ColumnHave you ever intentionally engaged in a mind-bending, dizzying, life-changing cultural experience? Have you self-induced what we call hyperkulture? Consider the idea that you can purposefully step outside your comfort zone to shift your perspectives—and that time traveling is not required to put yourself in swoon’s way.

A sudden, icy sweat. A spinning sensation. The immediate need for a chair. It took more than a few minutes to regroup—perhaps because that necessary chair was nowhere to be found—but I had some experience with this feeling. The race back from 1564 to 2013 seemed to take longer that it actually did, but that’s understandable: Time traveling has a way of knocking you off your rails.

The venue for said swoon was Shakespeare’s birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon—in the actual bedroom where it’s said the great Bard made his grand entrance. As a writer and fan of his work (how could that not be an understatement?), a lot had conspired that afternoon to leave me leaning against a wall, struggling to take in air. What was initially an earnest, if touristy, moment was transformed by a blood-to-the-brain rush of understanding that this now-visualized birth so many centuries ago was critical to not only my choice of profession but to my intellectual and emotional vocabulary—this screaming (of course!) infant would eventually teach me how to think and inform who I am. And not only me. All of us. It’s Shakespeare, for god’s sake, born here—right here—and destined to change the trajectory of our culture. Yes. For this writer… some air, please.

I know Shakespeare isn’t everyone’s life-altering cup of tea, but I’m sure many of you are familiar with the phenomenon I experienced that day in England. We all have had interactions with discrete articulations of our human culture—in the realms of art, literature, travel, food, history, technology and media (or, in my case here, that bedroom)—that overwhelm us. These are personal growth moments and, I think, by definition positive. They are instances where we’re touched deeply, beyond the intellect, so that our soul spins and we can distinctly feel our emotional anatomy change. And these moments even have a name (a few names actually). To varying degrees, these states of mind are sometimes referred to as Stendhal or Florence syndrome—or Hyperkulturemia.

According to one medical dictionary, the syndrome is defined as “a psychosomatic response—tachycardia, vertigo, fainting, confusion and even hallucinations—when the ‘victim’ is exposed to particularly beautiful, or large amounts of, art in a single place—e.g., Florence (Italy), which has a high concentration of classic works; the response can also occur when a person is overwhelmed by breathtaking natural beauty.”

For this discussion, I think we can safely broaden the causes beyond art and nature to include other cultural encounters (read: that bedroom). I also think we can leave the veracity of the notion that this is a cap S-Syndrome to specialists above my medical pay grade. But in any case, regarding the times in my life when I have experienced such a state, the French author Stendhal was spot on in 1826 when he wrote about it in “Rome, Naples and Florence” (from a 1959 translation.):

Absorbed in the contemplation of sublime beauty, I could perceive its very essence close at hand; I could, as it were, feel the stuff of it beneath my fingertips. I had attained to that supreme degree of sensibility where the divine intentions of art merge with the impassioned sensuality of emotion. As I emerged from the porch of the Santa Croce, I was seized with a fierce palpitation of the heart (the same symptom which, in Berlin, is referred to as an attack of the nerves); the wellspring of life was dried up within me, and I walked in constant fear of falling to the ground.

I don’t want to take lightly what some might call a severe mental-health event. (Hallucinations?) But I also want to be clear that these happenings are more than just “oh my!” moments—they are true swoons, in every sense of the word, save perhaps hitting the ground. (Thank you nearby chairs, walls, et al.)

Making It Happen Not long after returning to the U.S. late last year, as I looked back at my journey and Shakespeare reaction, something occurred to me. Up until then, this kind of thing had happened maybe once every few years since my late teens. Yet this trip had somehow produced five such episodes in just four months. Though I still consider these instances rare and unexpected, something was going on that triggered these experiences—or at least allowed them to take place.

