I felt like exploring today. To travel by train for 6 hours and stay in a hostel for a weekend lay outside of my range of courage so far, so I took the tram and rode to the last stop. The sterile air and napping passengers on the tram immediately awoke memories of mindless following my parents or a peer on subways and airplanes. But today, I could add a memory of independence to these sights and smells. An hour later, I ended up in Benidorm, the touristy city with a New York City skyline that we passed by on the way to Guadalest.
I took a taxi to Old Town, which Google had told me was a must-see in Benidorm. Contrary to my hopes that "old" meant historical and "town" meant lowly populated, the taxi dropped me off at a crowded shopping center. The center appeared to hold very little history and culture, and what stories preserved there were stifled by artificial, money-making tourist sites. I asked an Irish tourist where old town was (thinking I might have mistranslated old town to the cab driver) and old town was where I was situated. So I shopped for a kindle case which I had required after numerous beach-readings had coated my kindle in sand and salt. I kept walking and found lovely views of the sparkling Mediterranean and colorful skyline. I also came across a highly artistic sand castle (clearly a tourist magnet, but worth a glimpse).
And then, dinner time approached. Another site that Google recommended was Tapas street, formally titled Calle Santo Domingo. Google maps took me to a small street with tapa bars shelved with artisan pinchos. I selected a clam shell filled with cheese and shellfish. It reminded me of a crustless shellfish quiche. These tapas appeared a little more authentic than the shops.
On the walk back through aimless shopping and to the tram stop, the cobble stone walkway hugged by white buildings seemed to grow a little cozier and sparklingly European. I stopped by a tourist station and picked up brochures for recreational parks.
I wonder if I've sacrificed a once in a lifetime chance to visit Barcelona and Seville and Salamanca and such monumental cities by avoiding travel risks this weekend, but a weekend at a 29 euro water park is still a worthy summer activity. Furthermore, I haven't sacrificed my once in a lifetime chance to study abroad. Studying abroad without traveling experience bears positives and negatives, which I knew to expect since the I applied to the program.
I took a taxi to Old Town, which Google had told me was a must-see in Benidorm. Contrary to my hopes that "old" meant historical and "town" meant lowly populated, the taxi dropped me off at a crowded shopping center. The center appeared to hold very little history and culture, and what stories preserved there were stifled by artificial, money-making tourist sites. I asked an Irish tourist where old town was (thinking I might have mistranslated old town to the cab driver) and old town was where I was situated. So I shopped for a kindle case which I had required after numerous beach-readings had coated my kindle in sand and salt. I kept walking and found lovely views of the sparkling Mediterranean and colorful skyline. I also came across a highly artistic sand castle (clearly a tourist magnet, but worth a glimpse).
And then, dinner time approached. Another site that Google recommended was Tapas street, formally titled Calle Santo Domingo. Google maps took me to a small street with tapa bars shelved with artisan pinchos. I selected a clam shell filled with cheese and shellfish. It reminded me of a crustless shellfish quiche. These tapas appeared a little more authentic than the shops.
On the walk back through aimless shopping and to the tram stop, the cobble stone walkway hugged by white buildings seemed to grow a little cozier and sparklingly European. I stopped by a tourist station and picked up brochures for recreational parks.
I wonder if I've sacrificed a once in a lifetime chance to visit Barcelona and Seville and Salamanca and such monumental cities by avoiding travel risks this weekend, but a weekend at a 29 euro water park is still a worthy summer activity. Furthermore, I haven't sacrificed my once in a lifetime chance to study abroad. Studying abroad without traveling experience bears positives and negatives, which I knew to expect since the I applied to the program.