Spanish Sun Salutations, a market stroll and much needed beach time

After our Gin and Tonics on the lawn the night before I slept hard and long.  I arose with more energy and began my Sun Salutations.  My goal when I travel is to at least do Yoga everyday to keep myself fit.  I made it through about three when Elida awoke and decided to join me.  Here we were two beautiful single women in our bedroom between the beds arising with sun salutations.  It was a glorious morning.

We went out to the kitchen and talked with Jorge and Maria.  Today we would visit the market in a neighboring village and pick up some fruit, an empanada with octopus and raisins and also some bread.  Down to the village we drove through winding roads surrounded by country gardens in desperate need of weeding but beautiful in their own right.

The market was busy, stalls peddling all kinds of wares, clothes, shoes and fresh vegetables, fruits, fish and meat however, we were in a hurry to get to the beach.  Maria made it clear we were not here to linger.  We met her cousin and his wife, Javier and Sylvia, grabbed the necessary items and headed up the street to a church.  We would have time to see just this one place while in town. We wound up the hills out of the market through narrow streets lined with four-story buildings balconies white, windowed and welcoming.  The side streets had vendors as well and I bought a ring and some earrings; my Spanish souvenirs. Javier and Sylvia were warm like Maria, Jorge, Paz and Oscar.  They are all well-educated and yet each has a realness about them.  Sylvia loves Hollywood gossip and yet she is a doctor.   Maria is always up for posing with a silly face and her mastery of other languages is more than brilliant.  Oscar, the professor who made us tuna and rice.  Paz the nurse who told us to look for rich men and forget about the looks.  Javier, who in another day when we would visit his hometown, would tell us to lie on our backs in the town square and look at the church upside-down.  This family was such a light for us on our journey.

We returned to the house to eat lunch which was the empanada.  The lunch was good but different from my typical lunch. One of my goals on this trip was to try all the foods offered and I am doing that each day. We also bought plenty of fruit which is washed individually in a bowl of water set on the table.

We drove down to the beach located in this perfect cove surrounded by rocks and eucalyptus and pine covered hills.  The water was Caribbean blue but Maria warned us as welcoming as the water looked it was going to be frigid.  They dared me and so, of course, I went.  I ran into the ice-cold Atlantic Ocean and dove quickly under.  The others joined me for a very quick dip.  Then Elida and I fell asleep in the warm sand under the sun.  We needed this long rest as we were still a little jet-lagged.  When we awoke we strolled to the beach bar and took a coffee and water.  We sat and talked with Sylvia and Javier while we re-hydrated.  We were warm enough again to try the water, which is refreshing for only a brief moment and then you begin to feel it in your bones.

After our day at the beach I dragged Elida into the orchards and we picked lemons, limes and oranges.  The orchard had pears, apples and figs.  The grass among the trees was up to my hip and I thought briefly of what might be hiding beneath it but the fruit beckoned me.  My connection to mother earth leads my heart at times.  I cut up one of the lemons had it in my water, it was tart, sweet and refreshing.  Next to the orchard is Grandma's herb garden, small but efficient with only the necessary herbs.  This was after all, Maria's Grandmother's house.

The day was not over yet and Maria and Jorge wanted to take us for a hike with their dog Kili.  Jorge is so playful with Kili, a kid at heart.  We walked down a gravel road made of granite stones.  The road was surrounded at times by eucalyptus groves, brought here because they grew well but not native.  I had to pick a branch and smell it deeply and then I left it on my pillow.  We hiked to the end of the point and out on some rocks overlooking the ocean.  This area of Spain has fjords and we are staying near many of them.  The rocks jutted out of the ocean sharp and cracked.  Below they formed tide pools and other deeper pools.  Sailboats and jet skis raced by in the windy environment.  We looked over the beach cove where we had only recently been swimming. We continued to hike along the edge overlooking the water and returned home.

For dinner tonight we went to Ares, another sea town.  More octopus, wine, salad and potatoes where had.  The potatoes are just French Fries and seem to always be served with the octopus.  Delicious.

Elida and I haven't ordered anything, haven't planned anything.  We just do what the family would normally do on holiday.  It has been a beautiful way to experience Spain.  We have shared stories, laughs and kisses.  We eat late, sleep in and relax, just what I was in need of.