So I am still feeling a bit jetlagged from returning home from Spain but I thought I should give you guys the details of the rest of my trip. As I reported in the last post we were off for 4 days to Alicante which is a coastal city where we had an Air B and B mere blocks from the beach. To get there we took a train and saw some beautiful Spanish scenery.

And then on our first trip out to the ocean there was tons of seaweed and I got stung by a fish with a spiney back. It stung so badly that I had to limp over to the first aid station. When I got there a very attractive lifeguard helped me to soak the foot in hot water and it lessened the swelling.  I learned to never risk it and not wear my water shoes again.

After the ocean we went to a nice restaurant and I finally had the chance to try my first paella!

The paella was tasty and rich with octopus, shrimp and chicken. On the whole I didn’t love Spanish cooking but I can see why people love the paella. I would probably add even more flavor, spice and maybe a sauce but it was still very good.

The next 2 days we went to beach, beach, beach, beach and it was glorious!

Finally the day for taking the train home came and we had another pleasant voyage.

That day we got to go to the Arts Center and see a concert of college performers which was a lot of fun and then a very impressive fireworks display!

Also I got to see the bull rink and go to the beach one more time before I left.

Finally the day to return home came and I was exhausted.  I didn’t get much sleep and was crammed into seats once again but it was worth it for a great trip. Honestly there were some challenges to Spain. As I said earlier I wasn’t that big a fan of the food and some of the habits were hard to adjust too like the Siesta and everything having to be so late. Plus, getting service especially as a solo diner was tough. I also found the lack of AC to be difficult as I got overheated and dehydrated very quickly. But none of that really matters when exploring another culture. It’s all part of the experience.

Plus, the main reason I was there was to go to the beach as much as possible and see my sister. Anna says we went to the beach 7 times while I was there and I went at least 3 times alone- not too shabby! In some ways a beach is the same no matter where you go but I think I got enough of the local culture, history and art to be worth going to Spain.  Also it was nice to spend time chatting with my sister. I hope she stays in tropical locations and I can come and visit her.

I’m grateful to my boss who allowed me to take this trip and for my sister for being a great host. Let’s hope it doesn’t take me over 10 more years to get out of the country again! Ole!