Samedi, 16 Mars 2013: Boardwalk Jogs, Barra Alta, and Fireworks

I slept so well last night that I woke up around 7h00 this morning. I heard the adults get up around the same time and I didn't want to face them on my own so I stayed in bed. I passed out again until Andréa woke up around 9h30. I decided I was ready to get out and walked out to a cute breakfast table. I sat down with Joelle, Rosy, and Andréa for coffee, freshly-pressed orange juice, and toast with apricot marmalade. Albert and Patrick were out on the terrace doing sit-ups.

We all prepared ourselves for a day of leisure and put on our jogging attire though Andréa and I are the only ones that jogged. Patrick brought along some bread and we fed ducks and fish on our way to the beach. 

The six of us did a long walk along the boardwalk and just took in the fresh air. On the return trip, Andréa and I ran the whole way back. We ended up waiting for the adults for a long time so we sat down and had a bit of romantic alone time in front of the ocean. 

Our lunch was right beside the beach today. We were served two pitchers of beer, crostini with fresh tomato and cured ham, and a house salad. For the rest of the meal, everyone got something different. I ordered fish soup for my appetizer and paella for my entrée. As for dessert I went for the crème brulée and a coffee with a bit of milk. Everything was absolutely delicious! Not only that but the staff treats you like family. I understand why Joelle and Albert always go back to the same place. It's all been tried and true! The place is called Barra Alta. If you're ever in Peniscola, I recommend it!!!

The next stop was a pyrotechnics factory on the out-skirts of town. Andréa wanted to light up some fireworks and I wanted the box so we found the factory and waited in a long queue of enthusiastic pyromaniacs. We weren't looking for anything fancy so Andréa got the kid's package for 15 euro. I was one happy camper with my purple box ;-)

The adults took us to a shopping center next. They wanted to go on a bit of a spree since everything in Spain is a fraction of the price in France. We visited pretty much every store in the complex and by the time we got to the odd shop I was feeling sick. It must've been the super strong coffee I had at lunch because I got super jittery and light-headed. I was in a flea market when I suddenly got hot flashes and started blacking out. I managed to keep myself together enough to pay for my stuff, tell Andréa I was feeling sick, and leave. The only thing I felt was keeping me from fainting was moving--keeping my circulation moving throughout my body. Everyone was still in the shop while I speed-walked back to the car. I felt like I was getting ready to black-out while I was waiting at a pedestrian crossing so I kept on moving--just as a car was whizzing by me. The close proximity of the car to me scared me so much that the adrenaline started pumping. I kind of snapped out of La La Land with this sudden clarity in my head. Somehow I safely made it back to the car and Andréa was there to unlock the car a minute later. I don't know if he was being honest or not, but he said he felt sick from the coffee too. Who knows...

We had dinner at the apartment tonight. Joelle and Rosy made homemade sangria, tomato and ham crostinis,  and I think a pumpkin soup. I was happy to have found a nice, fluffy pink house robe to take resident in. I put on some headphones, turned up the metal, and caught up on blogging....If you're into the metal genre, check out my friends' band Within Our Gates here.