Day 35: Shedding
I did a thing yesterday that shouldn’t have been a thing and wouldn’t have been if I was raised elsewhere.
Waking up in Rascanya again with nothing in the fridge but the last eighth of a watermelon set the tone for the day — we needed things outside of what we had.
Stop 1: Coffee. We happily walked our familiar path from the Hobbit House to Dream Coffee and, for the first time ever and en español, told la camarera we wanted to see la carta. Sadly nothing that was available in the mornings was sin gluten. We still had a second cup of coffee and had our weekly tutoring in español with Sinaí. We left in search of what we needed…breakfast.
Stop 2: Food. We walked to our familiar bus stop and caught the 11 to take us into El Carmen/Ciutat Vella and, within steps of the statue we’d stumbled upon on one of our early outings, found The Brunch Corner. The host asked if we needed a table for 2, told me the wait time, and directed me to their posted brunch special and explained that it included drinks. I responded where appropriate and the entire exchange happened in español. Beyond my normal surprise at being able to do such things I got an extra boost when I heard him switch into English for the next person eager for a table. HE HADN’T SWITCHED FOR ME! And, once they sat us, they gave us the Spanish menus (they had both Spanish and English menus posted). Ordering involved some English (the waiter started it) but that didn’t stop me from feeling awesome and accomplished. The meal was delicious and the same guitarist we’d listened to on another outing to this area appeared and added music to the experience. The restaurant was busy and we knew it was up to us to decide when to relinquish our table (there’s no rushing you out with your check and a false “whenever you’re ready” here). We left in search of gluten free baked goods and maybe an after-brunch nap.
Stop 3: Treats. Finding places with gluten-free offerings is pretty much where we start when we land somewhere new, even if we’ll only be there for a weekend. When we were out and about in search of bike helmets & yoga gear on our first or second day in town we were seemingly surrounded by gluten-free options only to have them all be closed (we hadn’t adapted to the flow of the days here yet). This happened again, twice, when we were in El Carmen/Ciutat Vella and, I’ll be honest, I’d sort of given up on the hunt. To get to the tram to take us home we needed to go within a few meters of Patisseria Santa Amalia, one of the elusive spots and, for the first time, they were open! We left with empanadas and some cookies and plan to go back for some of the cakes we saw but refrained from buying. Now all we needed was that nap!
Stop 4: Awesome alternative to a nap. We got off the tram at the same spot we’d gotten on the day before and found our way home without using the apps. As we turned a corner to head east the Mediterranean came into view and I uttered something about how amazing it is that this is where we live now. It was only a few more steps before we abandoned the idea of napping in the Awesome Flat in favor of a walk down to the beach.
Video: Example of life in a country that works to live rather than lives to work.
Stop 5: The sea. We took off our sandals before stepping into the warm sand. The beach was the emptiest I’ve seen it so far, even though it was 15:00 on a Saturday afternoon, and my guess is that it was busier before and after our smack-dab-in-the-middle-of-siesta visit. The yellow flag was up and the medusa flag was nowhere to be seen so we walked right into the water and soaked in the view and the experience of the tide trying to tug us forward. Warm water, beautiful skies, and near perfect temps (it was probably 28 or so) kept me in the water (just up to my calves) longer this time and for the first time I thought about going in deeper. While we had ditched the nap idea we still wanted some resting time.
Video: Visiting the Sea
Stop 5: The sand. Towels down, shirts off, we laid down on our backs to enjoy the warmth of the sun.
Video: My View at that moment
I’ve known that going topless was an option on the beaches in Valencia (maybe all of España?) since early on in my research, and I saw it in practice the first time we came to the beach. I have had many a “will you do this?” conversation in my head over the past six months without landing on an answer. Well, the answer is yes, yes I will. I didn’t pack a bathing suit so had already opted to take my shirt off and bathe in the sun in my sports bra. Given that I teach and perform dance in similar attire this wasn’t much of a stretch for me even though it was the first time I’d done so since the skinny dipping days of my teens. We’d laid there for about 5 or 10 minutes when I went for it — I unhooked my bra and let it open, giving my breasts their first taste of sunshine (all aforementioned skinny dipping had taken place under the cover of darkness). Y’all, the puritans who made the US what it is today did us a MAJOR disservice (along with all the other atrocities they committed) in creating a culture of shame around our bodies. I thought I would only last about 30 seconds but instead I let myself be until it was time to pack up and head back home.
Shedding the yuck I’ve brought with me from the US is now my focus. Everything from letting meals be meals and not multitasking events to ditching consumerist culture to seeing my body without the layers of shame — It’s going to take getting used to and I. Am. Here. For. That. Work.
