Dear Diary (flashback 198?) A magical day

It was early morning when we had arrived. Even through the dirty windows of the coach I could see the blue sky. It was a shade of blue I had never seen in this world before.

I didn’t mind the 18 – hour coach journey, I was good with traveling, but the moment I arrived I couldn’t wait to jump of the coach, I waited as my mum, nana, aunty and cousin took forever to get their things together. I just wanted to be off and out, I couldn’t wait to explore Spain.

Once we left the coach I stood on the pavement with my suitcase by my side, the Spanish heat almost melting me, I had an overwhelming feeling of “knowing” the place. I somehow felt like I was almost home. I know when something “strange” is happening and I just know this place, this town in Spain is different.

Our holiday representative invited everyone from the coach to a bar for a welcome meeting and to explain a bit to us about the town of Blanes on the Costa Brava where we had arrived. She said it was fishing town with a long promenade that had now become popular with the tourist.

The bar is a dark English bar called Jollies bar, hiding away just off street from the main street where we had arrived. It had two sunny terraces, one overlooking a swimming pool and a larger one around the back that lead onto a dirt road. On the table were jugs of sangria for the adults as part of their welcome meeting. I wasn’t allowed the sangria because I am ten but it looked exciting with all the slices of lemons and oranges. The last time I saw a lemon was when I was with my mum in Cyprus.

Our representative gave us a talk about our holiday apartments, things like the big orange gas bottles and how to actually enter into the apartment was talked about in detail. I just wanted to jump into the pool. And I did.

Whilst my mum, aunt and cousin were in the bar and my nana went for a rest from the long journey I dived into the shiny blue water and swam for hours.

Something about the water, the air, the blue sky. Just something about where I had come to felt magical.

(((This is from a really old diary and it was the first day me and my family had come to Spain on holiday. I was right about how I felt and the something magical. I went on to live over 20 years in that town and am still in Spain all these years later and without doubt Spain has become my home. I cannot imagine my life without that holiday and had we not ended up in Spain. I can’t imagine it because it was never to happen. My destiny was to live in Spain and that first day of arrival was as magical as it felt.)))