There are some cities I love—cities I would have no objection moving to. Among them are Lisbon (Portugal), Hanoi (Vietnam), Kathmandu (Nepal), George Town (Malaysia), and Seville (Spain).
Then there are lots and lots and lots of cities I just really don't want to live in. In fact, I don't want to live in the vaaaast majority of cities I've seen.
They're too noisy, too gray, too polluted, too hectic, and just don't have any charm.
But I also don't want to live in Paris, even though it's among the nicer ones and a big tourist destination.
And now that I've just come back from a four-day trip to Madrid, I have to add it to the list of cities I don't like.
So what's wrong with Paris and Madrid? Aren't they supposed to be nice?
Well, there's probably nothing wrong with them.
But they are not my kind of city.
Despite their beautiful buildings, nice parks, and plenty of things to do, they just feel too BIG.
You see, I like cities where things are at a human scale. Cities with meandering narrow streets, lots of little places everywhere to eat and drink, and that have old city centers that feel more like a pedestrian-friendly village than a car-first metropolis.
And both Paris and Madrid—at least the parts I've seen—just don't have that villagy feeling.
The roads are too wide, cars are prioritized too much, and all the beautiful buildings are just too massively monumental.
I feel like an ant in them.
That doesn't mean I only like small cities. Some of my favorite cities I've mentioned before are anything but small. But they have a city center and lots of neighborhoods that feel small.
I guess this is also why I like Medium so much. It's a big platform with thousands and thousands and thousands of writers and readers. But if you're regularly writing there, it doesn't feel that way.
It feels like being part of a small community. It feels like a place where you eventually know who is who.
And although I obviously want Medium to grow and evolve, I hope it will always feel small :)
Alright, enough of a peek into my life and moving on to this week's story...
The One Thing that Distinguishes Real Writers from Wannabes
Writers write!
When I’m driving down the road, music at full blast, and singing along, I’m Mick Jagger. I’m Steven Tyler. I’m Tina Turner. I’m Freddie Mercury. I’m Adele. I’m mother-humping Whitney Houston.
I’m ALL of them.
But, boy oh boy, you can’t imagine the utter shock I experienced that one fateful day when …
Thanks for reading!
— David
PS: Here are some more pictures from my trip to Madrid :)
Lunch looks good!