As a young child, my family often went hiking on the weekends. This included myself, my two older brothers, and my parents. We frequented a trail called the Fiery Gizzard, located near Monteagle, Tennessee. It’s a 13 miles out and back trail that features several waterfalls and swimming pools. I don’t remember how we came to discover this trail. But, I do remember that it was a beloved hike for all of us. 

At many of the falls, you can jump from the top into the pools below. Some jumps are between 10 and 12 feet, while others are, perhaps, closer to 20 feet. I still remember the rush of adrenaline that came before jumping, it always embraced me fully, like a hug. What I remember most vividly is being the first one of my family members to take the plunge into the crisp and refreshing water. Little did I know, it was then. I began developing the mentality of “you can be scared and do it anyway.” I also started to understand the power of going solo.

More recently, before coming to Spain, I moved to a new city and state. I fulfilled my brother’s dream of “you should come live with me and Anna (his beloved wife) after college!” I spent a long time dismissing the idea and applied for several jobs elsewhere. But when graduation time came, I was ready to venture to South Carolina, and start a path of my own. Having family close by and cheap rent was simply an added bonus. So, I packed up all of my belongings in a day, with tremendous help from my dad (forever grateful), and moved to Charleston. 

I spent the first few months adjusting to my new city and state. I enjoyed reconnecting with my brother as a semi-adult but I yearned for new friendships. It was lonely. Shortly after moving in, Ryan and Anna were expecting the arrival of Grace, my niece. This led me to search for an apartment of my own.

At the time, I was over having roommates and wanted to spend time living alone. Charleston rent is astronomical, much like anywhere else nowadays. But, I found a moderately priced apartment with the most magnificent view. It was in that apartment that I began to refine my “do it scared” and “go solo” mentality. I began taking small kayaking trips alone, going to the movies alone, and going on dinner dates…alone. During this time, I also coined the phrase “MG Day,” in which I intentionally spent time doing things that I loved, alone. 

Recently, I extended the idea of an “MG Day” into an “MG Week” and took my first solo journey. At the end of March, while Christian was home in the states, I took the advice of our favorite beer store (Mas Que Cervezas) clerk. I ventured to Cadiz, Spain during Semana Santa, Spain’s Holy Week leading up to Easter. 

Cádiz, España

My plan for this trip was to maximize my modes of transportation: planes, trains and automobiles, busses, you name it. I started the journey by walking to the bus station around 5 am to catch the airport bus. The streets were populated with many people still out from the night before, many of them clustered near kebab or pizza shops recounting their night’s adventures. Laughing and eating under awnings to escape the rain.

I arrived at the airport with plenty of time for my flight to Seville. It was only a little over an hour long. After arriving in Seville, I took a bus from the airport to the local bus station. I had scheduled enough time to allow for mishaps and food – two of the essentials in traveling. This was appropriate considering I only ate an apple before the departure of my flight. Additionally, I had accidentally got off the airport bus about 3 stops too early. This resulted in a 20+ minute walk in the rain to my actual destination and an insatiable hunger.

There was a small typical Spanish cafe located next to the bus stop. Upon entering, I was surprised by the number of beers being had at 10:30 am, somehow I have not become accustomed to this.

I sat in the cafe, enjoyed my cafe con leche, bocadillo, and read my book until it was time to board. Thankfully, my bus had plenty of free spots, so I had two seats to myself to catch up on sleep. I had spent the previous night finalizing the details of the trip and watching one too many romantic comedies. I put my sleep mask on, played some white noise and slept the majority of the three hours. 

I awoke shortly before arrival to see the large bridge that connected Cadiz to the mainland. It was very reminiscent of the Ravenel Bridge in Charleston. This sight alone ensured me that I had made the right choice. When traveling, I always find extra comfort in the sights and sounds that remind me of home. 

As the bus pulled into the station I was eager to disembark, and felt thankful that I chose to pack for the week using only my backpack. I quickly hoped off  and noted that I still had time before check-in at the hostel so, I began meandering through the city looking for a lunch spot. In my meandering, I ran into one of the landmarks I was looking to see. A 10th century archway that marked one of the entrances to the city, which was previously surrounded fully by walls. 

Feeling drained from my travels and needing a little more sustenance, I continued scouting for a restaurant for lunch. Oftentimes, I rely on Google to show me the ‘best of the best.’ This time, I decided to simply walk until I found something appealing. It only took the rounding of the next corner. I stumbled upon one of the best Mediterranean dining experiences I have ever had. The whole experience ended up being about two hours long, and I befriended a young girl during my meal, which is always an accomplishment. She initially became interested in my “amigos de los gatos” tote bag, that has pictures of different cats. Our interaction then turned into waving and saying “holaaaa!” When they had finished their meal, they all said “adios” and thanked me for playing with their daughter.

