I went to the Gold Coast

But in Spain, on the Mediterranean, not on the Pacific.

And not being one to learn from my mistakes, I packed two dresses, two skirts, a bikini, a hat, sunscreen and no practical trousers for the four-day weekend. We awoke on the first day to a massive thunderstorm, and it was cold. The BBC weather website had predicted as much but I didn’t believe it. Sometimes my overwhelming optimism isn’t such a good thing.

Luckily, we were staying at Meri’s parents holiday house so I could borrow some of her brother-in-law’s trousers (the rest of the family being too small/short for me to fit into anything of theirs). Luckily, I say, until you saw me in them paired with my socks and sandals (well, thongs anyway). To improve the look I changed into my Spanish loafers. I looked German.

We’d been partying in Sitges the evening before we got to Cunit so I did have my gorgeous new black three-quarter capri pants. These are supposed to be for “good” but when the rain finally stopped and we were braving the cold I had no choice but to wear them. I just couldn’t be mistaken for a German: being asked if I’m Russian once a week is just about as much as I can handle!

On the one day it was hot enough to wear my skirts and dresses I went out in my capris and trainers. I then had to strip down to my singlet and wear a scarf to protect my head from the sun. There were no prizes for best dressed given out that day. I had guiri written all over me!

But we still had loads of fun. We hired bikes and rode around the delta Eibre. This is supposed to be a magnificent place, with a diverse and exotic wildlife. The bike route takes you past viewing houses from which you can watch the birds without disturbing them. The pictures looked wonderful. Unfortunately, all the unseasonal rain had messed things up a bit at the delta. It was mainly dirty, ugly and lacking in the flamencos we were promised.
Still, we had quite a laugh about it and did see some nice birds. And, the bike ride was good! We also went to Tarragona (one of the most important Roman cities), which was interesting. We went with two friends of Meri’s who were such a good laugh and it was good practice for my Spanish, although I doubt they would say the same about me because I was mute for hours at a time. You probably won’t believe me, but when I was lost for words, I just fell asleep. Is that rude?

I have to say though, the highlight of the trip had to be Meri’s parents’ cooking! Buenisimo! I am salivating thinking about her dad’s bocadillos and her mum’s stuffed peppers, paella and tortilla de patates.

Excuse me now, I have to eat.

(I chose a pretty picture of Meri on the pretty part of the bike ride at the Delta)