Somewhere Over the Rainbow

It is 80 degrees at 6:15pm in Sitges (see chess), Spain. It doesn't get much hotter or much colder than that at any time of day or night. I am sitting on my balcony overlooking the busy city center and I am sipping on a glass of Rose from a nearby winery in the Penedes. This is home and it is perfection.

I left you all with my departure to France to judge cheeses and have failed at updating you on that adventure. I promise it is in the works, but for now, I need you to join me in Sitges. 

I can see the ocean from my balcony and smell the tapas from the restaurant below. The chatting of happy people mingles with the sound of glasses clinking. It just feels happy here. The air is slightly humid, but clean and welcoming. The sky is bright blue and the buildings, white with cobalt blue shutters, bounce light back and forth in a golden hue. It is always golden in Sitges. You can wander up cobblestone streets to fabulous shops filled with bobbles and riches galore, or you can meander down to the water, sit on the beach, and dig your toes into the silky silky sand. Sitges is chic and posh while being unpretentious and friendly, a combination I wouldn't have believed was possible until coming here. The promenade is lined with palm trees and darling little restaurants and rainbow flags are everywhere. It is a stunningly beautiful place and feels like a dream I never want to wake up from. 

I have woken up though, from my siesta, a welcomed tradition especially after talking to my husband (currently still in the USA) until 6:00am. It reminded me of how we used to do that in college, somehow finding our way to each other late at night and talking until the sun started to peak through the curtains. I pretty much failed French because I simply could not make my 8:00am class after staying up all night. I blame Jesse. The exhaustion is still well worth it, I absolutely love that we can still talk for hours. I miss him so much it makes my chest physically hurt. I worry I could give myself a heart attack if I let myself give way to melancholy thoughts of how long we have been apart. 

It is Queer Week in Sitges and we have lots of activities to participate in. Burlesque class started the day and we are currently getting ready to go to a show. Being a woman living in a gay centric town is truly fabulous. Not only do you feel safe, you are safe! My spanish is still terrible, but the people in Spain are so wonderfully welcoming and everyone has been surprisingly supportive as I spaz my way through sentences. Oddly it is another way to feel free of restraints.

This reality is surreal, but I love who I get to be here. Someone brave, self-assured and maybe a Burlesque dancer.