Happily full, I left the restaurant. I felt ready to rid myself of my belongings. I walked a few more blocks to the hostel, Casa Caracoles, or Snail House en inglés. I was at once greeted by a warm and welcoming staff member. She insisted that I “please set down my bag” to make myself at home. After completing the brief check-in process, she showed me around the hostel and to my room, where she dropped me off. I booked a spot in an 8 person female dorm and found that my bunk was at the top of a triple stacked bunkbed that very much gave of “step-brothers” vibes.

Quickly after unpacking, I met one of my roommates for the next couple of days, Lottie (from England)! Initially, I was planning to partake in “family dinner” that the hostel provided for a few euros but, Lottie invited me to join her and a small group of other hostel go-ers for tapas! This was such a relief, as I was very worried that I would struggle to make friends while traveling alone.

I freshened up and joined the others downstairs to meet the rest of the crew. I met Jocelyn (from New Zealand), Fede (from Finland), Heni (from Germany) and Petra (from France). We journeyed to one of the most popular tapas bars, and unsurprisingly, were the first people to arrive. We ordered several tapas to share, and spent the evening comparing cultures, and asking each other random questions such as “if you were a plant, which plant would you be?” After leaving the tapas bar, we ventured to a second location that featured many staples of American decor. There were posters of famous country artists and license plates from different states including one from Chattanooga. It’s always a shock to find such specific pieces of American culture in the most random spots. We ended the evening around midnight, early by Spanish terms, and headed back to the hostel for the night.

The next morning I enjoyed the free breakfast provided by the hostel. It was one of the better free breakfasts I’ve encountered so far, crepes and fruit. I then layered up, embracing the cool temperatures and slight rain, and went out to explore the city. Since I was traveling during Semana Santa the city was more energized than normal. Many people had the week off to partake in the daily parades and festivities. While this was quite interesting, it also made navigating the city challenging as many streets were closed for the parade routes. 

I visited the beach, walking the full length of it scouring for sea glass. While it was cloudy and gray, the beach was still stunning. After walking both sides of the beach, I ventured out onto the promenade that leads to the Castillo de San Sebastián, one of my favorite features of Cádiz. Before the castle was erected in 1706, the small islet was home to a hermitage that housed a Venetian ship crew who was recovering from the plague. The jetty that connects the castle to the mainland was completed in 1806. The walls, lighthouse and Muslim watchtower, all designed by Rafael de la Cerda, featured on this islet were completed by 1908. The lighthouse, constructed from iron beams, is the only lighthouse in Spain of its kind. Sadly, it was closed to the public, so I was only able to appreciate it from the outside.

Feeling a bit hungry from my walking, I walked through the city to the other beach, where I found a lovely restaurant nestled into the coast. I ordered a small appetizer and a drink and perched to read my book for a couple of hours. I messaged Lottie and the rest of our crew to see what the evening plan was and we decided to cook together at the hostel. Petra, Fede and I, went to the Carrefour to gathered our groceries for a mushroom and Parmesan pasta. Following dinner, we found a quaint bar to play cards in. One of my favorite parts of traveling has been learning new card games from other people. I’ve found that we share many of the same games but, I always learn one or two new ones when I encounter new people.

On one of the evenings we ventured out together, Lottie and I met a new friend in our room, Rosa from the Netherlands. We invited her out with us, and sadly learned we would only share one night with her before leaving. However, across our shared meals, nights out, long chats, I learned that two of the girls I met, Lottie and Jocelyn were also heading to Seville after their time in Cádiz! Additionally, Fede would be stopping through Seville the day of my departure. Much like with Rosa in Cadiz, we would only share one night in the city but we definitely made the most of it.

(Side note: this is not the last encounter with Rosa :))

Seville, España

The morning of my departure from Cadiz, I had a coffee with Petra and Rosa. We chatted about our families, and some of the stresses of life. With every interaction I have, I am always reminded that we, humans, are SO similar. We share similar ideals, interests, inside jokes with families, pet peeves, passions, and so much more.

I gave my well wishes and headed to the train station to catch my BlaBla car in San Fernando. Blabla Cars are often the cheapest and easiest way to give from one city to the next. However, you have to be comfortable going against every parents word of caution “never get in the car with a stranger.” The drivers are people who are taking their own car from Point A to Point B and are offering the extra seats in their car for a low rate. I paid less than 10 euros for my trip. Thankfully, much like Uber or Lyft, BlabBla Car vets their drivers ensuring that you won’t end up with someone crazy. It was just me and the driver, a girl around my age. I tried my best Spanish and she tried her best English for the first few minutes. But, much like every other time I am NOT the driver in a vehicle, I quickly fell asleep trying to read. So for the majority of our drive from San Fernando to Seville, I slept. She dropped me at the train station in Seville. I then walked about 40 minutes to the opposite side of town to my hostel for the night. There was a bus, but walking is always the best way to scout out interesting spots.

