It's Hard To Beat An Afternoon At The Beach

We're about a 15-20 minute walk from the Med.  We had gone a few times to stroll along the boardwalk, but this was the first time we went swimming.  Well, I went swimming. 

The challenge of having just two people at a busy beach is security.  Only one of you can go swimming at a time, as the other needs to remain back to guard the stuff.  That's fine, it is just something you accept.

Despite the fact the beach is crowded, you can find your own space.  Let me tell you, the Med is wonderful.  Actually, lying down on a large throw at the Med is great. 

Our first day walking along the beach, we spotted these migrant fellows selling large throws -- perfect for use on the beach.  I do not understand how these beach throws have not made it to the States.  Anyhow, Carol approached one seller.  He priced it at 12 Euros (essentially $13.20).  Carol countered with 10 Euro -- sold!  She was happy to successfully bargained, having gone from terrible at bargaining (South Africa) to really enjoying it (China). 

Anyhow, I decided to hit the water right away -- less than 10% of the people on the beach were in the water at any one point, but it was plenty warm.  The challenge was that while 95% of the beach is sandy, the last five percent are stones.  They are smooth stones, but stones nonetheless.  I enjoyed the water for a bit, but getting out was a challenge, bad right foot/bad left knee and, you know, aging. 

It's steep climbing out, and with the stones your feet sink.  It clearly made for a show "Ungraceful exits" -- I ended up half walking, and half crawling.  It's like one of those evolution drawings where the fish walks out of the sea onto land -- not something you think will work when you see it happen, but somehow it must have worked.

After that, we relaxed on our great beach blanket for a while, and then went to our chiringuito (beach bar) for a while.  It was a great way to spend the late afternoon upon returning from Montserrat.  Prior to it, we had a late lunch at the apartment of Jamon, fruit, cheese, and bread.  Even that was perfect!

We will be going back to the beach several times a week, as long as the temperatures keep hitting the upper 70s.