My First Day in Seville

I started the morning in Benalmádena, giving BlaBlaCar a try for the first time. My original driver ghosted me ~ no reply, no acceptance, nothing.

I felt annoyed, but I redirected the energy and walked to the beach instead. The coastline wasn't as stunning as Torremolinos, but it gifted me a moment of softness: a Rusta Spanish Water Dog trotting by, curls bouncing, completely unbothered by the world.

That alone shifted my energy.

Eventually, I found a new driver leaving from Torremolinos. In typical travel fashion, plans kept rearranging themselves ~ my driver for the 11th cancelled the moment he heard I had luggage, but another man accepted. He even offered to drop me off at my apartment.

He hasn't asked how big my bags are. I suppose I'll just… surprise him. Sometimes that's the only strategy left.

Nothing prepared me for Plaza de España.

Spain didn't just build a square. They created a monument you feel as much as you see. It was overwhelming in the best possible way.

I was supposed to join a walking tour, but I got distracted by curiosity ~ trying a Lime Bike for the first time. I assumed it would be as simple as Montreal's Bixi. It wasn't.

Limited parking zones, 0.34 euros per minute, and needing help just to figure out the brake. My phone died midway. I racked up €8.84 and several minutes of pure comedy. Fortunately, the app refunded the chaos.

Even with the mishaps, I got a taste of Seville's character: colonial, medieval, deeply Spanish, unexpectedly sophisticated. A city I know I'll return to ~ with more time and better navigation.

The ride back to Málaga drained me. I even left my notebook somewhere ~ classic me.

But I realised something: days with an agenda feel almost the same as days at home. I still don't get everything done. So I might as well spend the day outside, absorbing something real ~ instead of fighting myself indoors.

Soon, I'll be leaving Málaga. November was purely settling into a new country: submission of documents, going to offices, packing and unpacking. The next chapter feels close, but it needs structure beneath it.