Because it's...still my Birthday!

Still pretending as if it's my birthday-why not? One day is simply not enough. 

This morning I woke up in Valencia and here I am now, in a small suburbs of Tarragona, in a beautiful resort, overlooking the Mediterranean sea. After much driving, walking and becoming familiar with surroundings, finally I had a chance to just sit by the sea, listening to its roar, walking on the wet sand, looking at the lights of the water glistening in front of me. Spain is very sunny and getting warmer by the day.

Today went much more smoothly, to say the least: all you have to do is wake up, pack your things into the car that is already there and drive, on sunny, countryside Spanish roads... and here I am now, in the little suburb of an industrial port town of Tarragona, which is known for its rich Roman history of settlements and archeologic remains. I am quite excited to visit those tomorrow, as well as hopefully find one of the outdoor markets I have been longing for (as if Jemma al Fina in Marrakech wasn't enough, but they are always so different everywhere, you just have to experience them all!) Plus I only packed 2 pairs of shoes, hoping to buy wonderful new Spanish made leather somethings, and here I am.... still, almost shoe-less (in female terms!). So tomorrow, high hopes for sunny day, markets and lots of history and beautiful sites.

As far as today went, we drove into our magnificent resort (once again, I feel grateful for being a timeshare owner!), worthy of being compared to a 5 star Mexican one. We checked ourselves into this spacious 1 bedroom apartment, overlooking the sea, complete with a brand new kitchen, the kind I will never have in my apartment in Germany. The only downside? This town is swarmed with Russians! I mean, every third person is Russian. Not only is it a bit annoying, but also it makes this place lose some of its authenticity. I am still trying to understand why on Earth they chose this city as their “mecca”, but one thing for sure-wherever Russians are, they drive the prices of everything up!

That is why even to go out for dinner, we drove to the nearest town on Selou, only 10 min away, which had much nicer restaurants and more reasonable prices. We ended up deciding on this little Italian place which had, honestly, the best salad I had ever tasted in my life. I savoured my food while pouring away the strong half litre Sangria (a must with every mealin Spain), watching the pizza cook tossing the dough and working this huge oven. The night culminated with an evening walk at the sea shore and much giggling, to our neighbors' frustration! Ahh, life is good. Too bad one day here is gone already. I don't even want to think what I will do when this is over. But for now, life is blissful, careless and sweet.  

Well, I am off to bed in my new home for the next 7 days. And what a nice home it is! I love being a vacation owner :) Also, am getting quite efficient at this unpacking and packing procedure.

It's my Birthday!

What a difference a year makes! Last year I was in familiar territory, surrounded by friends, overjoyed by the many wonderful, lavish gifts that had been bestowed on me.
And this year? No parties, no birthday cards, no boxes to open (well, I had been given my presents earlier, before we left for this trip!) and yet, I am in a place I love the most with my best friend in the world-mom. And I couldn't be happier, despite the little "bumps" on the road.

Ever since having booked the suspiciously cheap car online, I had been wary of the day we'd have to go and pick it up... And, having landed in Valencia past midnight last night, we had to reschedule the pick up for this morning, which meant early wake up and no shower, make up, or breakfast time. Of course, things didn't go all too smoothly with either picking up a rental car at the airport, or me trying to save money on taxis and taking the subway, which ended up costing at least half the fare. So, after a near mental breakdown as I was being convinced that Spain simply does not have automatic transmission cars, a miracle happened! Turns out my beloved agency SIXT recently opened a new outlet near, but not inside the airport terminal, thus not many people even heard of it. And what do you know, they had the best little automatic Hyundai I10 for us, for a very decent price. With that , following the well-known "to the beach!" motto, we drove straight on until the sea was within reach. At this point I was emotionally exhausted,  unshowered and hungry. It only took a short stroll by the beachside restaurants for us to, unanimously, pick the best one, with the whole 3-course meal and wine! There, I had finally begun relaxing and believing that indeed, this is my birthday and I am in the best place in the world for that. Later, we managed to effortlessly navigate ourselves to the little wonder I'd been dreaming about seeing: "the City of Arts and Sciences"- I mean, could it be any more perfect for me, considering my interests? Rhetorical question.

I cannot express the stunning beauty of the park's architecture and just how thoughtful every detail is. The pictures don't even do it justice. Unfortunately, we came too late to see anything inside, but I was quite content just to walk around and  take all of that in. Here's a glimpse of it: