Ninjas Ate My Lunch…So I wrote a blog about it.

Now, before anyone gets too freaked out about the title of this post I want to be clear – this is a mostly PG posting. Mostly. Moving on.

After spending a very relaxing day at the beach on Thursday, Carolynn and I were ready to do more sightseeing in Spain today (Friday). My friend who lives here graciously offered to drive us to a region called Empuries where there are beautiful beaches alongside Roman and Greek city ruins. History AND being lazy in the sun? Sounded like the perfect combination.

And really, it was. Arriving in the heat of the mid-day sun we decided to start at the beach and then explore the ruins which are 100% outside, with no trees for shade. Ancient Greeks and Romans were a much tougher bunch than the three of us, so we bee-lined it to the water’s edge and I immediately jumped in. Well, jumped isn’t quite the right word, more like waded for a mile before the water touched my chin. A very different shoreline on this part of the coast, for sure. Even the sand was different, the kind that is very soft but that gets in all your crevices as opposed to the pebble variety at the beach near our apartment.

Nonetheless, the water was equally crystal clear and relaxing. With jagged islands that were inspiration for some of Dali’s work just a swims distance from shore, it was amazing. Though the sun was scorching (and Caro and I have pink backs to prove it) we laid out for a good 2 hours before retreating to the shade of a café on the beach for some lunch. This region, I learned, is also known for its anchovies! Salty little pieces of goodness coming from the sea. I tried some “tostada” (toasted bread) with red peppers and anchovies on top. Oh, and oil. It was delicious. Back to the beach after lunch I promptly fell asleep for an hour or so before Caro nudged me awake telling me it was time to see the ruins.

You can swim to the ruins!

This is the second set of ancient ruins we have seen on our trip, the first set being Roman ruins underground in Barcelona, right near the Gothic Cathedral. Carolynn and I spent a significant amount of time at the first set, though they were enclosed underneath a building so the temperature was much more suitable to my delicate sensibilities. It was late enough in the day today where I was only sweating a moderate amount (I’d like to think my face just had a pretty sheen to it, rather than it pouring off in buckets). Anyway, we explored there till it was closing time. I’ll try to post photos of Caro and I acting “ancient” and “Greek-like” as we went around.

On old stones

Heart/spade pattern in a mosaic from the floor of the Roman area

Walking on the steps decending from where a temple was - I had chills!

Exiting the ruins, looking in.

On our way back to the car we walked through the beachside village that is taking great advantage of the economic gains of being the only village near such a destination point. It was getting to be around dinner time (9pm or so) and the village was hopping. It was so quaint and perfect, with little cafés set amidst these huge stone buildings; I was immediately sucked in. We decided to have a light dinner there if for no other reason than to enjoy the scenery and the experience.

At this point Carolynn and I realized that we were still in our wet bathing suits (from a last minute swim as the sun was setting) and towels. Our attire was a bit too casual for these eating establishments so we decided to change into our pre-beach clothes. Unfortunately there was no place we could tell that would work. Instead of looking outside of the 1 block radius we had previously checked, we decided a just as suitable option would be to change in the street. The street we were on was fairly deserted, and I found a doorway that was large enough to block me from the street view. Caro stood guard as I quickly threw on a dress and started to take off my bathing suit underneath. No sooner had my top come off that the light from inside the door burst on, scaring and propelling me out of the doorway, clutching my bra and bathing suit to my body. Turns out the “empty” doorway was actually that of an apartment building in use. A surprised looking girl and her disgusted looking boyfriend exited the building, to be greeted with a flustered and embarrassed pair of American tourists, one of which was gripping a strapless bra and shouting “Sorry!” in their faces. In tense situations that require quick thought I can never remember Spanish. Lo ciento, it just doesn’t happen.

As if it wasn’t clear enough that this was a bad plan, I didn’t know where else to go to rearrange my clothing so I stepped back into the doorway. Again this backfired when the girl returned to lock the door. OK, I get it, this is your apartment and I need to move. So we walked down to the edge of the street into an open area that had some brush and cars parked at one edge, along with a very tall stone (duh) wall to face while changing. I was able to complete my mission with Caro holding my towel up for modesty’s sake. Then it was her turn. She is a self proclaimed expert at changing in tight spots (don’t ask me how she gained these skills) so she was moving quickly as well, with her towel wrapped around her waist. As her bikini bottoms came off so did our cover of quiet. People started coming at us from all angles, and looking around I quickly realized this was not some dead end street but the main town plaza.

I start freaking out as a set of parents with a child approach us; in my head I imagine that they are going to run us out of town for being so indecent and stupid as to change our clothes in the middle of their city center. I announce to Carolynn, “This isn’t working, we need to leave!” To which she replies, “I have nothing on! I can’t move!!” I don’t see what the problem is, she has a towel on for god’s-sake, but hey, I’m not the half naked one. She continues as I try to find an angle to shield her where it somehow blocks out any nudity that might happen at any minute. I grab her tank top and hand it to her; there is no time for more things to be removed, at this point clothes need to be put on, and fast.

Finally after what seemed like an eternity with the entire town of Empuries coming out all at once, stray cats and the children’s choir included, Caro was at a point of being able to move. Shaking his head, my friend laughed as we slunk over to where he was, tails between our now clothed legs. “I was wondering what you were thinking,” he replied. Yeah, me too.