Gabriela Garcia is a student at the University of Georgia and was an ISA Photo Blogger. She was interning abroad with ISA in Madrid, Spain last semester.
This past weekend I traveled alone to Barcelona, Spain and it was a breath of fresh air and tranquility. As I walked up and down the streets of Barcelona, I looked everywhere to admire the beauty and architecture of the city.
I visited the Gothic Quarter and the Cathedral of Barcelona and I felt as if I had traveled back in time to the Middle Ages. Satisfied with seeing the Gothic Quarter and alone with my own thoughts, I walked up to the Parque Guell and explored the various sites within this park. By the time I got there I was sweaty and out of breath but that didn’t stop me from exploring the park for 3 hours. I witnessed many couples and groups of friends, all of which were mostly tourists, visiting the park as well. I felt a tap of loneliness, since I was unable to talk about what I was seeing with others. However, I wasn’t going to let the feeling of loneliness ruin my weekend.
I met friends from Italy and Australia that night on the streets; we drank sangria and walked around Las Ramblas. Looking back at my weekend, I realized I wouldn’t have been able to be so content with traveling alone if I hadn’t come to Madrid to work.
Living in Madrid, unaccompanied, has taught me to stand on my own two feet and be content with being alone. Life is an adventure, and if you can’t learn to explore on your own and make friends on the streets, what’s the point?
The world awaits…discover it.