Days 12–15

Nothing happening and loving every minute

  These blogs are written from a daily journal I keep when Carol and I travel. It’s little more than a tick-tock of the day’s activities, no matter how routine. Nothing of what I record is worth a blog itself; the notes are meant to jog the memory of what went on in the expectation I’ll be able to extract a narrative containing both a point and a chuckle or two. In reading over my notes for this block of days, one thing became glaringly clear: we were increasingly doing nothing and immensely enjoying every minute of it.

My idea of a perfect day

  Here are my notes from this current four-day period covering a Thursday through Sunday:

● Made bacon and eggs for breakfast 

● Walked to shop to buy flip flops for Carol’s upcoming manicure/pedicure

● Stopped at Casanova’s bodega for groceries and wine

● Had snacks on rooftop terrace

● Had naps in apartment 

● Wrote a blog while Carol had manicure (Pedicure not available; could not return flip-flops)

● Walked around corner for dinner at Silla Azul

● Watched The Gentlemen on Netflix

● Bed

“We stopped for a nightcap at Tasca Talavan (conveniently located on our way home from town, so it became quite the convenient watering hole), and then it was home to Netflix and bed.”

  I recall waking up the following morning, hoping the coming day would be a carbon copy of the day before. Instead, it turned out to be one of those days Carol would wake up and say, “We’re not doing nothing again like we did yesterday.” Which turned out to be a bus ride to a public golf course (Costa Ballena Ocean Golf Club) on the outskirts of town, and featured a grand outdoor patio restaurant looking out to the course, driving range and ocean. We enjoyed a two-hour lunch, and then caught the 4:06 bus back to Rota for naps, dinner and finishing The Gentlemen.

  Saturday was more akin to my pace of play.

● Went out for breakfast, but misordered and Carol wound up with nachos and Cheez Whiz instead of the Spanish omelet her taste buds had been expecting.

● Sat in Rota Square (Habanera’s) with a glass while Carol shopped for a blouse.

● Walked to CarreFour for groceries and wine

● Went out for pizza (Slice of New York)

  But instead of the night ending once again with Netflix and bed, we stumbled on a lively Irish Pub (Paddy’s) that featured a live two-man band belting out Spanish pop and ballads that everyone knew the words to. We stopped for a nightcap at Tasca Talavan (conveniently located on our way home from town, so it became quite the convenient watering hole), and then it was home to Netflix and bed.

Carol’s idea of a perfect evening

Sunday was moving day (across the landing to a studio apartment). It was smaller than our two-bedroom, but featured a wonderful tiled patio, where I fell into a blissful nap the first time out. There was no Netflix, but the patio more than made up for that. (When we booked our return to Rota in September, we chose the studio over the two-bedroom.)

Another one of my perfect days

  The coming week – our last for Rota – would be more Carol-like with day trips to Jerez de Frontera and its equestrian school, as well as a return trip to Cadiz. Sprinkled in between, though, would be a couple true beach afternoons, complete with umbrella, chairs, wine and Beach Boys on the speaker. 

  And feet full of sand.