A Week in Spain

Until last year, I had never really experienced the "need" for a holiday.

Of course, I had had holidays, but they had just been pleasant interludes in the musical of life. A change of scenery. A change of pace.

Last year, not at all coincidentally a year after starting to work full time, I experienced my first aching need for a holiday. And last year I tagged myself, last minute, onto my parents' trip to our apartment in Spain.

If you remember, it was just a few months before I left my job. I was tired, I was stressed and I had no idea where I was going in my life.

That holiday was an absolute dream. 

After a few days of getting my head around the whole "relaxing" thing and understanding that we didn't need to be up and out of the apartment by 9.30am, I got it. I was here to relax.

I read five books, went on loads of walks and avoided the internet for a week.

I finally felt refreshed when I came back, and vowed to make the weekly trip to Spain every year.

So this year I started asking my parents about the trip months and months ago, but this time with an extra addition.

My boyfriend Phil.

It wasn't our first holiday together (we went to Prague in June) but bringing him on our holiday to our place was a big thing.

It turned out it was the only extra ingredient this holiday needed. The cherry on top.

I had the most lovely week, the only downside is it feels like a million year ago.

Now I'm not going to bore you with everything I did (other people's holiday photos are boring- right?) but I'm gonna show you some of my photos and like this post, just tell you a few things I got up to. Because I love having these posts to look back on. When I was tired and stressed at work on Monday I would glance at some holiday photos and instantly feel better.

These photos are all different sizes, some are great, some are rubbish but these are my memories and they make me smile.

• I ate 90% bread, patatas bravas, crisps and ice cream. And I am totally okay with that.
• I actually ate patatas bravas four times. I was craving them the whole trip and had several meals of pure potato.
• Discovered my favourite ever restaurant ever (see below) - it was like a tapas buffet and they came around with hot food when it was ready, and then counted your cocktail sticks at the end. We are there twice. It's going to be a regular feature on the Crowley family holiday I think.
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• Went on a lot of really nice long walks
• And took lots of photos of Phil with nice views



• Actually got a couple of nice photos of Phil and I where neither of us are pulling stupid faces.
• Got bitten five hundred million times by mosquitos. Including on my face. Twice.
• Watched a LOT of football. In a good way.

• Actually had fun on the beach (I hate the beach, but I might be converted)
• Wore my favourite bikini
• Discovered I am pretty good at boules
• But shocking at Connect 4

• Played on the swings and seesaw in every. single. playground we found on the holiday (there were at least 3)
• Finished 5 books (Freedom by Jonathan Franzen, Horns by Joe Hill, Mindy Kaling's book, Tina Fey's book and Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn)
• Avoided the internet for over a week

• Went on a toy train tour of the town
• And waved to every person we went past 
• Some of them waved back

• Did pretty badly in a pub quiz. Phil is convinced the winners cheated.
• Brought way too many clothes
• Finished the first season of Peaky Blinders
• Made quesadillas twice

• Bought a completely unneccessary big thick scarf. In Spain. From Primark.

• Didn't paint my nails for a week. Mostly out of laziness.
• Nearly went in the pool, but then decided it was way too cold.
• However it was in the high 20s every day we were there and we didn't have one day of bad weather

• Accidentally took a photo of Phil that is identical to the first photo I ever saw of him
• Tried some calamari. Still freaks me out.

• Ate a LOT of tapas
• Had breakfast on our balcony every day



• Went for ice cream three times. 
• Discovered that one scoop of yoghurt flavour and one scoop of lemon sorbet is the way forward

• Had a really lovely, relaxing time with my absolute favourite people
• Possibly had the best holiday ever