys are but okay, job well done.





We got a bit lost trying to find our way to the entrance of the mountain so we found some typical Mediterranean homes up against the side of the mountain with the most amazing view of the sea. There's nothing better than losing your way in a new city and stumbling upon something you would never have found otherwise. I think that's my favourite thing about travelling.

 It's been open to the public in recent years but at one what time it was used as a prison.



The view of the city is quite astounding. All of Alicante can be seen; a full 360 degree view.


When summer returns I'll definitely be spending more Sundays at the beach in Alicante. In the meantime though, I'd like to go back to see more of the city itself. I've yet find its countless hidden treasures.

We saw the most amazing sunsets
on the way down the mountain

Road Trip Adventures

Good friends, great music and a solid few hours in a tiny car is the beginning of what every twenty something should experience; a road trip adventure.

And so our adventure begins

Anna, Tom, Alex and myself spent the weekend in Granada; one of the most breath taking cities I have ever seen, but first we had to get there. You see, Granada is a good 3 or so hours away from Murcia. This is our Spanish home where we all met in September, and it was time we went on a mini vacation.

We had a long weekend as the 6th of December is a bank holiday in Spain so we decided to visit Granada. We hired a car and rented an apartment, all thanks to Tom's mad bargain-finding skills, and off we went; galavanting into the sunset.

Mr Tom, our resident rock star driver

Our Fiat 500 

Tom drove, I put myself in charge of music (I have great taste) while Alex and Anna relaxed in the backseat, quite squished but none the worse for wear. Shakira, Foo Fighters and Aerosmith kept us company along the way.

Pit Stop = Food!

At about half way, we stopped for food and to stretch our legs. Pit stops are an essential part of road trips. It's not about how long it takes to get there but the memories made along the way. As cliche as it is, it really is about the journey and not the destination. Food, drink, a good stretch and a bathroom break later and we were back on the road.

There is always one :)

Conversation during a road trip is almost always about everything and nothing. I cannot remember what we spoke about in the car but I do know that I enjoyed talking about shit that seemed important. That's the thing about adventures like these; it doesn't matter what is said or done, it's all just part of being in the moment.

We arrived in Granada as the sun was setting. Our holiday had begun even if the road trip was over and it was the perfect way of beginning an amazing weekend; definitely one for the books.

Finding Home in Murcia

The sun dropping over the Old Bridge.
Photo belongs to Sara Lucy Smith

It is not easy finding a place that your heart can call home, no matter how long you've been there. You may adjust to living in a space but it's not always so that we find a place that we can call our own; home. After two weeks of traveling in Spain, I discovered my little piece of home away from home.

My new teaching job is located in Murcia. Little is known about this city because it is not a tourist destination, although you may find many expats here. Every Spaniard I met along the way and all my new students asked me, why Murcia? Why this city of all places?

Well, that's pretty easy to answer. Here's why:








Number 1: 
I didn't want to live in a city that is bustling with tourists. I would be able to get away with speaking English and I didn't want that. If you want to experience a culture and learn a new language, you have to immerse yourself fully. So no big, well known cities for me.


Number 2: 
Well it's where I was offered a good job. I work in a great language school and I enjoy what I do; teaching, in any of its forms.

The River Segura

Number 3: 
Murcia is the capital city of the region of the same name. It's in the south east of the country and it's quite warm in winter compared to some other places in the country. Coming from a long hard winter in Poland, I wanted to experience weather that is more similar to South African climate.

Number 4:
Why the hell not?

The Catedral de Santa Maria

I've been in Murcia for just over two months now and I absolutely love it here. I love my new friends that I've made, the locals are friendly, my students give me a great sense of satisfaction in my job and the city itself just seems to be alive in a way I can't explain.

I feel at home here. If you are from Murcia, you are called Murciano. I was telling my adult students about an embarrassing, drunken story I had one weekend and one of my students replied that it happens to all Murcianos and it officially made me one of them. My heart melted a bit at that. It seems anyone can find home somewhere in the world.

Real Casino

Murcia is definitely the place to travel if you want to experience Spain off the beaten track. One of the main beautiful sights is the lovely Catedra de Santa Maria. Built in 1394, it is one of the most astounding cathedrals I have ever seen. Visit the Real Casino de Murcia, a gentleman's club in 1847, restored to its original grandeur or walk along Gran Via, the main street in the city centre. It doesn't matter what you choose to do or see, you will always enjoy yourself, whether you're hunting for the perfect tapas bar or wandering along the streets with no destination in mind.

I've never thought of ever using this cliche but home is truly where the heart is.

Photo taken by Sara Lucy Smith