traveler or tourist

"The traveler sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see" -- G.K. Chesterton

love these European streets!

I've now been in Málaga, Spain for just over three weeks. I feel like I just got here, and yet so much has happened since I arrived! Within my first 48 hours, I had consumed two Thanksgiving meals - one of which was with about 15 Spaniards -, explored my new neighborhood, and ventured out to see the Christmas lights in "downtown" Málaga (El Centro). There may not be as many famous tourist attractions here as there are in Paris, but there is so much to see and experience here - and I'm loving every minute of it!

One of my favorite things about traveling is the opportunity to truly experience the cultures I visit. I find this more difficult if I have a "tourist mindset" - having my own agenda, seeing places and things I came to see - rather than being open to the spontaneity of going where the wind takes me, so to speak. The last time I was in Spain (this past summer), I had 5 days in Barcelona and 5 days in Málaga to "see it all." I was a tourist this summer, visiting the destinations and eating the foods people recommended I see and eat before leaving Spain. It was wonderful - I had so much fun and thoroughly enjoyed it. But being a traveler this time around is SO much better. I still get to see and taste new and exciting things, but from a different perspective. I see daily life. I see families walking their children to school, old friends meeting at a café in the morning, children playing on the tire swing by the beach.... not your typical tourist attractions. And maybe not something that would particularly stand out to anybody. But these are the things that I think make up a culture more than an iconic building might.

And it's these customs that I love to see, hear, smell and experience as I travel the world. Taking the time to slow down and watch, have a conversation, truly listen to people - these things will change a person. Being a tourist can sometimes prevent me from opening my eyes to the true beauty of the country I'm visiting - if I'm too focused on seeing the sights, I may entirely miss the culture, the opportunity to engage in conversation with a local, the chance to have my perspective transformed. So, I hope that this year in Spain will be more about seeing what I see rather than what I have come to see. 

Christmas lights in Málaga

In El Centro with Irene

I feel so blessed by how well this transition has gone. I've been able to jump right into Spanish - just need to work on my Andaluz accent ;) - and people have been so kind and welcoming. Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts during this time!

Below are some pictures of a recent trip I took to Ronda - a town about 1.5 hours west of Málaga. There are so many amazing places here in Southern Spain - my backyard!

Looking out over the Andaluz countryside

Puente Nuevo - the bridge over the 390-foot-deep
chasm that divides the city of Ronda

A different perspective of the bridge

Ronda, Spain

♥ mk 

see them as they are

"The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking of how things may be, to see them as they are" - Samuel Johnson

Oh, how I love to travel! The new sights, aromas, languages, people... There is just so much goodness in exploring, learning, experiencing and understanding different ways of life. So much of the way I live my life today is because of the different cultures I've encountered through travel. I have seen what life is like outside of the country in which I grew up and, when I was younger, it caused me to wonder which is the correct way of doing things. Thankfully, along with age came a bit of wisdom and maturity in approaching such questions. There is no right or wrong. We are all unique human beings - so how could there possibly be one language, greeting, lifestyle, or even food? I am so grateful for the little nuances that make each culture unique.

The Eiffel Tower lit up while we
were waiting in line to go up

Whenever I arrive in a new country (for the first, tenth, hundredth time), I can't help but have a giant smile on my face. There is always so much to take in - between the signs, sounds, and smells - that it can be overwhelming. And I let it overwhelm me, but in a good way. I embrace the fact that I'm out on a new adventure, seeing new sights and meeting new people. I'm excited about the chance to practice that language - or even pick up a new one! - and go out and experience the culture through the eyes of a local.

One of the most beautiful things about all of this is that, by putting myself in these foreign places, I get to see daily life from a new perspective. It's much more than just imagining how things are in other countries and cultures; it's experiencing, understanding and knowing them. It is these different views and perspectives that shape my own outlook. I love allowing parts of each culture I've experienced to form part of who I am, how I interact with the world. The traditions, music, customs, food... 

But there is one amazing detail that it evident in all cultures, countries, places and people. One thing that makes us all unique and yet ties us all together.

LOVE.

Life is all about experiencing and knowing love to the fullest. And I'm most often reminded about this while I'm traveling - my eyes falling on new forms of beauty created for me to see, my taste buds overwhelmed with the most delicious combinations of flavors, and my heart and soul being filled with the joy of knowing I am where I'm right where I'm supposed to be.

The journey I began this Fall started with a few days in Paris, France. Here are a few pictures of the lovely sights that city holds:

♥ mk

Best way to get over jet lag:
walk everywhere to see the sights

Sacre Coeur at night

Lunch at Cafe des 2 Moulins