It’s the first weekend of the month, so grab your mug for a coffee date. I‘m linking up with Coco @ Running with Perseverance and Deborah @ Confessions of a Mother Runner for the Ultimate Coffee Date.
What is the Ultimate Coffee Date? Imagine we are having coffee together… this post is what I would tell you. So grab a cup, “listen” and then tell me what is going on with you in the comments, please!
If we were having coffee… I’d be blabbing non-stop about our amazing adventures in Spain! We’re on on way home today (Friday) but it was so amazing to dust off our passports and to be in another country for TWO WEEKS! After being US bound for almost 2 1/2 years, we were so ready. It was wonderful to see our friends who live in Russia and Spain and to meet Philip, the Go! Running Tours Madrid city lead. It was great to see new things, try all of the foods and live a little differently. I’m pretty tired – the nights are much later in Spain, but it’s been 100% worth it!
If we were having coffee… I’d tell you that my favorite spots during our first week of vacation (in the Costa Brava) were Girona and Tossa Del Mar. Girona is a beautiful medieval city that has an amazing restaurant scene. We met our friends, Yvonne and Bill, who live in Spain and had an amazing 5 course dinner at Mimolet. We started with a smoky Vermouth. That’s big in Spain now as an apertif. Tossa del Mar is a beautiful beach side town. Many American stars of the 50s stayed there including Ava Gardner and Frank Sinatra. Our villa was pretty cool, too! It was from the 1600s, added to in the 1800s and recently updated. We had a few mishaps but all in all it was great – and wonderful to see Sergei, Isolde, Olivia and Ilya (Meatie). Check out some photos on the ‘gram.
If we were having coffee… I’d tell you that Madrid far exceeded my expectations! Stacy flew in to meet us for a few days. We packed the days with a run tour, a walking tour, the three main museums, a flea market, all the food, a tapas tour and daily runs. We ate at a Michelin star restaurant, in some tapas restaurants that have been in business for over a 100 years and tried some fun new things, too! Check out my 3 Days in Madrid in 30 seconds here.
If we were having coffee… I’d tell you that I was able to keep up my run streak. The hardest day was the one we arrived. We had an overnight flight and drove up to Llagostera where we were staying in a villa with 10 other people. We checked in and went to have lunch and to meet our friends. It was pretty warm and sunny. I ran 2 miles and called it “good enough.” The other 14 days, I ran 2.3 – 7.5 miles – mostly 3 to 5 miles. Sergei and I ran a couple of times and Stacy ran with me 3 days in Madrid. I especially loved exploring Seville on foot.
If we were having coffee… I’d ask if you have any fun travels or adventures coming up soon. All I have planned right now is Expo East in Philly in September, the NYC Marathon and holidays in California. I hope we’ll get it together to plan a long weekend or 5 day trip for our 20th anniversary in November, too.
If we were having coffee… I’d ask “what’s happening by you?” Please tell me in the comments!
I’m linking up with Darlene, Michelle, Renee, Jenn and Zenaida, for Fit Five Friday. Join us!
PS. Please don’t forget my great giveaways.