Though Brett preferred to think of it as Valencian in its style, to me, Valencia was Venice Beach meets Prague meets Sintra meets the Istanbul grand bazaar meets Salamanca. It is one of my favorite things about seeing so many new places, the sense of connection that I find to the rest of the world in the new sights. It's not that I appreciate Valencia any less for the fact that its windy alleys remind me of the angled streets of a hill town in Portugal and its many-hued buildings remind me of the neighborhoods of the Czech Republic's capital, it's that I appreciate it more. Lately I've struggled some with my ex-pat-hood, but at the same time, I am learning to appreciate the feeling of being a world citizen for a while. I am reading Brideshead, Revisited, and a thrill ran through me when the main characters stopped for a drink at "The Trout" pub in Oxford, which I passed many times this summer. As we watched Casino Royale last night, I smiled as the location of some secret Bond moment usually located in some far off land tapped out across the bottom of the screen, and we had been there. The early morning weather forecast from CNN has an added twist of fun as the European capitals pop up with their temperatures, and I remember the feel of the air in some of them, and even have a vague idea of what those Celsius numbers actually mean.
1 comment:
I like the musing in this one; a different feel from "reporting". Can't wait to have you reading by the fire. All is being ready-ied.xo
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