(I wrote this a couple weeks ago and never posted it, so I will post it now, though it is unfinished).
Hey there party people! How are you?! I am writing this post from a quiet house- no one is home and the dog is asleep upstairs, but there is the most amazing breeze coming through the house (I am still in Philly). My parents and I went walking this morning (and by morning, I mean like…11 am) and when we came back to our (air-conditioned) house, we realized it was cooler outside than it was inside so we opened all of the windows and turned off the air conditioner and it feels so nice. That’s one thing I really miss about the states- the change in season and the breeze. As I type this, I can see the trees moving and hear the gentle wind rattling through the leaves and I don’t know if its because I live in a city or because the trees just don’t rattle in Spain, but I certainly don’t ever hear this sound there. My Mom asked the other day if the fall is nice in Madrid and I said it’s nicer here in Philly. I told her that Spain weather goes from unbearably hot and dry to less hot to cold. There is no fall crispness in the air, the leaves don’t change colors, and that breeze just doesn’t happen. Or maybe I am busier and I notice it less, but there is nothing like the change in season that happens in this part of the US.
Anyway, how is that for an off-topic tangent?! I actually came on here to share about our wonderful little vacation to Ventnor, NJ.
My Mom really wanted to do more elaborate vacationing this summer- longer road trip, new (to us) places, but everything was proving to be difficult (or, in the case of driving to Maine- off limits to Pennsylvanians) so I told her that I just don’t think 2020 is the year to do big travel and a simple beach vacation would check all my boxes.
2020 beach ready.
Plus, after living abroad for so long, I have actually come to love the Jersey Shores. The soft, fine sand, the big waves, and the sunsets are something you don’t see in Spain (or at least not at the mainland beaches). Jersey beaches are HUGE, there are extravagant houses to look at, and even when its sunny and hot and a little humid, it’s not as soul-crushing hot as it is in Spain.
I told my parents that I really chose the wrong friends because why don’t I have any friends with houses like that one and they told me I actually chose the wrong parents. Haha.
We were at the beach for 5 days and spent most of that time eating (way more than we should), running/ walking on the boardwalk, and sitting on the beach. And we ate a lot of ice cream.
It was very relaxing and probably one of my favorite vacations yet, especially when my brother joined us for part of it. My brother laughing makes me laugh and no one else will let me make a “spa day” while he is lying in the sand.
He was thrilled.
