We were completely lost in the maze of cobblestone streets. The Spanish
street signs meant nothing, and our map of Seville didn't show enough
detail to help us navigate our way back to the hotel. My brother and I had
been walking in circles for hours, and the two of us were tired, hungry,
and cranky. This was our first day in Spain and the trip was off to a
stressful start. We split off from our parents hours ago to explore the
town and although it had been a great day, we were anxious and worried that
we would not make it back to the pension on time to meet our parents for
dinner. If we were very late, they would probably be worried, and worse,
they would never let us alone again. I began to curse everything around me
and wondered why we couldn't just hail a taxi. To make matters worse, none
of the people we asked had heard of the small pension we were lodging at.
Instead, we were answered by confused stares and shoulder shrugs.
We decided to give up on our poor navigational skills and sat down for
a bite to eat in a nearby café. Surrounded by exuberant voices and lively
conversation, we gradually grew calmer and more confident. It didn't matter
that we couldn't find our way for the moment; we were in Europe to enjoy
ourselves and to experience life to the fullest. Getting worked up about
being lost was not going to help matters.
After we snacked on our simply ham and cheese sandwiches and my
brother finished his coffee, we stood up and started wandering in the
We're bound to meet someone who knows where the Pension Special is,"
he said. I'm just going to have to accost every stranger here with my best
Spanish," my brother boldly asserted. He inquired of each person on our
path, "Donde está la Pension Special'" Five people in a row told him, "No
se." No one seemed to have even heard of the street name that it was on.
...