Vienna Gave Me Back My Sense of Wonder
Standing in that concert hall, I thought — why did I wait so long for this?Read her story →
Monica just seemed to know exactly what we needed, sometimes before we did.
I’ll be honest: I was terrified. I had never travelled without my husband before, and after twenty-eight years, doing anything alone still felt strange. My daughter had been nudging me towards Lily Valley Journeys for months, and I finally listened.
The group was ten women. By the end of day one, I had stopped being nervous. There is something about being around women who are all quietly doing the same brave thing — it gives you courage you didn’t know you had.
Barcelona has a quality of light I haven’t found anywhere else. The golden hour along the Barceloneta waterfront, the way Gaudí’s colours glow in the late afternoon sun, the dappled shadows of the Barri Gòtic — I photographed constantly and still couldn’t capture it. Some things you just have to be inside of.
And the food. I ate things I couldn’t name and loved every single one. Pintxos at a bar where nobody spoke English and we didn’t need them to. Paella at a restaurant Monica had been visiting for years — she greeted the owner like a cousin.
Monica just seemed to know exactly what we needed, sometimes before we did. An extra hour somewhere, a quieter route through the crowds, the right moment to let us wander freely.
I came home proud of myself. That was the surprise I hadn’t expected.
