Hola from Spain! For a few days, I have exchanged Italy for Spain, and even though that wasn’t really planned, I am so happy to be here now, on this Monday morning. However, to come to Alicante this weekend, was in the books for a long time already as I was invited to a wedding of a Spanish friend. We met last year at the Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam and we always kept in touch. In December, I accompanied her to the first fitting of her wedding dress, which she had already chosen with great care. It was there that she, with a mysterious smile, pulled a pale pink envelope out of her purse. It was the most beautiful invitation that would foreshadow the beauty and elegance of her wedding.
I was to fly from Rome to Alicante on Friday evening, and return on Sunday in the afternoon. But now it’s Monday, and I am still here
And that wedding took place last Saturday. In Elche, a town near Alicante, and the place where the bride grew up. I was to fly from Rome to Alicante on Friday evening, and return on Sunday in the afternoon. At least, that was the idea. But now it’s Monday, and I am still here. Sitting on this beautiful balcony, surrounded by plants and with the happy chattering of abuela – the Spanish word for grandma – in the background. So, what exactly happened?
So it happened that last Sunday – just five days before I was due to leave to Spain – I still hadn’t booked any flight tickets
Well, the people who know me a bit, know that I can be quite chaotic. Planning far ahead is something I never do, and so it happened that last Sunday – just five days before I was due to leave to Spain – I still hadn’t booked any flight tickets. And you guessed it… Oh, how I hated myself when I opened the website, because of course tickets to Alicante, a popular beach town in Spain, were anything but cheap this last-minute in the summer. And was there even an Airbnb or hotel still available where I could stay?
After a quick glance at Airbnb, I saw that there was not much available anymore. There was still a small room at the house of an old Spanish lady available however
After five minutes of beating myself up about the fact that I had not organised my affairs properly once again, the dreamer in me took over. Because things always happen for a reason, even if you can’t see it at the time. So, I was definitely not going to take that two-hundred-and-fifty-euro ticket on Sunday. On Monday and Tuesday, there were no favourable direct flights at all, and so I clicked on Wednesday. Tada, a direct flight from Alicante to Rome for only thirty euros. I still had my doubts, because I couldn’t just go on a holiday to Spain again, could I? At the same time, I realised that there was nothing I could not do in Alicante that I could do in Rome. After all, all I need is my laptop and a WiFi connection. After a quick glance at Airbnb, I saw that there was not much available anymore. There was still a small room at the house of an old Spanish lady available however. It immediately occurred to me that this would probably be a perfect way to finally start learning to speak Spanish and, without looking any further, I booked. And I kept my fingers crossed…
She enjoyed all the photos and videos of the wedding even more than I did
And now I sit here, on this idyllic balcony under the Spanish sun, realising that the dreamer in me was right once again. Abuela makes me coffee, listens to the sound of the front door from her bed at night to reassure herself that I am back home, and compliments me on my Spanish, which in reality is still so incredibly lacking that I find it a miracle she understands me at all. She enjoyed all the photos and videos of the wedding even more than I did. I feel super relaxed and happy here. A good friend recently told me that the secret to a happy life is to let yourself be led by the wind like a leaf. To recognise the direction life sends you in and the opportunities that hide in it, even if it’s in the form of very expensive plane tickets. And you know what? That’s exactly how it is.