rain showers...

No, not the actual rain which pours down on your perfect hair day and ruins both the hair and your suede Chloé scalopped pumps, goodness no!

I mean those marvellous shower heads that let the water fall on you like rain ☺️ I love those! Surely they need to be under some strong water pressure and definitely backed with a second shower head just to make sure you don’t get those first bursts of cold water right on your head when you turn on the water, obviously... but then, after you got the right water temperature and you switch to the rain mode, aaaaa, bliss!

My favourite time of the day when I’m on beach holidays is getting clean after a full day by the sea, after I have enjoyed the sand and the salty water and I’m covered still in sunscreen and I come back to the hotel room (or house or whatever... don’t get stuck in the details...) and I finally wash up my face and take a shower! Mmmm... though I can put up with all that on my skin and hair during the day, at about 6pm or 7pm  I’m ready to get rid of it all and feel clean and fresh again and ready for the evening! And if I’m lucky enough to have a rain shower where I happen to be, oh, I’m the happiest puppy ever!

Then, after my shower, I’ll pamper myself with face, hair and body creams, put on clean clothes or just a bath robe and sit at the balcony with a cold drink, stare at the view for a while and then catch up on the news on my iPad or check the new shoes’ arrivals at my favourite online stores... yep, this is the best time of the day! So, ok, maybe what’s really “better than shoes” is that end-of-beach-day ritual but surely a rain shower just takes it up to the next level, you know what I mean, right? 😉

that first dip in the sea...

...is better than shoes! It really is!

I have made it to the island! Yes, it took a train and two planes and a taxi to get me here and quite a few hours (waking up at 03:50 in the “morning” is no fun... that’s when one goes to bed, not getting up, right?!) but here I am, in one piece, luggage arrived with me alright (yes, the control freak in me was... well, freaked out, that something would definitely go wrong during the transfer and I would arrive here with only my passport and my hat... I must kill this beast one of these days...), got settled in a marvellous room with the most magnificent views over the hotel gardens, the swimming  pool and the ocean and, off course, I immediately headed to the beach for that first dip in the sea!

Oh, I cannot discribe the feeling, words fail me... as blue as can be, under an equally blue cloudless sky and crystal clear and next to a sand which is truly golden and, most importantly, warm! Really warm! And I’m spoiled, mind you, I do not easily call the sea “warm” unless it meets my Mediterranean standards, and this is the Atlantic Ocean we are talking about! The Atlantic that has become my friend over the years, that still scares me with its waves and force but that has also given me great moments! And today was another one... I took a dive in its wellcoming waters and came out reborn!

The winter has been long and difficult and I have been working all summer but now is my turn to put my feet up, lay in the sun, sleep as much as I want, eat and drink whatever I want, rest and get tanned and read for fun! The ocean will wait for me tomorrow but nothing will compare to that first meeting we had this afternoon! What if it’s late to call it “summer”? It’s my summer and it is now and it will be great! And something tells me I will have more “better than shoes” stuff to share with you 😉

So, stay tuned 😊

falling asleep...

...on the sofa, while listening to the pouring rain!

It does hurt me to even say it but it looks like summer is over. But, for those of you who are not familiar with the weather in this part of the world where I live, I have to say that having had an actual summer this year has been a blessing of colossal proportions! Yes, this year we had a lovely, warm (too warm at times, even for this Mediterranean girl...), long, beautiful summer! And, I tell you, “yours truly” enjoyed every moment of it! Pleasant Sunday walks in the city, dinners out, lots and lots of mojitos with friends out on Friday nights, Saturday afternoons in the sun, laying on my lounge chair in the balcony while looking at the sea in the distance, I did it all! And, last but not least, I wore every pair of sandals I own!

And, alas, it looks like it’s over now... so today I came back from work, exhausted as can be after having been working all summer, had my usual “get rid of the working day” routine, put on my lounge atire (yes, heels are never for inside the house, what did you think...), made myself a nice cup of tea and curled up on the sofa in front of the TV... and it is exactly there where I peacefully fell asleep while the sudden rain started, listening to the heavy drops hit the windows and the furniture on the balcony, singing the bittersweet song of autumn... and it was fabulous! The most beautiful lullaby! I tnink I fell asleep with a smile on my face...

Because yes, summer may be over but a new season is starting! And, who knows what it will bring?!... like every beginning, both scary and exciting, full of possibilities, full of potential! So, I say, let it come, let it be welcome!... while I keep lovely memories from this summer, which has been unexpected and wonderful,  I’m ready to create some more of those this autumn! And this coming winter! And every season which will come! I’m ready! And, after my power nap this early evening, I’m also rested and full of energy! Let the good times come! They will surely be better than shoes! 😊

Ps. Ok, having said all of the above, I do admit that I’ll be even more ready after I actually had my summer holidays, starting in 3 days! I bet lots of “better than shoes” experiences await me by the beach...