Content.

After a hectic weekend in London, I whimsically decided to fly to Budapest for a few days. As always, minimal planning was involved (There was really no planning done whatsoever… So I guess it wasn’t really involved) No expectations, no real prior knowledge of Budapest, just the hope of having a good time. Well, it surpassed any hopes I could have had. It was BEAUTIFUL. I’ve been to some beautiful cities, Barcelona, Madrid, Amsterdam, but this was different. It wasn’t swimming with tourists, it was barely swimming with locals. It felt incredibly open, spacious, free.  How such an incredible city is so widely under-appreciated I don’t know. I won’t tell you what I did there, or what beautiful buildings I saw. Frankly, I don’t want it to be flooded with tourists so you guys keep undervaluing Budapest and leave it all for me! I guess you can have a few pictures though.. I took enough! 

   

  

 
I decided I was going to leave Budapest at 2am on Wedenesday morning, I’d had an amazing time and I didn’t want to spend a day there alone. It wouldn’t have been the same. I really wanted to go to Italy. After seeing so many different types of art in both London and Budapest I was eager to see what the home of Renaissance, Florence, had to offer.. I knew that there were flights between the 2 cities existed so it’d be simple to orchestrate.. Right? Is anything ever straight forward when I travel? Of course not. I’m a walking clusterfuck. Flights that day were few and far between… Norway? Too expensive. Poland? Too cold. New York? Marginally too far to justify for a short break. Barcelona? Ahh, home. Booked. With only 4 hours before take off, I hastily packed up my stuff, ordered an uber, and I was off. 

Something I’ve come to learn about travelling is that how you feel, and what you feel like doing can drastically change both your outlook on a city as well as your experience there. There are going to be days when you can’t be bothered to do all of the tourist stuff that trip advisor claims are absolutely unmissable. Well TripAdvisor, my feet are sore. I feel particularly introverted today.  Or I just don’t want to spend 2 hours trawling around this must see Picasso museum when to be honest, I just don’t really like his artistic style. Sorry not sorry. 5? 6? times in Barcelona, I’ve still yet to visit that museum, and unless it suddenly becomes free I’m not going to. Anyway, back to my point. Feelings. Travelling. Yeah. I loved my time in Budapest, there wasn’t a moment in which I didn’t feel at ease. Content. A place so beautiful, so relaxed, so… Carefree? These past 2 weeks have been somewhat of an anomaly. I’ve been weirdly social. I’ve wanted to spend time with people. I’ve… Dare I say it? Missed people. Visiting family, friends I haven’t seen in years, travelling with friends, making new friends along the way, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my last fortnight. I wouldn’t change a second of it. 

I arrived in Barcelona with the intention of staying just 1 night, then heading down to Valencia and finishing my break off there. 

“So Flynn… All of your planning always works out perfectly, right? Tell me… How did this plan go?”

Well, voice inside my head… It went perfectly. After staying awake all night to get to Barcelona I was exhausted, slept straight through my alarm, and missed my train. Excellent. 

  
Now, I love Barcelona. But I’ve been there a zillion times, I wanted new. I wanted the modern architecture in Valencia, I wanted a beautiful beach, I wanted Paella that was to die for. Well, Barcelona may not have the most modern buildings, but the Paella is phenomenal. Unexpected twists and turns are now very much expected. I’m going to fuck up along the way, that’s just who I am as a person. But as long as I have my passport, bank card, phone and some clothes on my back I’ve come to realise that there is no situation big enough to spoil my adventure. Everything else is purely optional. I was going to be in Barcelona an extra day, no big deal.. I’ll go to Valencia tomorrow I told myself. But before you book any tickets, go and enjoy the day. Well, I went and enjoyed the day so much that I didn’t want to go to Valencia anymore. I explored, and I wandered, and I got completely and utterly lost. I discovered art galleries I didn’t know existed, I found festivals being prepared, I turned over pages I didn’t know the city had even written. It’s impossible to see everything a city has to offer in a short trip, but I figured I’d covered a pretty substantial chunk. Oh how wrong I was.

This time Barcelona was all about getting lost. I got lost in the labyrinth that is the Gothic quarter, I stumbled upon a world renowned contemporary art exhibition randomly placed on the roof of a shopping centre. There’s a vibe that seemingly pours from the streets of this city that I can’t help but fall in love with over and over again. 

     
Sometimes the best laid plans, are no plans at all. There’s something to be said for living completely in the moment, being free and open to whatever you’re comes across your path. Nothing about my time in Barcelona was ever more than 12 hours ahead. I stayed in a different room every night, 4 bed, 6 bed, beans bags in the hostel common area. Which reminds me. If you ever go to Barcelona (Which, if I could offer you one piece of travel advice. It’d be to go to Barcelona.) you have to stay in Gracia, specifically the Sant Jordi hostel in Gracia.. The people you meet along the way play a massive part in any journey you take and well, you won’t find better people than I did there. When a guy you’ve met once previously offers to let you stay at his house for free because the hostels fully booked that night and then when that falls through for one reason or another then lets you stay in the hostel for free instead of you having to find somewhere else you know you’re in good company. To Ronnie, Wagner, Bernie, Linda, Santi and all the guys I met travelling.. You guys helped move Barcelona even closer to my heart. You went above and beyond for me, and I appreciate it more than you know. I’ll be back, without a doubt.  

 As I stand here in line to board my Vueling flight to Paris, incredibly sleepy and consequently somewhat grouchy. Deep down I couldn’t be happier. I couldn’t be happier to see my friends tomorrow, I couldn’t be happier with how I spent my time in London, Budapest or Barcelona. I’m spending each day doing what I enjoy. I can’t remember the last time I worried about my future, a 9-5 job, or living upto expectations. I’m present, and that’s pretty special for me. I’m in a really really good place right now. Long may it continue. 

Flynn! X