Another day in paradise...

Well, we went to our nightly internet bar too early last night. I know this because after that bar we had to go to another bar and then have an hour stroll before we could go to our 9 pm reservation. I was ready to call our mission over before it began, but the kids were dead set on going to the restaurant La Ola which had cool disco lights and fancy chairs. Every time we’ve tried to go there it’s been full, so tonight Julia and Jeff went there at 6 pm and secured us their first sitting reservation. Because we’d already been to two tapas bars (and had beverages and snacks at both) I felt like my night was already complete and I wasn’t even the slightest bit hungry. The kids were dead set on this restaurant though so I decided I needed to buck up and get hungry. I think part of my problem was dehydration – I was thirsty before I’d left the second tapas bar and then we walked for an hour or so and by the time we reached the restaurant my neurons weren’t firing properly. I don’t do well when I’m thirsty – which is why in ‘real life’ you’ll rarely see me without a water bottle in my purse or right beside me in my cup holder. For some reason on vacations I think my physiology changes – I need to change my mindset on that and simply pay the 2 euros (or whatever) for a little bottle of water. I’m cheap, that’s part of my problem.

Anyway, after guzzling a bunch of water at the restaurant I was suddenly revived! (In my mind it was like a wilted flower standing upright again.) The restaurant was actually very delicious and we all shared a bunch of different appetizers and main courses. Jeff and I had an interesting thought on fish and how differently it’s served here. At home it seems so ‘sanitized’ – a filet or a fish steak with no clue as to what it looked like before it came to lay on your plate. Here there is no denying that you are eating a dead fish. You can see exactly what little Pierre looked like before he was hooked and there may or may not be a little bowl of oil or garlic or something to decorate him with, but mainly you are eating a perfectly cooked, simply accompanied, dead fish. And it’s flippin’ delicious. (No pun intended. Well, maybe a little pun intended.) It’s intriguing, and I like it – although it’s definitely more difficult to access the meat of the fish this way. Then again, sometimes a little more work makes you appreciate the prize, right?

After dinner we hit the gelato stand. Chloe came up with a new career choice which is basically a gelato personal shopper. She claims to have never even once in her life made a poor gelato choice because she figures out exactly what she feels like before ordering. She says she can help people by asking simple questions like, “do you feel like juicy or creamy?” , or, “ do you feel like smooth or crunchy?” and can narrow it down to exactly the right choice. She may have a million dollar idea there, but she’d have to have her office outside of a gelato shop and I’m not sure how much people are willing to pay on top of their 2 euro cone. Very creative though!

**** Later ****
I am currently writing poolside (this will be cut and pasted!) after a beautiful day. We planned a beach day and woke up to cloudy skies – which we were actually quite delighted about! When the sun is out in full force it is HOT – so having cloud cover was perfect. Of course the problem with clouds is that it makes you a little braver on the SPF front – and both Jeff and I are pink to prove it. Of course we were diligent with the kids but somehow think we’re immune… this happens over and over and perhaps you can write it in my eulogy or something because I’m not sure I’ll ever learn. Anyway….. the beach was really nice and full of interesting people. I’m sure we’re the only North Americans here, the only English being spoken is definitely British and the lady who checked us into the house hadn’t encountered any of us Canadians (or Americans for that matter) before. European people-watching is fascinating, especially when you can compare and contrast the different cultures. The bathing suits are always interesting, but I think that goes without saying. And wow, can some people ever get dark! I have not been blessed with that kind of skin, that’s for sure.

After enough sand in our suits we headed home for some pool time which we are still enjoying. I’ve safely ensconced myself in the shade and thankfully the pool area is starting to shade over because I think we’ve all had our fair share of vitamin D. Our typical lunch of baguette with cheese and chorizo has fortified us and we are currently in the process of talking the kids into getting out of the pool and into the house for some downtime. Actually, it’s just the adults that need the downtime but we pretend it’s for the good of everyone. ;)

*** Later again ***
Oh, and the ants came marching back in… ugh. Forgot to mention that this morning we woke up, made some excellent coffee and considered eating the churros we’d left over from yesterday’s market. Well, the ants had beaten us to it. The bag was slightly touching the wall and the ants made a perfect little marching line down the wall and into the bag. Yuck. What a waste of churros! Jeff has declared a war on ants and has taken it upon himself to rid this place of every single ant. So far he’s winning, but these are powerful little creatures and are obviously native to this environment, while we are pasty Canadians who happen to live in a very arid, non bug province - hopefully our bigger brains give us an advantage.

This is me drinking cava on an air mattress in our backyard. Seriously - this is the life! (If anyone hasn't heard of cava it's to Spaniards what Prosecco is to Italians and Champagne is to the French. Positively delicious!) I'd like to pretend it was because we were celebrating the fact I went in the pool (I'm more of a deckside lounger than a swimmer) but really it just seemed like a great photo-op.

Hope all is well with everyone back home, we only have one more full day here in Begur so we plan to make good use of it tomorrow by doing a whole lot of nothing. Hasta luego!!