The Beach in December

One of the perks of living by the Mediterranean Sea is the expectation that winters will be mild. How mild, you ask? Mild enough to go and spend a day at the beach without the need of multiple blankets, that’s how mild. So, it being mid-month and a weekend, Ewa and I decided we needed to take advantage of the warm sun and head to the beach, for, what we assumed, would certainly be the last time before real winter set in, whatever that is around here. This would probably be also the last time I could feel safe to wear a skirt and sandals … I mean, how long could this eternal summer weather continue, right?

I headed out to el Cabanyal on the tram totally ignoring the weird looks I was getting from my fellow passengers. To them, anyone wearing sandals in December is a bit weird, I suppose, since most of them have already switched to boots and warm jackets. I, on the other hand, looked at them wondering how on earth could they not be boiling hot under all those layers of clothing? Don’t these people have any sweat glands? In the end we agreed to disagree on the appropriateness of our clothing though I still think they should look more at the thermometer and not the calendar when looking into their wardrobes. In any case, I’m quite used to having people think my clothing isn’t season-appropriate: after all, I spent over two years in Chile getting those very same looks. 🤷‍♀️

Not surprisingly, the beach wasn’t exactly packed. Even the rowdy Brits were missing this time around, though that may have had something to do with their lousy Covid stats rather than the weather. They were not missed. That said, we were not the only ones there as a number of other brave souls staked out their spots and faced the sun. The massive public works and huge mountains of sand that were such an eyesore taking up half the beach the last few times I was there were now gone, and the beach was newly levelled. Unfortunately, the wind was also doing a great job levelling, and within a few minutes we realized that while the sun IS warm, the wind in December has an unpleasant edge to it, and sand being sand gets into everything. Pretty soon we were grinding our teeth on it and I could feel it in places sand has no business being in. Please note that I am in no way at all complaining. It really was glorious to be able to sit there and feel the sun on my legs and face. Yes, those were the only bits of me exposed at this point. I may be more resilient than most when it comes to the cold but I am not crazy enough to go beyond that. There were enough of those kinds of crazy folks on the beach already and they were probably Scandinavians who normally jump into frozen ponds just for fun so a little chill from the wind is nothing to them. Good for them.

After a good couple of hours of this we decided we had enough sand in our hair to start an ant farm (sorry, can’t think of anything else sand is good for in a home), so we decided to head into Cabanyal to see if we can find a place to eat something. That little bookstore I had found back in October came to mind, and I was hoping we could finally check out its adjoining coffee shop since, previously, it had always been closed when we came by. To our surprise the coffee shop was indeed open so after a cursory glance at the bookstore offerings we settled in for an afternoon drink and snack.

La Batisfera Cafeteria Llibreria (La Batisfera Café Bookshop) is now definitely one of my favourite places in the city and if it weren’t so damn far from my current residence I would be there daily for a coffee and a sweet or a clara and a sandwich. I am not exaggerating … this place is exactly ⅔ of my dream locale: a bookstore and a coffee shop rolled into one: the only thing that’s missing is a flower shop. The ambience in this place is so welcoming, the chairs and couches (the number of which is reduced due to Covid, of course) are comfy and inviting, the staff is super friendly, and the music is straight out of my favourite playlist. This was not the place I expected to hear both the Decemberists and Franz Ferdinand, followed by Nina Simone and the Gotan Project, but here they all were, making me feel all fuzzy and warm with nostalgia. I couldn’t ask for a better place to spend some time looking at books yet not purchasing any (yet again … this is getting very difficult indeed). I hope that at some time in the future that particular restriction will be lifted and I will again be able to buy all the books I want.

The rest of the afternoon we spent walking around Cabanyal, which, too, never gets boring, finding and recording new buildings that tickle my architectural fancy. Life is good.