We ate late and left the plates to soak as is becoming the norm. It’s good.
Carmen dried her hands and said, “Fancy a weekend by the coast?”
“Yeah,” I said. Easy answer. Haven’t seen the sea for quite a while tbh.
Tea on. Laptop open. I started with Valencia. Swapped to Alicante.
“Try Jávea,” she said.
“Been?” I asked.
“Nope,” she said. “That’s the point.”
On the bus home she handed me her phone.
“Look,” she said. She’d opened properties for sale in Javea and added, “Here’s a roundup of property for sale in Javea, including Arenal, Port and Old Town. It looks lovely”
Erm, we’re not actually buying I thought but I saved it anyway. Easier.
Back at the table we had the usual chat.
“What’s Arenal beach like?” I said.
“Flat walk. Beach. Easy mornings,” she said, scrolling.
“The Port?”
“Shops, coffee, useful stuff. Looks calm.”
“Old Town?”
“Good for a wander and a bakery,” she said. Hammer down. Sold.
We kept it simple.
Swim if it’s not freezing.
Coffee that tastes like coffee. We are particular.
One bar at night with normal chairs and some decent music.
Room with a window that opens.
If we add more, we won’t go. We’ve learned that.
Travel plan, light version.
Bus to Granada. Train toward the coast. Maybe hire a motor.
I screenshotted the times because I’ve mixed up dates twice this month.
“I’ll sort transport,” I said.
“I’ll sort the room,” she said. That’s our usual split. Works fine.
We tried dates.
Not this weekend. Her cousin’s dropping in.
Not next. I’ve got a guy coming to look at the roof trim. Again.
So we said Thursday for decisions.
Thursdays have been good. We sit for an hour, write three small jobs, and the week doesn’t run away from us.
I did the fake pack in my head.
Swim shorts. T-shirt. Charger.
Book I won’t read.
She’ll be ready in ten minutes apparently. Three hours later…
I’ll check the door twice and still think I forgot something. Standard.
House did the creak it always does.
Used to wind me up. Now it’s a background friend really. I’d actually miss it if it wasn’t there.
I wrote “fix sticky door” on the fridge list.
Also “bleed spare room radiator.”
Crossed off “clean fan.” Small wins count.
I opened the page again.
Area by area.
Arenal looked like first coffee near the water and a slow start.
The Port looked like a lot of history and some fab restaurants.
Old Town looked like lanes you actually want to walk after dinner, oozing with history and bullet holes in walls from the Civil War. That sold it.
Carmen sent a place near the Port.
“Quiet at night,” she said.
“Does the window open properly?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said. “Bring the cheap flip flops. No need to be fancy.”
That suits me.
We didn’t book it immediately though my popular hotel booking app wanted to and kept reminding me i was going to miss out. Sigh.
We said we’ll confirm on Thursday.
If we go, we go.
If we don’t, we do it another week.That’s life here, i love it.
I checked buses once more because I can’t help it.
Two waters and a packet of peanuts for the train.
We’ll get there early and I’ll pretend that wasn’t planned.
We’ll walk until we’re hungry, eat, and walk some more.
We’ll talk about nothing in particular and the right things will show up anyway.
If we stay home, I’ll fix the door and cook something simple.
We’ll sit on the terrace and listen to the same couple on the corner do their nightly argument.
It will still feel like a decent week.
I’m curious about this Javea place. Called Xabia too for some unearthly reason but we’ll see. Watch this space.