Spain Trip

by | Jul 5, 2021 | Mindset, Travels and Adventures

I am writing this month’s newsletter from Valencia, Spain. Yes, Spain 😊. Spain marks the 10th country that I have visited.

So far, I have spent five days in the Asturias country in Oviedo and Gijon up in the northwest.

From Asturias, my friend and I traveled to Bilboa in the Basque country for two days.

From Bilboa, we flew to Catalonia and spent four days in Barcelona

     

From Barcelona, we took the train to Valencia where I am spending my remaining days in Spain

Spain is a beautiful country with amazing food. From what I have learned from the locals, Spain is much more diverse than I thought. Each of the regions like Asturias, Basque, and Catalonia has their own unique cultural practices and languages.

I’ve set my intention for this Spanish trip to check my biased habit of thinking that “the grass is greener on the other side.” It is natural and normal to compare-and-contrast the similarities and differences between countries. And I noticed whenever I’ve traveled to other countries in the past, if I didn’t check myself, this compare-and-contrast would easily slip into a very judgmental mindset. For example, I love the culture, tastiness, and freshness of tapas and pintxos in Spain. But almost immediately, my mind starts criticizing how bad, fake, and processed American foods are. Another example is Spain’s tradition of keeping strict lunch and dinner hours. A lot of times, if you miss the lunch or dinner hours, the restaurants are not going to serve you meals, especially during COVID 19. This happened to us twice during the trip. I am so used to the convenience of eating whenever you want in America that I had to catch myself to prevent these thoughts from spiraling into negativity…“Spain sucks, the U.S. is better.”

What is the benefit of setting this intention? I find it helps me to simply enjoy Spain as it is without casting any judgement or overthinking everything. I feel freer, happier, and chill. And I am able to truly appreciate every single encounter and experience I have whether it is planned or unplanned and live in the moment.