Con estes cuerpos, no hay que fumar!

Picture of me on a bridge that went over the Parque Central in Valencia.

So lately I've been reminiscing about my time in Spain, and really wanting to travel again... one of my life goals is to visit every continent (excluding Antarctica), and I'd love to do some of that before I have kids, because after that my life's over. (Just kidding - it will just make trans-continental traveling more difficult!)

One of my favorite memories was with Christina, my old roommate and friend that I spent most of my time in Spain with. We were walking in one of our favorite parts of Valencia, the Parque Central (a riverbed park that ran through the center of the city). We passed a group of teenagers sitting by the path, and one of the boys (about 15 or 16 years old or so), asked us, in Spanish, if we had a light (for their cigarettes). We said "no, lo siento." (No, sorry.) He then looked us up and down, and said, "Con estes cuerpos, no hay que fumar...." (With those bodies, there's no need to smoke.) Rough translation - cuz we were already "smokin'!" Hahaha....

Spain was quite different from the U.S., not quite as PC (politically correct) with how men complimented women on their looks. Every day on the way to class, the construction workers we passed would call us reina (queen), princesa (princess), and the ever-popular guapa (in this context, "hot").

It was flattering, but they could also get quasi-harrassing with, "Guapaaaaaaa.... oh, guapaaaaa....." or the weird guys that would walk behind you say, "Guapa, guapa, guapa!"

But we did have to understand that in Spain, they didn't mean to be menacing or threatening. In their culture, they are just a little more light hearted about it, and not as easily offended by it. So while it did get annoying, that's just the way it was - another facet of Spanish culture. And sometimes, it did make you feel kinda good. :)