We are now in the air flying west from Paris. Sharon, Katie, and I are on this flight and Jorge is on another from Barcelona to Newark. This morning we left the piso together and walked to the Mon-Bus stop, rode to the Barcelona airport, got checked in, had a bite to eat and then seperated. Jorge went to the United first class lounge and the rest of us to our gate. It was a very full but otherwise uneventful flight from Barcelona to Paris. In Paris we navigated from terminal 2F to 2E for our Chicago flight. The walk from 2F to 2E was much easier than when we came in to CDG a few weeks ago.
Our last day and evening in Sitges was quite a flurry of activity. There was last minute shopping, last minute laundry, packing, cleaning, and one last meal. Everyone, except me, wanted to try a new place for lunch. We found one and it was interesting if not all evenly wonderful. The Niña seemed to have some issues with consistency. Some dishes were excellent, some were not. For example, Jorge and I both chose asparagus and ham for our primero. There were four white asparagus stalks, three slices of cured ham, and a dollop of mayonaise. Not very attractive, and we expected jamon serrano and we got plain ham. For segundo Sharon and Katie ordered fiduea. It looked and tasted wonderful - and there was enough in the paella for four or five people.
Reflections on the past twenty six days. This is the first time I have had a vacation lasting more than about two weeks. I had no idea how I would adapt - and I have got to say that I adapted well. What worked best for me was when I followed a schedule (but then with ADD it is always best to follow a schedule). For example, we always went to Cafe Bar Roy for coffee in the morning. My routine there was to check on the latest world news, check in on Facebook, make a shopping list for the day, and plan any activities. Aside from this planning the main activity of the day was walking. We would walk around Sitges, walk to the market, walk to the wine store, walk to the bread store, walk to the fruit and vegetable store, walk to the meat and cheese store, walk to the beach, walk to lunch, and walk to the walk. I believe that the combination of walking and eating smaller portions and fewer meals has taken a little weight off. I will know next week when I go for a couple of check ups. Except for my feet hurting, I do feel better now than when I went to Sitges.
Let's talk health. The last few days have been bad on the neuopathy front - both for my hands and my feet. I don't know if this is simply from not seeing Melody and her Omdamed machine or something else. I've continued my regular supplements except for apple cider vinegar. I didn't bring any with me and didn't see it in any stores in Sitges. I had some breathing issues and had to use my inhaler. It could have been caused by the construction next door or some allergens. I was surprised.
Back to the twenty six day vacation - I can do it. And I can do it in one place. However, the big saving grace of Sitges is it's proximity to Barcelona. I think there is always something to see and do in Barelona. If I were in Sitges longer, I would have to branch out more. Trip to other cities in Spain both near and far. I would also have to learn Spanish other than the few words I now know. I could see myself spending a couple of months here. I played my uke a lot less than I hoped. The travel uke is good for travel but not nearly as much fun to play because the sound is not there.
While in Sitges we looked at pisos again with Katie and Jorge, and talked about buying one together, We looked at enough property to know what we would want - in the central part of old Sitges, an atico with a terraza that flows from the living/dining/kitchen area. The atico and hopefuly terraza have a view of the sea. Room for private space for all of us. At least two bedrooms and two baths but three is better. Nice kitchen. Washer and dryer. Can we live togeter? Perhaps. We do get along well enough to have spend a minimum of one week together for each of the past five years. Long term? Who knows. I could see coming to Sitges for a couple of months at a time a couple of times a year. We can live here about 180 days a year withot visa or employment issues. Our half of a piso will cost us around $250,000. Technically we can afford that - if we sell our house. If we were to buy a place we would want to rent it during the prime season - June, July, August, and the first half of September. This leaves us the the rest of September through May. I like being there in May. Would I feel the same about January and February? November? Would Sitges charm still be there when it was cold, or at least chilly and we would eat inside rather than out and not sit on the beach in the sun? Lots to sort out.
