Do Not Forget To Be Happy!

Pablo Neruda, a poet and a legend, always captures my heart through the way he paints with words. 

In fact, it was through his love poems that I was learning Italian when I was in Rome. My Couchsurfing host had a book of love sonnets by Pablo Neruda that were in Spanish on one page and Italian on the other. Every night before I went to sleep, I would read his poems as my heart melted and I soared through dreamland. Yep, I'm now one of those- a hopeless romantic. You would be, too.

Below is one of my favorite poems, not a a love poem, but just as good. It offers us a reflection about the way we live our daily lives: (English version below)


Original Version in Spanish

Muere lentamente quien no viaja,
quien no lee, 

quien no escucha música,
quien no halla encanto en si mismo.

Worldly Possesions

My backpack is small, overstuffed and there are more souvenirs than anything else. But its not the size that matters, because I´m bringing back with me so much more than what can fit in my backpack.

Just few things I picked up along the way:

• Honorary badges of blisters, bruises and travel wounds

• New vocabulary of Spanish swear words

• Tasty & exotic culinary recipes

• A horribly-attempted English accent

The Royal Treatment in Sevilla

Visiting the royal palace in Sevilla, I was greeted by the king himself. Dressed in his best, a deep ocean blue and emerald green suit with accesories of gold, his crowned head held high as he overlooked his royal kingdom of Alcázar from the front gates of the gardens.

The lavish gardens of Alcázar are truly fit for any king or queen. In fact, this is the place that King Charles V married Isabella of Portugal, the unity of power and politics.

Sevilla is known for its flamenco, bullfighting, and tapas. I learned about the rich history of Sevilla, the capital of the southern region of Spain known as Andalucia, from a hilarious Italian tour-guide who took us around the city. I wish I could remember all the knowledge that he shared with us, but all I remember is laughing for three hours straight because of his sarcastic humor.

The Tumultuous Arrival To Barcelona

Yesterday´s perfect sunny weather turned to today's cloudy windy pensive day. Sitting on edge of the docks I stared out into the sea, watching the ships come in and out as the workers loaded and unloaded the cargo. The cool winds blew hard as the days continued to grow colder and shorter.

The Mediterranean was restless that day. I was leaving Sardinia on a ship to Barcelona. The tumultuous sea was carrying us away into the dark night. As we continued away from land, we encountered a storm so strong our twelve story cruise ship wobbled like rubber ducky in 5 year old's bathtub.

The boat kept rocking and it sure makes you  nervous when all around you can hear the squeaking and creaking from the walls of the ships as it tries to resist the force of the waves. Titanic Part 2?

My Meaning of Thanksgiving

I´m thousands of miles away from home on Thanksgiving, the only American in a hostel full of foreigners. In a desperate attempt to make some turkey and stuffing, still hoping to find some cranberries to make the sauce, I´ve taken over the whole kitchen in the process. The turkey is not even a turkey because when I asked Pedro from the meat store for some turkey, he insisted I make turkey kebabs.

"Hmm... I don´t know..."  as I pondered the idea of a turkey kebab Thanksgiving dinner

Nope, nope, he persisted that its the best way to eat turkey so he made pepper-apple-turkey kebabs on a stick for me. Picking up some red wine and stuffing ingredients on my way back, it was my first attempt in creating a Thanksgiving meal, so we´ll see how it turns out...