I remember visiting the Mediterranean for the first time. The vibrancy of the water was both shocking and alluring. It didn’t look real at all. There was a little island with a little church precariously perched on it out in the distance and a few ships far out on the horizon. The sand was scorching hot until I ran to the waterline and they were soothed by the gentle lapping waves. The marble pebbles rattling around in the surf glistened and beckoned me to take them home.