Here’s some context: I had left California for extended travel overseas for the first time in years, making good on a promise to return to my globetrotting ways after Things 1 and 2 had left home for university. I made the trip with my girlfriend of eight years, Mihaela, and like my days traveling as a youth, had a fairly slipshod approach to time and money planning. We formulated the trip as we went, discovering along the way that my primary editorial client would be withholding payments in unpredictable, seemingly sadistic ways. Though punctuated by a few lovely moments of luxury, our journey—including time in Eastern and Western Europe—would feature some good ol’ down-and-out, cold-water-flat time, with me slamming away at my keyboard (she says I type like Jim Carrey answering prayers via email in “Bruce Almighty”) while she went out in search of cheap veggies to stew for dinner.

All of this is not to complain, by any means. The trip was glorious and brilliant and in almost constant high relief. But we for sure had left our relaxed Bay Area comfort zone and, back to our story’s syndrome of interest, this was a good thing. I firmly believe that being on our heels opened the door to the above-mentioned byproduct—and again, not once, but five times.

Aside from the Stratford-upon-Avon experience, it happened in Spain in the Plaza Mayor, where one evening I could not keep my hands from shaking when attempting to take a photograph. It happened in Florence while taking in Masaccio’s masterworks in Santa Maria del Carmine. And then twice in Paris (but of course)—once in the Pompidou in front of Joan Miró’s Bleu triptych and another time during the first of two visits to Atelier Brancusi. Then there was London, where I happened upon Jack Kerouac’s On the Road scroll temporarily on display at the British Library. I’ll spare the details of these events (each one a story), but suffice to say that I do not diminish my many experiences during these months by saying these five quite literally floored me, each in their own way changing the way I think.

For me, having done the math, there’s a great takeaway here. I think we can increase the chances of such life-changing cultural experiences—call it hyperkulture—occurring in our lives if we take risks. This is not to say that you need to go time traveling, or out on some financial edge or upend your life. Nor do you have to be in Florence—or Paris or London or even Kathmandu—to access those things that will push your personal envelope. But rather and more simply, if we purposefully and actively take ourselves outside our comfort zones, we’re more likely to have encounters that will shift our perspectives. It could be as easy as turning off your phone and getting lost in a museum. Or hiking into the forest with a tent but without a plan. However we wish to do it, to initiate personal change and growth, we can, in fact, put ourselves “in swoon’s way.”

Scott Adelson is EcoSalon’s Senior Editor of HyperKulture, a monthly column that explores opening cultural doors to initiate personal change. He is also the author of InPRINT, which reviews and discusses books, new and old. You can reach him at scott@adelson.org and follow him @scottadelson on Twitter.

Top image: Wikimedia Commons

Other images: Scott Adelson Related on EcoSalon:

InPRINT: A Novel Challenge – Take Action and Read Outside Your Box

InPRINT: You Want Erotic? The Countless Shades of Anaïs Nin

InPRINT: Albert Camus and the Biggest Question of All

InPRINT: Gatsby, Paradise and the 1% – F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Pre-Occupation

InPRINT: One the Road – Again: Revisiting Jack Kerouac

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ColumnSometimes it is worth ditching the guidebook.

Barcelona, the land of tapas and Tempranillo.

I was there for a few days exploring the food scene, pretending I knew how to speak some odd combination of Spanish and Catalan while on an ongoing mission to eat pimientos padrón.

“That place looks perfect. Let’s come back here.”

We were on a small street just off of popular pedestrian route Passeig del Born. There was a corner bar, filled with locals, simple interior and a few stragglers outside smoking a cigarette with a glass of beer in hand. What about that place screamed, ‘get your next round of tapas’? I have no idea, but there was something about it that made it pop from all of the others.

And so we returned, ordered a round of patates bravas, pimientos padrón, a Spanish tortilla and a few glasses of vino tinto. It was the best meal of the entire trip. Simple. Delicious. Relaxed. Unpretentious.

I looked around the bar. There were mostly locals, of all ages. The decor was modern but relaxed, the drink selection written above the bar on a black chalkboard in all caps. This wasn’t a trendy spot. It was just a good spot. The kind of place you go for good food and good conversation.

There is a sense of pleasure derived from finding a good food spot all on my own. Following intuition until it takes you somewhere you never would have expected or would have planned. The serendipity of searching for food.