I arrived at the hostel, changed clothes, and headed out to explore until it was time to meet up with Lottie and Jocelyn. Much like in Cádiz, the Semana Santa festivities filled the streets. Many of the parades were canceled due to the rain. Despite this people still filled the streets, lining up outside of churches for the events of the evening. I passed the Catedral de Seville, one of my favorite cathedrals I’ve seen. The groundbreaking began in 1402 and the structure was completed in 1519. It is truly awe inspiring.

After meandering for a bit, it was finally time for me to meet up with Jocelyn and Lottie. We met outside of a Cortes Ingles, a popular department store. Which, serendipitously, featured large snails in their window displays. The three Casa Caracol snails reunited in Seville.

We searched for a place to get drinks and food and found a very trendy gastropub that had lots of local craft beers. The three of us shared several small plates. These included beet hummus, which is a personal favorite of mine, fancy patatas bravas, and a few other dishes. After dinner we walked over to Alameda de Hercules, a plaza surrounded by bars and restaurants. This space is usually occupied by people hanging out in the plaza chatting and drinking. But we quickly found out that many bars were closing early due to Semana Santa.

We grabbed a quick ice cream dessert and walked around the plaza. One we finished we went to 100 cocktelitos where, yes, they have over 100 cocktails, which they serve in a MASSIVE glass. Thankfully, they were running a deal where it was cheaper to buy three at one time, perfect for our trio. We then got the cards out, and played a simple but addictive game. You simply guess the number, and suit of a card, if you get it right, you get to sign the card.

As we played and finished out drinks, we realized the bar was closing. However, we were not feeling like out night was over. So we left and walked over to the bar next door with a Spanish gentleman and his friend. We were all very unsure of their intent at first and hesitant to join them for a drink but quickly learned they just wanted to chat. Shortly after we arrived at the second bar, they closed. This made us laugh but we all agreed that we wanted one more drink before heading back, since it was our final night together. At the final bar, we revisited the card guessing game and I GOT IT RIGHT. Everyone turned and looked when all three of us screamed and laughed simultaneously. I then happily signed Jocelyn’s card.

We finished our drinks as the third and final bar of the evening was closing and started out journey home. Since my hostel was the furthest from Alameda, I walked everyone home. The streets were eerily quiet, the only other people out were the security guards. They were stationed around the chairs set out only the parade routes for Semana Santa. After dropping Lottie off, I called Christian to chat for the remainder of my walk. As Seville was his home during his study abroad experience during college, he was eager to hear about my night and where we visited.

The next morning, I packed my belongings. I left my backpack at the front desk of the hostel until my flight back to Madrid. Jocelyn and I had decided to go to Palacio de Las Dueñas, since tickets for La Alcazaba were sold out. We explored the different rooms of the palace with the accompanying audioguide. After our tour, we met Lottie for a paella lunch, one of the best I’ve had in Spain so far! Then Lottie and I said our goodbyes as she went back to her hostel to rest. Jocelyn and I went to Plaza de España, which took almost fifteen years to build. Construction began in 1914 following a design competition hosted by Executive Committee of the Exposición Iberoamericana de Seville. This exposition was hosted to display the brotherhood between Spain, Latin America, the United States, Portugal and Brazil. The plaza features a semi estuary with eight bridges connecting to the rest of the plaza. It also sits adjacent to Maria Luisa park, one of the staples of the Seville cityscape. Sadly due to all of the recent rain, the park was closed.

After visiting the Plaza, Jocelyn and I met up with Fede, our other Cádiz Caracol, for a quick drink and chat before my flight home. They politely walked with me to my hostel so I could gather my belongings. Then, they waited with me as the airport bus arrived. As I climbed onto the bus, my heart was feeling fuller than I ever could have imagined.

I arrived back in Madrid and took the metro home from the airport, unpacked and settled back in. My solo journey was one that I will not soon forget. It’s taken me so long to write about it because I feel like every moment, and every interaction is so impactful and important. Throughout my travels I am continuously learning about myself and the world around me. Each mistake, or happy accident, leaves me with a better understanding of how to interact with the world around me and how I fit into the human narrative.

My biggest lessons from this journey:

1. Always book at least two nights in a place that you haven’t visited.
2. Look at what to do in ADVANCE and buy tickets accordingly.
3. Always prepare for rain. Bringing an umbrella is not as helpful as an actual rain jacket, I’d recommend both.
4. Always pack a pair of running shoes. For exercise or simply walking purposes. Sure, other shoes look cute but at 20,000+ steps a day, your feet will thank you for a break.
5. The best way to meet people is to say “can I join you?” It’s really that simple. 🙂
6. DO IT SCARED. Let your curiosity be greater than your fear.