Manera Europea

I liked taking pictures of three things in Spain: the landscape, the architecture, and the people.

Unfortunately, I was very unsuccessful at taking good pictures of Europeans. Many times during my trip, I would sit at a cafe or on a park bench and simply watch the people. I loved it.

Their fashion sense just strikes me as being more...something...than American's. Sophisticated? Put together? Even when they are sloppy, they look stylish. Europeans have this casual confidence thing down- it's truly an art for them. A travel mate thought they all looked dirty. I pointed out that it depended what part of Barcelona we were in. In Los Ramblas, they did have a bit of a "grunge" look to their hair, etc. But on the Carrera de Passion (not sure what the exact name was, but it was a combination of Rodeo Drive and 5th Avenue put together) everyone looked like they were just featured in a magazine as a fashion "do".

So as I would sit and do my people watching, I would try to unobtrusively take pictures of intriguing looking people as they passed. My friend thought it was hysterical, and was concerned I'd get "caught". I didn't- but I also didn't get a single good shot.

I was particularly drawn to couples. There were so many couples holding hands as they walked down the street. Do we have that here and I just don't notice? When I say a lot, I mean that a hand holding couple would walk by probably every 10-15 seconds. And they fit together. I mean physically and fashion-wise. Their outfits wouldn't exactly match, but they would be stylishly equal.

I've discovered that aesthetics is very important to me. I am directly affected by what I see. I want to look good, want my home to look good. I enjoy looking good with my partner. My mood elevates when I'm surrounded by beauty- whether it's nature, architecture, art, or people. And the Europeans seem to have mastered style and aesthetics. Perhaps that is why being in Spain felt like such an emotional "fit" for me.