France

After a quick stop in Paris, where I was wonderfully hosted by a friend, I headed to Espira de l’Agly. This is the city where my cousin is currently living, in the same home that generations of his family had lived in before. It turned out that during my stay, his wife and kids were visiting family in Brazil. That meant I missed out on seeing them, but on the other hand, he and I got to spend a good amount of time together. We went on a few adventures and had many wonderful conversations about our previous volunteering and social projects, as well as looking ahead, since that kind of work continues to be an important part of our lives. And although we have differences in how we plan to go about it, we wholeheartedly agree that continuing just and equitable social action in local communities is essential. Though it may seem small amid larger shifts happening now, every little bit adds up.

The biggest of our adventures was the search for the ruins of the Roman bridge of Espira. Our first attempt by car led to some dead ends where the road led to private areas closed off by gates. The following day, we thought we had a better idea of where to go. This time, we decided to walk from his home through some paths the car couldn’t reach. It turned out to be a very pleasant walk through a number of vineyards and near the river, which surprisingly had a good amount of water. Something rare these days, as over the last few years it had been completely or mostly dried out. After a little over an hour of walking, still no ruins. We continued to encounter private gates and dead ends.

On our final attempt, we drove and walked. At one point, we even walked in the river, but still found nothing. As we were heading back, accepting the fact that we would not see the ruins, we saw a man on a bicycle and decided to ask if he knew the way. Sure enough, he said it was on the road we were on and the same one from our first try. We needed to go past the private property sign. When we asked about it, he said, “Don't worry about that sign. Keep going until you actually reach a gate. Right before the gate, you’ll see a path. It will take you to the bridge.” And just like that, we made it to the ruins. There was only some of it left, but what had remained was worthwhile, and the surrounding area was quite pretty. We also felt a sense of accomplishment for persevering, even past the private property sign, to reach it.

We did a number of other things together: cooked some great dinners, enjoyed many pastries from the local boulangerie where they make a fresh apricot pastry called croustade aux abricots, went to a few soccer games with his friends including an international match between Catalonia and Costa Rica, rode our bikes and saw part of a local bike race, visited nearby cities including Collioure where we enjoyed a chocolate with anchovy dessert, and spent many small but equally enjoyable moments together.

About a week into my trip, I messaged the friend I had stayed with in New Orleans. I mentioned to my cousin that she sometimes comes to Spain, and he asked me to invite her to his home. They had met once before, over 20 years ago in Brazil. The message reached her shortly after she landed in Paris. She was headed to a town near Barcelona, only a couple of hours from his place. In parallel, my cousin got a last-minute work trip and was leaving a few days before me from Barcelona. It all came together. We drove by her place for a quick visit, then I took him to the airport and returned to hang out with her and her family for another day. I helped her husband make a wonderful dinner, we talked about everything that had happened since we last saw each other, and the next day we walked around town and played some card games. I was really happy it all worked out so well and that I was able to spend time with them.

The following weekend, I spent time in Bordeaux with the friend who had hosted me in Paris, along with another who lives in London. We became friends while volunteering in Cyprus and had been talking for a while about finding a way to reunite. It finally came together, and we had a lovely time. It felt like we were right back at the volunteer apartment, planning our activities, working together on what to eat, and where to go. It was all very effortless and fun. For the few days we were there, we managed to do quite a lot, but all at a relaxed pace, with café breaks along the way. We did a walking tour of the city, visited markets, gardens, and churches, went to the largest sand dunes in Europe, visited the nearby city of Arcachon, had lots of laughs playing a new game called Horrible Therapist, and enjoyed a variety of great foods.

As I continue to travel, moving between family and friends, new and old, I’m reminded of how we are all connected. I believe the idea that, as humans, we are tribal and innately seek separate groups is obsolete. We are one species, and I think that when we are able to come together as one, we will accomplish an unimaginable society.