We discovered that Alcalá has public pools on our walk home from the train station. After our first weekend in Madrid, my roommates and I took the train back then walked to our host house. It was the first time we had walked in that area of the city and we discovered many new details we had never seen.
Alcalá de Henares is incredibly walkable and, although there is a consistent and efficient bus system, most people seem to walk everywhere. I got very lucky with my host mom, as she lives only 10 minutes from the University campus. Every morning, my roommates and I enjoy our walk to school, passing stores that have now become favorites and noticing new things each day. As the weeks have progressed, I’ve gained a heightened consciousness to the amount of walking I do in Spain. I live in a small town in the US, where we can walk to get to most places, but it is rarely my preferred mode of transportation. Driving is easier, faster, and avoids any sweatiness that walking inevitably causes. At home, going for a walk is an event, a form of exercise, that is not inherent to my daily routines. Alcalá, however, has changed that habit.
Walking everywhere has deepened my appreciation for the city. With every trip to tapas or school or the train station, I see new parts of Alcalá and learn more than I ever could through a car window. I also recognize how the practice of walking everywhere makes many people in Alcalá more laid back and flexible throughout their days. When you’re walking somewhere and see an exciting store or a pretty view, it’s easy to stop and look around, unlike if you drive or ride a bus. This freedom of the journey has seeped into our weekend trips as well. When my friends and I are exploring new cities, we’ve picked up the practice of simply walking around and seeing what catches our eye. Had we ubered everywhere in Málaga or only taken the metro in Madrid, I’d be without my new favorite bracelet and I’d never have tried Dubai chocolate gelato.
My insane number of steps across Spain have helped me appreciate the journey everywhere I go. Some of my favorite parts of Alcalá were first happened upon on a walk to somewhere else. I treasure the minutes of walking and noticing every street and park and restaurant. If you told Sydney from 3 weeks ago that she’d prefer a 45-minute walk to a 6 minute uber, she would not have believed it, especially in the Spanish sun. But every minute of my time in Spain is precious and I am glad to soak it all in through lengthy walks down winding side streets. Every new discovery on my walks have been worth the sweatiness and the time, and I plan to bring this feeling back home with me, to discover new things about my lifelong hometown and treasure more purposefully each and every journey.
