Welcome back to a peak into our life under the Spanish sun. A year abroad in Spain is all about our adventures while living in a foreign country, away from everything familiar. If you want to follow us from the beginning – this is the first post.
A couple of weeks ago I went for a walk around the area where we live, and although the walk was much harder than I expected due to the heat, it made me smile again and again. I shared this on my Instagram page where I shared small glimpses into our life. We would love for you to follow us! But back to my smiling walk…
Patchwork stones and sidewalkes
The unexpected thing that made me smile was the sidewalks – las aceras! At first glance, they may seem ordinary in a Spanish sense. Pretty stones laid in a beautiful pattern. But then you start looking around and notice something quite strange. All the sidewalks I saw when I was standing at an intersection were different! Suddenly my eyes started searching for this unique feature in the sidewalks I was walking on. It became an ever-changing gallery beneath my feet!
On one street, the sidewalks have bold zigzag patterns, while around the corner, neat squares march in orderly rows. Suddenly, in the middle of a street, it changes again—as if the workers couldn’t quite agree on who should control the design. It’s as if each worker had their own creative vision, and no one thought to say: maybe we should coordinate this?
It gets very messy at times, but it still makes me smile. Each change of pattern feels like a playful interruption. A walk through the streets is less about getting from A to B, and more about noticing the unexpected. I found long stretches of pattern where the tiles, either solid or mixed, were laid in a specific pattern, and places where parts had been replaced with almost the same ones, but still not. But I also found sidewalks where half the length is one type, while the other half is a completely different one. Not at an intersection or a natural transition, just in the middle of the sidewalk… In my mind, it’s completely illogical, and that’s why I find it fascinating.
I like to imagine that the workers really enjoyed laying these sidewalks, were creative, and had a little fun – maybe they thought about the future pedestrians who would walk on these sidewalks and what we would think. Maybe it’s not a coincidence, but a planned move? Can these sidewalks be silent reminders of the fact that beauty doesn’t follow rules? What do you think?
Which pattern did you like best? There are everything from very simple to intricate patterns!
Smiling is important – find your «smiles» every day!
I think that unplanned and slightly strange things bring people a lot of joy. Different things for different people – what makes you smile?
As I said, I’ve already shared these photos on Instagram, but today I wanted to dwell a little longer on this experience. Because it’s not just about crazy sidewalks – it’s about how the smallest details can color an entire day and make you smile. And smiles are always a good thing, as they can turn a bad day into a better one. I’m not saying that a smile can make everything better, but I think smiles can contribute to a brighter everyday life! And as I always keep in mind, my little motto: it’s the little things that often count the most!
A little sidenote
We’ve been to Nerja, and it has the most beautiful pedestrian streets! Imagine if all the streets looked like this:
A little walk to get to know the area, and a little wonder uncovered. Some details make us stop, others make us laugh. Together they shape our story here in Spain. Feel free to follow us on Instagram and sign up for the blog’s newsletter.
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