However, now to the issue at hand...our Spain adventure! Zac and I have been in Spain now for 4 days. We came to meet Stephen who preceded us by a week - he's here on business. It's BEAUTIFUL! Stephen mentioned a few days ago that the peak of Spanish tourism season ends Sept. 15 (it's now Sept. 30). Well, my friend, I say go to spain Sept. 16th!! The weather is unbeatable (80s and sunny), the crowds are gone, and the hotel prices are down.
We are in the lovely coastal city of Rota. It's on the south-western tip of spin and is a city smack dab on the tip of a peninsula, so there's water on 3 sides! It's AWESOME!! Our hotel is a 3 minute walk to the beach (across the road and down a picturesque boardwalk thru sand and pines with lilies and various cacti!!).
Zac and I have had the pleasure of checking out the area on foot and (yesterday) by bus. It's a small city with many people (i don't know how many, if you're interested, google it). Stephen has a rental car so Zac and I are left to our own devices - as I prefer it!
Yesterday, we found out that the bus only costs 60 euro cents to ride. That's WAY cheaper than getting our own rental car. Stephen offered us a car yesterday on our way home from dinner and I turned it down. I figured, if there was something that I wanted to do that required a car, it would be easy enough to rent a car for the day - in the mean time, save the money and spend it elsewhere!
Oh boy, and did we spend some money when we got here.
Since I was traveling alone, I packed light. I pre packed some things in Stephen's luggage (cuz he had room and a much larger allowance) which REALLY helped me out. However, when we got here, we picked up a few things that weren't worth packing: diapers, wipes, groceries, baby food & supplies. Then S took us to the department store on base. This is a navy base, so it's similar to what we are used to...but oh so different! Their selection in clothing is great! now I may be saying this because I'm fed up with what we're offered back home, or because the first day we were here, we bought 6 new outfits (2-3 pc. sets) for Zac, as well as several pieces for each of us off the MEGA clearance rack.
We went back on the 2nd day i was here and bought a new MacBook pro because the price was right and I had no internet access at the hotel w/o a computer (at least this is what Stephen used to persuade me - the man collects computers like "Carrie" [from Sex and the City] collects Shoes).
The 3rd day we went back because I needed flip flops and to see if we could find a specific toy for Zac. Well, we found the flip flops (on clearance) and we found the toy...just not on clearance :( however, now Zac has an awesome new activity center that will grow with him! We now have to figure out how to ship it back. It came in a box roughly the size of 3 shoe boxes. With "some assembly required" it now measures about 2.5' x 3'x 3.5'.
Even with all the enjoyment we've experienced, it wouldn't be a cultural exchange with out some discomfort. Sure enough, I'm having just a little trouble with the language (2 years of H.S. spanish isn't quite enough to get me by now) and our biggest issue is that dinner isn't served until AT LEAST 8pm each night. Kitchens don't open until 8pm!!!
Now you can drink your brains out till then. But not a spot of food till the clock strikes 8 (and later in some establishments).
This wouldn't be such a problem, except Zac's bedtime is between 7 and 8 pm. The poor thing just can't take it after 8pm. We've slowly adjusted and finally had a dinner out on the town last night. Zac did great...until we got home.
He had a meltdown when we got home (about 9:30pm) and finally fell asleep shortly after 10pm - but spent the rest of the night up and down every 2 hours. I'm exhausted.
So, we've decided that dining out just isn't worth it! We'll probably try 2 more times and see how it goes (in another day or so). But thankfully where we are staying is actually and apartment (1 bedroom w/ kitchenette - about 600 sq. ft). So we've got a mini fridge stocked w/ 2 meals and we'll just play it by ear as we go.
Speaking of the hotel, it's quite a nice place! Very affordable (thanks to the off-season pricing) and lots of amenities (laundry room, restaurant, pool, spa [closed for maintenance], located on bus route, private parking, excellent staff). Seeing how we're set up here - I don't' think the 3 of us could ever fit into a hotel room for an extended period!!! (this is the first time we're traveling as a family and not staying in our parents' homes.) I do love it here. It's so comfortable and family friendly. There's even a kids club house - which we haven't checked out yet, but will soon. And, as i said earlier, we're a very short walk to the beach with a long, winding board walk to keep us occupied for days! Just yesterday we discovered an equestrian sporting arena, a small playground and a bike park w/ obstacles ( yes, we did it in the stroller - no one was there to yell at us so i thought "why not?!")
So, after just 4 short days, we're all feeling at home in our space and enjoying our time on the beach and in the sun. Perhaps this weekend we'll head to Gibraltar, or maybe take a ferry to AFRICA!!!
I AM SO BLESSED!
