¡Oh Valencia!

I went to Spain for a conference the theatre company was attending. Valencia, to be more precise, and I am in love. I know I previously wrote about my love for Ireland and it remains true, but now I am lusting after Valencia. Everyone needs a Spanish lover, right? It was so beautiful and hot. We didn't really have summer in Ireland so it felt wonderful to be outside in a sundress sipping a sangria in the heat. Oh and we ate so much amazing food. Tortilla espanola, paella, jamon, cheese, wine. I have to stop eating for at least a week now. On our second night the Spanish hosts had a special dinner for the group where a sommelier taught us how to taste Spanish wines and a champion meat carver showed us how to carve jamon (leg of pig). It was delicious. The next day after our conference we went to the beach. I swam in the ocean! The next morning I got up early to go to the market which was in this incredible old building. There was your usual meat, fish, fruit and vegetables and then there was the not-so-usual pigs feet, whole pigs head, liver, lung, heart, whole sheeps head. And some fishy things that I couldn't figure out what they were. It was very strange but I still enjoyed it. Then I went to the beach again to soak up the sun one last time before returning to Dublin.

And yes, I did do some work at this conference. But that's not exciting, you don't really want to hear about that. Now I am back in Dublin and it's freezing! Winter is right around the corner. I am trying very hard not to break out the hat and scarf but I am afraid that it's going to have to happen very soon. At least the sun is still out, but it is one of those low winter suns and you can feel the crisp, cool October air. I think it's time for some apple pie and butter nut squash. And Christmas. After that it has to be warm again because then it isn't really fun anymore.

I saw Midnight in Paris, the latest Woody Allen film, the other night. I really liked it because it captures the sort of magic element that Europe holds and lures you to it.

Yesterday I went to Arklow for a performance we were doing in secondary schools as part of mental health week. The drive was beautiful as Wicklow is a more wooded area and I saw some leaves changing and felt like it was really fall. I am, however, really glad to be done with secondary school. Those teenage years are pretty weird. Oh well.

Well I've caught up, finally! Oh and I've almost been in Ireland a whole year! Crazy, huh?