In the information age, there are a multitude of ways of finding a place to eat, and even if you skimped on buying a guidebook, there’s always Google. While this keeps us on our toes, and with a laundry list of culinary hotspots we should visit while we are in a new place, does it detract from the magic of finding something spontaneously? We’re so glued to our smartphones, reading reviews of what other people thought of a place that we have a preconceived notion before we ever even walk in and order.

There is something to be said for doing your research beforehand. If you love craft roast coffee then it can be hard to blindly wander the streets of a new place in search of a cafe. And if you want to taste local artisan beers, you might want to track down an address or two before heading out. But there is something to be said for not knowing, not having a plan and simply following your intuition, wandering until something strikes your fancy, trying something without knowing what it is, or asking a local where to go. You know, all those things we used to do.

I have a long list of places in Barcelona that were the result of lots of reading and Googling. But my two absolute favorite spots in the city? Two places that I randomly happened across. Maybe because I found them myself, maybe because they were the kind of places that I like to frequent – simple settings with good ingredients – but also maybe because they were both a reminder of the essence of travel: exploration. And when it comes to food, we could all explore a little more.

***

My two favorite spots? Really I should let you find them on your own, but if you are in Barcelona don’t miss Bormuth for simple, cheap and fantastic tapas and Granja Petitbo for coffee and baked goods.

This is the latest installment of Anna Brones’ weekly column at EcoSalon: Foodie Underground, an exploration of what’s new and different in the underground movement, and how we make the topic of good food more accessible to everyone. More musings on the topic can be found at www.foodieunderground.com.

Images: Anna Brones

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Basic dishes you might consider getting on a plane for. 

Travel isn’t travel without eating. You can’t get to know a place without tasting the local specialties, and food is often one of the best mediums to explore a culture. Be it in a market, on the street, at a restaurant, or in someone’s home, food gives us a very personal look into another culture. Sure, not all your travel culinary experiences are always good ones, but even when you try a local food that doesn’t suite your palate (pickled herring isn’t for everyone) at the very least, it makes for a good story.

When you travel, it can be fun to choose one local food to always go after. In my experience, being on the hunt for something in particular often leads to interesting adventures. Whether you like to travel to eat, or are just looking for an excuse to plan a summer trip, here are eight local meals worth traveling for.

1. Socca: Nice, France

The local street food of Nice, socca is a crepe made from garbanzo bean flour. While street food often makes its way around the world – you can get a döner kebab in just about any city –  socca is a little harder to track down. Even in Paris, there’s only one guy making it. Here are a few recommendations on some of the best ones you can find in Nice. Just make sure to get a chilled glass of rose while you’re at it.

2. Pho: Hanoi, Vietnam

Pho is one of those dishes that has made a name for itself outside of its homeland. In most food metropolises it’s easy to track down a few Vietnamese restaurants that top local foodies’ list of recommended places. But pho is best consumed on a hot street corner in Hanoi, sitting on a small plastic chair and drinking a cold beer. Go all out on the dish of garnishes that is served with it: a bowl full of broth, cilantro and lime is a good thing.

3. Stroopwaffel: Netherlands

A bike ride in Amsterdam followed by a stroopwaffel: is there any better way to spend a trip? Stroopwaffels are cookies made from two layers of thin waffles and held together by a sweet caramel. They’re all over Amsterdam, both sold in bags and packages at stores and markets as well as larger versions as street food. Hint: the day before you head home, go to the local grocery store and buy a few packages to take home with you. They’re that addictive.

4. Asado: Argentina

They’re not for the vegetarian, but asados are acclaimed events, barbecuing many kinds of meats at one time. Argentina is known for its steak, and raised on wild grasslands, you’re assured a leaner meat than standard feedlot-fed US cattle. Try a traditional asado in Patagonia, grilled by local gauchos.

5. Smørrebrød: Denmark

The Danish open-faced sandwich is one you’ll find on almost any traditional Danish menu. It’s a buttered piece of rye bread topped with an assortment of options, from cured meats to cheese. For a truly Scandinavian meal, get one with shrimp and pair it with a local light beer.

6. Accras: French Caribbean

Most Caribbean countries have some form of the accras, a fritter made from fish or shrimp. Accras de morue are popular appetizers in Guadeloupe and Martinique. The word “accra” is most commonly used in the French-speaking part of the Caribbean, but you will also see them listed as fritters in the English-speaking parts. You’ll often find them served as street food and they make for a great snack.

