Uneven Streets & Parklets

I have lived my entire life in a busy urban environment that is always moving, always has something happening, but can also be easily escaped for a more quiet and residential environment. Coming to Spain and knowing that most of our time would be spent in Guardamar, a relatively small town, worried me because I had never lived in a smaller, suburban-like town. I was not sure what to expect from it, especially because of the sometimes depressing, suburban culture I had always heard about but not experienced. Being in larger cities like Madrid and Valencia before Guardamar was helpful in becoming familiar with the general Spanish urban environment before diving into smaller, more traditional Spanish towns. The larger cities we have visited - Madrid, Toledo, Valencia, Alicante, and Granada - all had the urban elements that I do miss from Oakland/Berkeley but each had something new. Primarily, the narrow, cobblestone streets that are sometimes reserved solely for pedestrians and others that contain a power struggle between cars, bicyclists, and pedestrians all trying to move in their own path. This is a completely new experience for me when compared to the mostly orderly and wide streets, bike lanes, and sidewalks that exist in the Bay Area. The overlap of street users only happens when a street does not have a designated bike lane or when a pedestrian feels adventurous enough to jaywalk. But both are events that happen very often in these Spanish streets. Additionally, each city felt walkable. Not using public transportation may have played a role in me walking more than taking a bus - I usually take the bus to work or to grocery shop than walking to those places. But everywhere you turned, there were locals and visitors walking around and making the sidewalks feel alive with excitement and curiosity of the spaces around them. 

But as our time in and movement through these larger cities went on, I started craving an environment that was a bit smaller and familiar. The small-town environment of Guardamar where the town is alive in the morning, shuts down in the afternoon, and comes back to life in the evening has become a regular part of life. A constant throughout the city, and most of Spain, is the use of the parking space as a gathering and sitting area. I had heard of and seen the rise in use of parklets in the United States but Spain takes it to a whole other level. Whether it be in the bustling mornings or in the cooler evenings, people like sitting outside - just not during siesta. It surprised me that siesta is such a large disrupter of the day, especially in Guardamar where most stores close during that time. In the larger cities, since many places are catered towards tourists, the closing up that comes with siesta was not as pronounced as it is here. And although the combination of siestas and long lunches has interrupted plans to run and do errands or work, it has forced me to take a break and enjoy the slightly cooling breeze.

- Michelle