The Tide Turns (Vueltas de la marea)

 

 Ebb and flow. Mostly ebb. “No Spain, No Gain” has been at low tide; very low.                                 With rooms to paint before I go, walls to wash, refrigerators to clean, shelves to paper, cupboards to scour, floors to carpet, belongings to pack and renters to find, I have had neither the time nor the energy to nurture my travel dream. The fact is, it’s been starving. The to-do list before launch date feels endless and has left me feeling less than enthusiastic about my fast-approaching pilgrimage. Until friends came to the rescue!  In one recent weekend,  Laurie, who midwifed this dream of mine, and her unstoppable, kind, handyman husband, Martin, knocked out fully half of my project list. The tide has turned! And I will forever be grateful to both of them for their generous friendship over the years. Laurie gets the spare bedroom in my flat above the Mediterranean for as long as she likes in January! 

So, in an effort to REVIVE THE DREAM, here are my favorite destination photos, starting with a jogger on the beach in Benidorm. This is the exact beach I plan to run on every morning. (I hope my abs look as good as hers! Dream on, Melanie.Who cares, Melanie?)  Apparently, there are morning beach exercises, open and free to all:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuwebaUYl9U

They look a little tame, but maybe a place to unwind after my run. Or perhaps I can sit on the bench and practice my Spanish with someone.  Hola! Me llamo Melanie. Soy de Alaska.  Puedo hablar con usted para practicar mi Espanol?

 

Here’s the Wednesday farmer’s market featuring, Valencia oranges! Benidorm is just 158 km (just under 100 miles) south of Valencia, the 3^rd largest city in Spain (after Madrid and Barcelona), situated in what’s known as “The Garden of Spain;” the land of orange and olive groves, big red wines and paella.  Si, por favor!

Do you know what Biblioplaya means? Beach library!

Newspapapers and books in many different languages. Es bueno!  I think I could while away several contented hours here, don’t you??

 

And finally, a pretty little sidewalk café that I intend to make a frequent haunt of.                                Me gusta el pescado fresco.   (I like fresh fish.)

Yes, indeed, the tide has turned.

“Dadme el silencio, el agua, la esperanza.” ~Pablo Neruda                                                                 (Give me silence, water, hope.)