The kitchen sink

Dear friends, we’ve got a lot to catch up on. Two weekends ago, I took a day trip with my study abroad program to two different towns in the Province of Alicante, north of the city of Alicante in which I am staying. The country of Spain is divided into 17 autonomous communities, which function somewhat similarly to the 50 United States (but different because the states operate under a federal system, etc.). The 17 communities are then divided into 50 provinces, and then, at the smallest level are “municipios”, a word which encapsulates both cities (ciudades) and towns (pueblos). And I have my Government and Politics of Spain class with Profesora Cristina to thank for that lesson! That said, I currently live in the city of Alicante in the province of Alicante of the community of Valencia in the country of Spain. Whew. Glad we got that all straightened out. The aforementioned towns we visited were Guadalest and Altea. Guadalest is a tiny, beautiful town situated on a tiny, beautiful mountain. The history of this lovely place has since left me, and I’ll spare you the lecture. There’s Google for that. It was beautiful, and I’d recommend it if you’re ever in the area. Altea is a classic Mediterranean town—white buildings to deflect heat, narrow streets for shade, and gorgeous views of the mountains kissing the ocean. The history has also since departed my memory, but again, it’s worth a trip if you find yourself around town.

Guadalest<3

Altea<3 Last weekend was PARIS. It was cold and rainy the whole weekend, but I did see the Eiffel Tower sparkle on my first night there, and that is enough for me! Truthfully, I would choose London over Paris, and perhaps I am biased as we were graced with beautiful weather for our weekend in London, but seeing the Mona Lisa and the Arc de Triomphe and eating a croissant and a crepe and a baguette and wandering all over the city streets and back in my Kelly-green wool beret with my friends was certainly a memorable experience and one I will surely cherish. Merci, Paris! Also, the next time you’re Paris, please do yourself a favor and go the Le Marais district/Jewish Quarter. Absolutely mouthwatering falafel and beautiful winding streets with lovely storefronts and a comparatively local crowd. It’s hip and elegant and something you don’t want to pass up.

I am just now picking this back up after not writing for a few days, and it is now Saturday, March 19th which means I got back from Vienna this morning. And what a trip that was! I got to Vienna Thursday late night and met my sweet friend from home, Mia, Friday morning for a walking tour of the city center, getting all the tea on the Austro-Hungarian Hapsburg empire and learning about the history of the various architectural styles seen throughout the city from the Vienna State Opera to the Hofburg Palace and the Albertina Museum to St. Stephen’s Cathedral and the narrow, cobblestone streets to the wide-open plazas. Our mouths were nearly on the ground when we stepped foot in St. Stephen’s Cathedral—I’ll let the photo do the talking. We snagged some schnitzel for lunch and meandered around the beautifully diverse city streets, actually gawking at the architecture, and grabbed a coffee as we made our way to the Albertina Museum. This museum, which I would highly recommend if you find yourself in Vienna, had contemporary work and Edward Vunch and Picasso and other many other important Modernist painters and Monet and the impressionists and royal rooms of various purposes left over from the Hapsburgs, and more!! We did it all and could do it again! Mia and I then checked out the Naschmarkt, indulging in some delightful baklava along the way, and then made our way to the Schönbrunn Palace grounds. We walked around there until the sun went down and even got a gorgeous view of the city from a large hill on the grounds. It felt so perfect, getting to share that moment with special friend, a slice of home. We made our way back to the city center afterwards, and grabbed some pitas and Aperol Spritz for dinner before a lovely nighttime walk to her Airbnb and then back to my hostel, passing various and parks and landmarks along the way. I did have to wake up at 4:00am to catch a 4:19am train to then catch a 6:25am flight, but we do what we can for cheap flights, right?! Vienna was sweet and sleepy and truly so beautiful. I could have spent way more time there, but I am grateful for the day I had and won’t argue with a reason to return.

St. Stephen's Cathedral!!

I have listened to significantly less music and podcasts since arriving in Europe. However recently, I have been binging episode upon episode of On Being with Krista Tippett. Each episode is centered around “the big questions of meaning”, as the podcast description lists, and she invites guests from a variety of backgrounds may it be an astrophysicist, a Zen monk, a poet, a philosopher, a journalist, a psychiatrist, an atmospheric scientist—you name it. They discuss spirituality and science and philosophy and what it means to live and breathe in this day and age. Might I add that Krista Tippett’s voice is ridiculously therapeutic. Over the past few days, I listened to an episode called “The Inner Landscape of Beauty” with the late Irish poet and philosopher John O’Donohue. He said many things that resonated with me, but there is one thing in particular which I want to share with you, as you’re reading this: “You should always keep something beautiful in your mind.” Short and simple and wow. Maybe easier said than done. My inner world often feels like a place that is convoluted and constantly spinning. I would try to list what it spins with, but I would have no clue where to begin. Needless to say, I’ve never been very good at meditating. Maybe you can relate? Thus, I am a fan of this mindful practice—having something on your mind to ground you and free you from whatever is making your head spin or otherwise captivating your mind. Not something “glamourous”, as O’Donohue would say, like the face of an attractive movie star or a pair of expensive shoes—but something beautiful. Something of which its essence or spirit transcends an aesthetic appeal. A cherished memory with loved ones. Your favorite words from a book. A touching scene from a film. A moment when you felt the Divine’s presence. Or maybe an image of your favorite tree or flower. It's like keeping a past moment of prayer for ready use when you need it or when you feel unable to open yourself up to receive a new one. More often than not, I reach for Mary Oliver’s beloved poem “Wild Geese”, tucked in the pocket of my mind, which I shared part of in the last newsletter, and which I will share in its entirety here: You do not have to be good.You do not have to walk on your kneesfor a hundred miles through the desert repenting.You only have to let the soft animal of your bodylove what it loves.Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.Meanwhile the world goes on.Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rainare moving across the landscapes,over the prairies and the deep trees,the mountains and the rivers.Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,are heading home again.Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,the world offers itself to your imagination,calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting -over and over announcing your placein the family of things. And while “Wild Geese” is my default “something beautiful”, perhaps I’ll try waking up in the morning and reflecting on a new choice for my beautiful attachment each day. And perhaps you’ll consider trying it with me? I like this practice of keeping something beautiful on our minds because I do not think it dismisses or glosses over whatever other hard thing(s) we’ve got going on. It does not discount our sorrow or suffering. If anything, I think it completes the dialectic, the paradox of life—that there is no joy without pain and no pain without joy. This reminder of beauty, this echo of transcending delight in the midst of life’s unruly hardship actually completes our humanness… or so I think. My something beautiful for today is from my birthday last year—a cherished memory with a loved one. Unfortunately, I did test positive for COVID-19 on my birthday (in my defense, I was fully vaccinated and properly masking at the time), but my partner, Griffin, still found a way to make it so special for me. He drove to my apartment in Clemson, and I rode in the back of his truck to the SC Botanical Gardens just down the road, and we had a proper socially distanced picnic. He brought my favorite snacks and special treats from the farmers’ market and a bottle of champagne to pop for my 21st while maintaining a safe distance from each other, of course. And he tested negative the whole time! I think I’ve already got my something for tomorrow… the Yoshino cherry tree in the backyard of my childhood home. I remember eagerly awaiting its spring bloom each year, newly enchanted each time. Both a nostalgic reminder of childhood play and all my time spent roaming free in that seemingly wide-open space of my backyard and a tangible sign of renewal, change, and possibility. What’s your something beautiful today? (Not kidding, reply to this email and tell me if you want.) Ciao! All my love, Cate