Day 2: Finding the Rhythm
When I go on vacation to somewhere in a different time zone there is a sense of pressure to get acclimated to the new time zone so I don’t “waste” a day. I made the realization yesterday that, since we’ve moved to a different time zone, taking our time to find the rhythm is ok. Yes, I found my way to this epiphany by way of justifying taking a second nap. My logic stands.
We were both up really early yesterday, even by my yoga-induced early morning standards. Because Spain sleeps in (the “early” cafes open at 7:30 am, for example) we padded around the Hobbit House for several hours before venturing out into the world.
Stop 1 of the day: Coffee!
There’s a lot we don’t (yet) understand about our new home, including how to use the coffeemaker in the Hobbit House. We’re also fresh off of all the downsizing and are hesitant to add things to our list of possessions so cafes are going to be our friend. Bill found a nearby spot and, once they were open at 8 am (a short 4 hours after waking), we headed out.
Sitting outside is just how things work here. Dream Coffee has a lovely patio with the majority of tables under a tent and a few tables without overhead coverage. We saw a server delivering beverages to patrons seated outside but realized we had no idea how things worked — did we order inside at the counter or did they take your order at the table? Speaking of tables, did we just sit down or wait to be seated? Would we be able to get our questions answered in English or would we need, without the aid of having had coffee, to push through in our painfully limited Español?
We guessed on everything and got most of it wrong. We went inside and haltingly ordered two coffees — cafe con leche for Bill, cafe solo for me — and headed out to a table. Once seated I pulled out my phone to do some quick research and prayed that I’d be able to manage the cafe solo, lamenting that I hadn’t been quick enough to order a cafe americano (while also glad I didn’t). We weren’t in a hurry and really needed the coffee, so once our drinks arrived we relaxed a bit and watched the ebb and flow of the other patrons, learning from how and what they ordered.
Cerveza before 9 am? Totally common. Shots? Yup — that’s ok, too. Dogs at the cafe with you? Cool, cool. Rushing in to grab a to-go coffee on the way to work or errands? Not so much. The cafe was a cafe+bar and the folks around us were leisurely eating and drinking their way through the start of their day. I’m not sure I see tipping back a shot of vodka first thing in the morning as a part of my Spanish future but I suppose time will tell. I am here for embracing the one-thing-at-a-time way of being.
After successfully navigating ordering a 2nd round of coffees (the cafe solo was totally drinkable with a touch of sugar), paying (5,26€), and asking where to find the bathroom (new vocabulary — escalera arriba), we ambled off in search of groceries. Things were a bit more active than they had been on Sunday but most of the storefronts were still shuttered. Most of the “traffic” was pedestrian, and no one was hustling.
Grocery shopping is always something of an adventure in a new place, and that is amplified when said place comes with a new language. Valencia has two languages at play which makes for double the adventure! Finding products with “sin gluten” on the labels was comforting. Finding eggs on the shelf (instead of in the refrigerator) was novel. Deciphering the words on the laundry detergent in search of something happy and organic was challenging. Strolling the aisles without the rushing omnipresent in the US was gratifying.
On our walk back home we ended up going past Nimes, the spot we’d gone to for wine the night before. One of the women we’d sat next to was there again, and she made eye contact, smiled, and said “hola” to us as we passed. I just about cried — less than 24 hours on the ground and that one brief interchange made this feel like home.
That feeling continued through the rest of our day. After our (first) nap we met internet friends for Comida. Much like when we connected IRL with Graham yesterday, getting to connect with Lee & Phil was restorative. They immigrated to Valencia earlier this year and, I think, benefitted from being able to bestow knowledge and understanding as much as we benefited from their wisdom. We took our time, strolling around in search of an open restaurant, without a set end-time for our lunch date. Three hours and some very full bellies later we invited our new friends in to see the Hobbit House before parting ways with hugs and promises of “hasta pronto”.
Instead of rushing out to clear more things off our to-do list (get transit passes, buy bike helmets & a yoga mat, find aloe water, sign up for valenbisi, open a bank account) we embraced the relaxed rhythm and lazed around the Hobbit House, took a shower, and fought to keep our eyes open…until we didn’t. After our (second) nap and (second) shower, we did some strategizing for how to spend day 3 as we were fairly well spent after our two excursions of the day.
When our eyes started getting heavy again at around 8 pm we put ourselves together and walked over to Nimes for a nightcap. The neighborhood was the more alive than we’d seen it — kids sitting on the steps across the street from our house (“Perdon”, “De nada”, “Gracias”), tv’s broadcasting some sort of sportball, people walking in twos and threes down the street, and two full tables at Nimes. I mostly successfully navigated ordering (“Uno vino blanco y uno vino tinto, por favor), got help from a stranger and the bartender when I didn’t understand the question (I believe it was about if I wanted bottles or glasses), and paid in cash (coins: 2,50€). We sat out there watching the unhurried activity around us, chatting about things we’d done and tasks to come, and generally soaking it all in.
It was 10 pm when we got back to the Hobbit House which meant we’d managed to time our day just right. After a light dinner (spinach salad, cheese, crackers) we headed to bed at 11 pm not having rushed a single moment of the day.
Now, as the sun is rising on day 3, I’m feeling deeply grateful for this new way, this new rhythm.
