Seldom do I buy souvenirs when I travel, however some of my relatives are fond of pencils, magnets or other kinds of mementos, so it is the reason I sometimes buy them. Have you ever thought about souvenirs?

Each country, even each city has its own symbols and icons, and they are printed on t-shirts, appear in magnets, pencils, clothes bags, or in any object you can imagine. The touristic area of most of the cities is full of souvenir shops, and we, as tourists, step inside and take a look. Perhaps we don?t want to buy anything, either because there is no spare space in our luggage, or because we would have to buy too many gifts to please everyone.

From time to time, my mother showed me an object and told me who had given it to her, at that time it was not so frequent that her relatives bought mementos. Nonetheless, I remember an anchor-shaped thermometer decorated with seashells hanging on the wall, probably brought from San Sebasti?n as a souvenir. And I cannot fail to mention a Giralda used as a lamp.

When I travel I don?t feel that I am anyhow obliged to buy souvenirs, in fact I don?t like souvenir shops too much, when you see one you have seen all of them. I don?t care if I buy only one souvenir to my sister-in-law who has a large collection of pencils from all over the world, or if I buy something more. As a matter of fact, it is postcards that I always buy, and enjoy writing each one. Do not believe that they are cheaper than other souvenirs, and they have the handicap to find stamps and a post office.

On the other hand, sometimes I also receive mementos. In this regard, when I was in Brest (Belarus) my dear students gave me two dolls in national costumes, it was difficult to find space in the suitcase, but now they decorate my bookshelf.

So, what is your attitude toward souvenirs? Do you like to buy them? Do you spend much time looking for the right one for each person?? Have you ever got an awful souvenir and smiled saying thank you? After all, the most important thing is the intention, isn?t it?

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