This past weekend Jean-Luc and I loaded up the car and drove three hours to Colera, Catalonia for the bi-annual scuba diving trip. I'd say we went to Spain-- but the Catalans are very proud to be Catalan, so much in fact they have their own flag, and so Catalonia it is. The kids stayed behind on this trip. Le fils had a weekend outing with his rugby team and la fille stayed behind to study for the BAC (the French version of the SATs, which takes place at the end of this month).
Thanks to his accident*, Jean-Luc wasn't able to dive with the group, but he was still able to profit from the mini-break, the weather sunny and a warm -- just like the Catalan people. A bonus about being one of the only Americans? Everybody at the dive center knew my name.
 |
| All suited up on the Zodiac...and smiling. |
Jean-Luc insisted that I dive to keep up the practice, so I did – but only on the morning outings. I was a bit worried about the finger I broke three months ago, which is still on the mend, but I was able to manage just fine. (I just needed a little help carrying my equipment and lifting it to suit up).
 |
| Our friendly Catalan dive masters. (David, right, took me on my first dive. 26 meters- or around 80 feet.) Note: I'm on the French diving system and have my PE-40, which means I can dive up to 40 meters with a monitor. At 26 meters, though, the water was FREEZING-- about 14 degrees celsius. Brrrrrrrrrrrr. It will be warmer in September...) |
Although the water hasn't quite warmed up yet, it was still a lovely underwater experience. I'm happy to say that I'm a confident diver now. This was a three-year work in progress. Goal = accomplished!!! I'm looking forward to the next outing in September, where Jean-Luc and I will be able to dive together. Good hand in good hand.
*Jean-Luc's hand is healing nicely! Phew!
Life is an adventure!
 |
| We stayed at a 'Camping' site. Here's our cute little bungalow. |
 |
| Two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom = awesome! |
 |
| Beautiful grounds. |
After eating lunch with the dive group, Jean-Luc and I spent the afternoons exploring nearby attractions. Colera is a sweet little village, but besides the camping/dive center, there isn't much to do there. One day, we drove to the local beach and caught up on our reading, which was nice and relaxing, (I finally read The Rosie Project), but the highlight of the trip was exploring the beautiful town of Cadaqués...
 |
| We meandered the streets and popped into boutiques. |
 |
| We wanted to visit Salvador Dali's home in Portlligat (three minutes from Cadaqués by car), but we didn't have reservations. Tant pis! (Too bad!) Next time! |
 |
| We spotted this boat decorated with olive branches, the man waiting for a wedding party. |
 |
| This is beautiful Cadaqués!!!! |
 |
| All in all, it was a wonderful weekend getaway. |
Book News:
Look what a little cyber-sleuthing uncovered...
 |
| The Czech cover of Seven Letters! |
 |
| The Slovak cover of Seven Letters!
A few readers have asked me to share the original blog posts I sent to
Jean-Luc on May 7th, 2009, part of my twenty-years delayed apology. I'm
pleased to announce that you can find them by clicking...
xox
Bisous from Toulouse,
Samantha
Per my usual methods of madness, comments are closed on the blog.
Please join us on my Facebook page, where we can talk about this post and more. Cheers! |
