Up, up and away!! To Spain

 Our last flight was in March 2020 just days before the lockdown.  It has been such a long wait and we thought at times 'will we ever go abroad again?'  But hey ho, the time has come.  We have been vaccinated and boosted.  The virus while it's still here, is thankfully more manageable now and cases have decreased significantly world wide.  The airports are busy again.

Off we go over the Atlantic flying from Cork to Valencia.

We rented apartments through Airbnb. The first one in Valencia was very central. The entry method was a little daunting to begin with.  I had to use an app on my smartphone to enter the main door of the building and again for the door of the apartment.  Mr. D does not have much tolerance for Smartphones and apps.  He still uses a flip phone and often refuses to answer my phone when it rings!!  After three attempts at clicking the different boxes while Mr D ground his teeth and cursed  I did manage to figure it out and now I have declared myself an expert! 

 This apartment while basic was clean and had air-conditioning.  It was within walking distance of the old town where many of the historical sites are located.

We did a lot of walking and relaxing in the shade.  Thankfully the buildings are tall so there was plenty of shade to protect us from the midday sun. It was nice to sample the paella which is very popular in Valencia. 

The next apartment was near the seafront just 15 minute bus ride from the city. It was located in Port Saplaya, a popular resort where everyone seemed to have a boat!

                                         Above:  Evening on the balcony.

Below:  Sunrise at the beach and the morning light on the apartments.

 We loved the beach. There were plenty of seats on the promenade and we would sit in the late afternoons reading our books intermittently while watching the cruise liners and yachts on the horizon. 

The water was quite shallow so very safe for children.  I swam most days and there were people on the beach and swimming until 7 or later in the evening which was wonderful in the month of October.  Hard to believe it was lashing down with rain back home in Ireland.  

Some days we would take the bus to the city centre and visit a museum or art gallery.  

Some days we would just relax on our favourite seat on the promenade.