Travel, Read, Conserve

Tapas, flamenco, fútbol, sangria. All of these have one common factor, and that is they are all overwhelmingly and characteristically Spanish. Having recently visited Spain, I saw why the country draws in millions of tourists from all over the world every year. The magnificent architecture on just about every corner, a Mediterranean coastline that spans more than 1000 miles, mountain ranges scattered throughout the country, and the extravagant, inexpensive cuisine made it very difficult for me to leave. While all of this is draw in crowds and should be on every tourist’s bucket list, I would like to focus on another, more subtle aspect of the country I slowly but surely picked up on during my travels: sustainability. It is no secret that I am obsessed with nature and am constantly looking for innovative strategies and methods that have been implemented to help regain the balance between humanity and nature. Although subtle, Spain is just chalk full of these intr...

Sevilla Cathedral and Giralda tower at night It's 9:30 pm and we are getting on a cab to leave the Barcelona airport and head to our Air BNB in the Born district. New country, its dark outside, cab driver has already mentioned 'No Ingles', and countless precautionary tales about Barcelona crime rates racing through my head. Needless to say, I am nervous. I get in the cab, and slam the door shut, like I am used to doing in the US. The cab driver looks at me, gently raises his hands, smiles and says 'Despacito, despacito'! And that, right there, sets the mood for me. Learn to take things slow in Spain :) Savoring life is an art, and I think Spaniards have mastered that. Waiting for breakfast in the small cafes, we would see the owners take their time brewing the coffee to perfection, watering the streets  in front of their cafe, and in between browsing through the newspaper freshly delivered. This whole sequence of events  reminded me so much of Kolkata and th...