7. Pa amb tomaquet: Barcelona, Spain

Bread rubbed with olive oil and tomato might sound basic, but sometimes, it’s the simplest foods that are the best. Such is the case with Pa amb tomaquet, the classic Catalan dish (pan con tomate in Spanish) that you’ll find in almost any tapas bar. The oilier and juicer the better. If a place does it well, you can be sure that the rest of their menu will be up to par.

8. Amok Trey: Cambodia

This popular Khmer dish is made of steamed fish and coconut milk. With an emphasis on zesty flavors, it has a softer and less spicy taste than most curries. The fish is wrapped with other ingredients in a banana leaf and steamed in the coconut milk.

Images: katinalynn, Tran’s World Productions, sindy, dr_pablogonzalez, fredrikrynde, SnippyHolloW, Jen SFO-BCN, Ben Yapp

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A first person travel report: this month, live from the ancient and fragrant Spanish city of Córdoba, Spain.

A flower and garden theme has emerged this month and last in Shelter. We’ve featured ideas for urban gardeners and house planters; propaganda-ish posters for homesteading activists. Now reportage from the azalea bushes of the lush and abundant Spanish gardening tradition.

This past weekend I had the pleasure of traveling to the Andalucian city of Córdoba for their annual Patio Contest. A typically regional way of reigning in Andalucia’s most glorious season – i.e., with a preliminary religious activity followed by a massive sangria-fest – what sets the ancient Roman and Islamic city of Córdoba apart is that flowers become the conduits for all things fiesta.

A total of three flower events characterize Córdoban spring. First, La Batalla de las Flores (the Battle of the Flowers), a procession of flower-covered floats with gypsy-styled women tossing single-stemmed flowers into the crowd.

Next, Cruces de Mayo – the religious component featuring large wooden crosses, covered with flowers. They’re erected in various plazas, and accompanied by makeshift bars and much dancing.

Finally, the Patio Contests wherein private homes and buildings are opened up for public oohing and ahhing.

All of this is followed by the Feria, which, in itself, is another floral event considering the traditional outfits worn by the women:

Like freshly picked roses from the bouquet that is Feria.

Should you find yourself in the city for this year’s events or next, some useful information to keep on hand:

While there, eat the regional specialty, Salmorejo Cordobés (a creamier version of gazpacho). If you fancy a very expensive-but-worth-every-euro bowl, try it at El Caballo Rojo in el barrio de la Judería. Meanwhile, the city’s most convenient (and cheapest) bowl can be had at Bar Santos on the Magistral González Francés side of the Mezquita. Bar Santos is also home to the world’s biggest tortilla.

Apart from the flowers, take in the Mosque/Cathedral Mezquita. Where religious harmony has failed, architectural harmony can be found here in a perfect blending of Moorish and Christian design.

See, too, the Roman Bridge. Constructed in the early 1st century BC across the Guadalquivir river, it’s hard to miss.

This year’s festivities, including the Patio Contests and fair are on now until May 26.

Images: author’s own, Jeronimo Tinico, Juan José Ferres Serrano, Reji K. A, Patrick Down

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When packing for a weekend at Hotel Aire de Bardenas in the North of Spain, take inspiration from the natural surroundings and modern decor.

Let that special sense of Spanish minimalism guide you and fill your bag with savvy eco-duds from Spanish designers like Adolfo Dominguez, EcoAlf and Skunkfunk.

