Adventures Abroad: Stop and smell the roses

It's easy to get caught up in the details. I realized that yesterday when my friends and I got lost trying to go to mass in the morning. What should have been a 10 minute bus ride ended up being an hour long ride east of the cathedral, with a 15 minute taxi ride back. Instead of winding up near the beautiful Catedral de Palma, we found ourselves in Arenal near a coastal beach full of German tourists. And very, very late for mass. Arenal is a beautiful, beautiful place. The beach stretches along the shore as far as the eye can see, and the sand and waters are just as one might expect coming to Mallorca--pure and clean. But in the heat of the moment, struggling to get back to Palma, I missed this. My vision became narrow, focusing on the task at hand, and I forgot to enjoy the scenery around me, as evidenced by the stock Wikipedia photo replacing my lack of photos. If I had just looked around me, I could have seen the beauty that was just before my eyes. Ah well, that's another regret to put into the books. But that got me thinking--how many times have I been so caught up in what I am doing, that I forget to see what is around me? In nature, in people, in relationships? It is so easy to forget to take a step back, to look at the broader picture and enjoy what God has created for us. The natural beauty and pristine conditions here in the Mediterranean surround me each and every step I take, and here I am caught up in a conversation with someone else because I am trying to make small talk to not be awkward. This is a challenge to me, and as much a challenge to you: take a couple seconds every hour, on the hour, to stop and look around you. Set an alarm, make that digital watch beep, keep tabs on the time. It's so easy to let things slip by unnoticed because we are so engrossed in tiny details. Take a moment to "stop and smell the roses", as the Travelocity gnome reminds us.

(Arenal beach. SOURCE: Wikipedia)

Despite being late to mass, the taxi did take us back in time for "tourist hour Sundays" at the Catedral and let me tell you--that trip back was worth it. Every second. It was one of the most beautiful cathedrals I have seen. And (not to brag), I've seen quite a few in and around Europe. The altar was amazing, adorned with a hanging candle chandelier as if there were a halo above the communion table. The walls surrounding the pews contained scenes artistically crafted from different important events in the Bible. The large rose window allowed just enough sunlight to sneak through to scatter a red light across the pews. There are few places that I would go back to, but this is certainly one of them. The only downfall of going during "tourist hour Sundays" was that it was quite packed with tourists, bu perhaps that's why they have that dedicated hour in the first place. The afternoon was spent wandering the streets of Palma. This was a time for me to simply start walking, and enjoy the scenery around me--a time for me to stop and smell the local roses of Palma. I ended up walking past Sa Riera, where our classes are, to a large park, then explored the areas around the park. After three hours of walking around (and without using a map mind you), I somehow ended up on a familiar street and steered myself home. Hooray for my orienteering skills! It's really cool what you can see when you purposefully get lost though--the locals, the food, the environment. It's different than Palma, a lot more laid back. The locals were simply sitting on street benches, chatting away. That's something I would never see in the tourist hustle and bustle of downtown Palma. It was really a huge change. Maybe I'll get myself lost a few more times while I'm here.

(A beautiful cathedral inside and out--this picture definitely does not do it justice)

(The canal running through Palma--right outside Sa Riera)

(A look back upon the city)

(I couldn't not take a picture of this kiddo--but she was definitely on to me)

(Street art)

Today for class we went to Dragonera Island on the west side of the island. It was about a 30 minute car ride from Sa Riera, and then a 10 minute boat ride to the island itself. Not a far trip at all. I keep on saying this, but it was beautiful. Like drop dead gorgeous stunning. Because Dragonera is a wildlife preserve (for the terrestrial part of it anyway), the flora and fauna on land was amazing to see, contrasted with the bright blue of the Mediterranean waters. It was mostly pine trees we saw on this island, which was unfortunate because it is an invasive species. But the hourlong hike to the lighthouse on the north of the island proved that there was much more to see than pine trees gracing the back of la dragonera. We got to do some field work back at the harbor after the hike. Looking closely at the species coming next to the shoreline, our professor would point excitedly at the different organisms in the water, telling us their scientific name and what their role was in the Mediterranean ecosystem in her thick Spanish accent. I've never looked so closely at the marine life near a shore before, but the diversity of marine life that I saw in that small area of coastline was simply astounding. Just goes to show that when you take a look at your surroundings--a good hard look--you can find some pretty amazing things. Unfortunately we didn't get to swim in the water because of the jellyfish, but we did have a chance to snorkel back in Sant Elm. The water was so clear, like bathtub water, and extremely salty and cold. But totally worth every minute that we were in there. I wish I had an underwater camera to show you all what it looks like down there. It's spectacular. So clear, so clean, and the fish are so cool to watch swim. One day I will come back to do this again!