Look up

My first few weeks here were spent wandering around aimlessly, getting lost and walking in circles and, as is inevitable in this technological world of ours, staring wildly at my smart phone screen hoping google maps would help me find my way and give me some sense of direction.

The first two weeks, I was lucky to stay in a homely and friendly airbnb with Julia and her dog Chori. Julia's parents own a paper publishing factory in the old town known as El Carmen, right in the heart of the city near one of the towers, Torres de Quart. Her father's family home is situated to the left of the factory and office floors and as is typical of most of the old buildings in the old town, it is cozy with thick walls to keep the heat out, small windows and slim floor to ceiling balcony doors. I had a lovely and bright double room to myself and it proved to be the best respite from the mania of getting lost on a daily basis.

Now, two months in, I feel the city in a completely different way. A quick glance at google maps before I head somewhere new gives my mind a chance to reflect on the myriad ways it now knows to get to that location. Short cuts, bus routes, metro lines and flow of traffic all swirl around in my mind before I make a casual judgement.

Two months ago, this was definitely not the case and I realized that I was missing out on so much of what Valencia has to offer in terms of architecture, feel and first impressions because I was looking frantically down at my phone. I missed getting lost for the hell of it and taking my time to find my way back around.

So now, I relish in not needing my phone by looking up. I have a glance skyward to balconies I admire that are full of luscious greenery or mounds of washing drying in the breeze. I admire window shutters or the color of the exterior walls or try to guess if there is an elevator in the building or if the tenants have to cart their granny trolleys full of their weekly shopping up to the fifth floor. Looking up, away from the screen, away from the chaos of the streets and my to do list for the day has given me a fresh and invigorating sense of the city and it's lovely.

Whether you find yourself in Valencia or another city or town that is new to you, I encourage you to put the bloody phone away, embrace a little old school mystery of getting lost in a new place and ponder what happens above your frantic mind in other people's lovely homes in old buildings with thick walls and little windows.