The Bridging of T I M E

Prior to hitting the month mark between posts, in true (Laura) Sevilla fashion get ready for a series of catch ups on here. While I haven't posted anything yet, I've been working on two on-going posts I'm excited to share with you soon. (hint: yummy food + yoga)

Anyways, this one's for the passing of time--
I'm one of four children, the wee one whose head snaps up whenever she hears her mother or brothers call out, "Yaya." Yet, time has a funny way of working--often making my childhood feel like that of an only child. Making up games in the backyard pond, going to the zoo with my pops, sneaking into movie theaters with my momma, my childhood best friend. Being the kid that hung out with the adults when my crazy cousins weren't there because that's what I knew. Yet, I don't feel cheated. Time having kept my siblings and I apart by our birth years and subsequent living of life has given more richness to the time we are together.

Beto getting in trouble for taking me to the premier of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone when I came home still crying because the sight of the bloody unicorn was too much for a 5 year old. Julian playing 'pinguino' with me through the halls of our house. Beto carrying me to the kitchen upside-down while I couldn't stop laughing. My brothers giving my first boyfriend 'the talk' and teasing me and 'el novio!' relentlessly. 

These memories, like so many of the memories with my brothers happened in the gaps of time they came home from the military. Where gaps of time were bridged and filled with love. Now that I'm older I have so much more appreciation for these bridges, bridges that allow me to see into their worlds and allow us to learn from each other. Like I said before, life has a funny way of working and I'm slowly becoming more convinced that timing is everything.

Playing catch up via FaceTime, as we do from time to time, Jules and I came to an incredible conclusion: we would both be in Scotland at the same time. Having the luck of overlapping for three days, we took advantage of every minute--- here's some snaps from our journey!!

Cheers! w/ a couple of scoops from Mary's

We got exploring as soon as Jules got here on Thursday. First stop, satisfying our sweet tooth cravings and heading to Mary's Milk Bar for some yummy scoops before heading to the Edinburgh Castle. 

Edinburgh Castle, UK

 Peep! It's my brother, Jules. Snapped this shot of Jules from St. Margaret's Chapel, the oldest room in the Edinburgh Castle. Behind him you can see Mons Meg, the monstrous cannon that the Scottish Army lugged around battlefields for the sheer purpose of intimidation. Jules and I stuck our heads into the cannon right after this picture, so are our childhood days really behind us? I think we're still making up for 'lost' time. The rest of the day we wandered around the city, checking off the tourist-y sites:

Inside St. Giles' Cathedral

Sunset Selfie from Calton Hill

City of the Dead-Underground City Tour

No worries, the shot is super blurry mostly because I was trying to mentally prepare for going down into these vaults. You should all know, scary things aren't really my thing. But, when you're brother's in town a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do! Unlike our brother Beto, who would have for sure tried to scare me down there, Jules was the perfect mate to face the darkness and ghost stories with. Afterwards we headed to a pub in Leith for live music and I got to hear some of Jules' own ghost stories. :0 Noooo, thank you!

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The next morning I woke up sickly, but you know I got up for a run with marathon runner and Naval man, Julian. 

   

But hey! Best way to see a city and its surrounding is by foot--this was just a lot faster and exhilarating.

  

 We stumbled upon a small lake in Hollyrood Park that I hadn't seen yet. We took a break from our run and took in the sun's rays as they reflected off the duck-speckled water.

Then, joining me for my fourth hike, Jules and I made it to the peak of Arthur's Seat for an incredible view of Edinburgh. :) 

 

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After a two days of go-go-go, we settled into World's End for a pub dinner--he got Fish and Chips and I tried the Beef Ale Pie with Mash. On top of that, we also got some invaluable advice from their street sign:

Jules imparting knowledge via food and beer. Ty older bro!

In all realness, though, World's End really does have a cool history to back it's name up:

"Back in the 16th century Edinburgh was a walled city. The gates to the city were situated outside the pub, and the brass cobbles in the road represent their exact location. As far as the people of Edinburgh were concerned, the world outside these gates was no longer theirs: hence the name, The World's End. Today, those venturing inside the tavern will find that its unique hospitality makes the world of difference."

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Time may not have graced us with growing up in the same household. Time may make staying in each other's lives with as much frequency as we'd like difficult. But, if you're lucky, there are instances where those stretches of time that keep us separated from those we love and those things we want most are bridged into moments we can fill with reconnecting, living fully, and, of course, delicious gelato. 

So grateful for this break in time, this opportunity to reconnect with my older brother. If you're reading this on the boat, Jules-- te quiero tanto hermanito. Un abrazo fuerte.


Reminding myself everyday that

we

are

lucky