After arriving to the town, I climbed up to the church tower, where I got the shots of the town in its entirety, and then I went to the beach, which I can't lie, was my primary goal for this day. I learned a lot about the town, but for a majority of the day I really just chilled out.
When getting back though, I noticed a lot. I came back, and waited on the train back to Barcelona around the station, and I saw that it seemed to be the main meeting place for everyone in the evening. The plaza and boardwalk seemed to be the main place, were old and young alike were relaxing, playing soccer and board games. It reminded me a lot of histories of small rural towns in America before the development of the highway system and the rise of cars. Perhaps even Thurston once upon a time...
I dreaded the train ride back, but did it anyway. I really did not want to leave San Pol de Mar, but I needed to return and sleep. Riding back, the rails were right on the coastline until we hit Barcelona, but I saw the physical development of the city as the train pulled in, and really made me appreciate what small towns are left, and the culture that revolves around them. Especially the similarities between small towns in Spain, and small towns in the United States. They may have a different language, and different customs, but structurally speaking, people really all act pretty similarly.
My personal preferences for towns are pretty varied. I really liked the urban area of Barcelona when I got here, but I grew tired of it very quickly, henceforth why I have made many excursions to the outlying areas. I went to the small town outside of Tarragona called Altafulla, but I was quite disappointed because at the end of the day, the place was pretty deserted and quiet. There literally was nothing going on on a Friday at 7 in the evening. Barcelona I have found out is way too much for me, and I would like a place that is not as busy or crowded as the hectic always busy urban area. San Pol de Mar was the good balance for this. It was not constantly busy, such as Barcelona, but it had a healthy community with lots of meeting and participation. I know I can't go back while I'm here, but I really would like to revisit the medium size town sometime in the future...
-Nick Ford
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