Adolfo Dominguez Waistcoat
This cool vest, from Spanish designer Adolfo Dominguez’ “Green Me” collection is a sure way to add some edge to a simple outfit. If you want to go all in, get the matching skirt and you’ll have a modern take on a suit.
On sale for approx. $78, Adolfo Dominguez

Begona Rentero Earrings Aspen, Moka
Spanish artist Begona Rentero makes eco-friendly jewelry inspired by flora and sea fauna. She makes her own papers from silk, cotton and other fibers, hardening them through a special process and dyeing them with natural dyes so that they can be worn for everyday use.
$48, The Island Gallery

LBD by Skunkfunk
This black dress by humorously-named sustainable Spanish brand Skunkfunk is a great travel companion, thanks to a comfy fabric made from 95% bamboo and 5% spandex. The buttons down the front are a fun detail that adds a lot of personality to the dress.
On sale for $97, Skunkfunk

Park Avenue Shopping Bag by EcoAlf
This large tote bag has two front pockets and two vertical pockets with silver-coloured zippers and gold-coloured pullers plus three interior pockets in different sizes – lots of room for your things, in other words. It’s made of nylon recycled from discarded fishing nets.
Approx. $260, EcoAlf

Duna Boots by El Naturalista
Spanish eco-brand Naturalista is known for their irreverent takes on classic shoes with natural rubber soles. These black Duna boots are the perfect balance of minimal and eclectic.
Approx. $215, El Naturalista

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Aire de Bardenas is the ultimate cube hotel.

Zone out – taking in fields of gently rippling wheat or a moonscape of pebbles – among an endless horizon outside of a cozy cube. Welcome to Aire de Bardenas in the Spanish province of Navarre.

Navarre isn’t famous for much save wind farms, the San Fermin Festival and its Pamplona bull run, and…asparagus. Visitors are surprised to find such an avant-garde, award-winning gem here. (Aire de Bardenas has received 22 design and architecture awards.)

This is minimalism taken to its leanest extreme, with razor-edged cubes to match the unforgiving landscape of semi-desert and rocky peaks. If you like colorful decorations and soft curves, book elsewhere; low-slung, angular white concrete dominates.

The 22 guestrooms and suites have either patios, some with fruit trees and outdoor bath tubs, or views to the fields. Decor is characteristically simple: pale wooden beds, black or white square baths (round ones outside), white bed linen and those big, beautiful windows.

The monochrome restaurant, naturally, boasts its own organic vegetable garden. Regimented rows of asparagus, artichokes and more are visible from the dining room. Also featured: upcycled chic. Old wooden packing crates are used as fences/wind-breaks around the hotel, including by the swimming pool.

Rates from $252, including tax, breakfast and a little slice of heaven for vegetarians.

Images: Aire de Bardenas, Splendia, Escapio

Places & Spaces is a travel guide that will inspire you to carve out a vacation on your calendar. All of the gorgeous locations and accommodations in our guide share our concern for the environment. From tent glamping to lavish built environments, fair warning, you’ll feel compelled to pack your suitcase.

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Spain’s Alta Velocidad Espanola train is destined to win the race against carbon emissions.

Spain’s Alta Velocidad Española (AVE) high-speed rail service is providing a greener, and more enjoyable way to travel short distances. For example, approximately six million people travel the 325 miles between Barcelona and Madrid each year. In previous years, 90 percent of those people have been taking it to the skies to do so. The number of jet-setters is lower these days, with frequent short-distance travelers choosing the speedy train.

According to analysts, rail travel emits one-fourth of the carbon dioxide emissions created by flying or driving. With such large numbers of people regularly taking the train instead of flying, it should really help toward reaching the country’s goal of reducing its carbon emissions by 20 percent in the next decade.

Although the rail service will generously aid in environmental efforts, most passengers on the AVE do not choose the service because it’s greener, they choose it because they like it better. The trains are comfortable, offer numerous amenities and don’t require passengers to check in early. The last point is particularly important to business travelers who frequently journey back and forth between cities.

Soon all of Europe’s short-distance routes may be dominated by high-speed trains rather than airplanes. The shift is considered a huge advancement toward the EU’s fight against harmful emissions. In this matter, the US is still lagging behind. Spain alone is expecting to budget $80 billion for rail travel, while $8 billion has been set aside for the entire United States. The good news is that steps are in place for greener, easier and more enjoyable travel for everyone.

Editor’s note: Article by Katie Leavitt. Originally published by our friends at Tonic.com. Tonic is a digital media company and news source dedicated to promoting the good that happens each day around the world. Tonic tells the stories of people and organizations who are working to make a difference, by inspiring good in themselves and others. Be sure to visit them and say hi, and follow Tonic on Twitter, too!

Image: dominguin

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