For my last full day in the country, my friend Lea suggested heading down to the Mediterranean coast to visit her friend Marie (for both, see Awesome People page). Naturally, I readily agreed. The drive itself took about two and a half hours as we chatted and watched the landscape turn from rocky hills and forests colored in foliage to palm trees, flat land, and picturesque views of the blue waters. Eventually, after a series of sharp turns and narrow roads that could barely fit one car, we reached our destination: a cozy flat with a balcony overlooking the sea. Even better, we were greeted by the residents of the flat, Marie and Morgan, along with coffee. Needless to say, I felt welcomed right from the beginning.

Showing us around, Marie decided to take us on a walk along the water, which conveniently was only a few minutes away from her flat. In the summer, she said, the beach gets overrun by tourists and locals, but since this was November, everything was quiet and relaxing. No sunburn, no screaming families, no garbage, it was just as I wanted. Sprouting up here and there were series of palm trees, which I noticed actually look similar to pineapples (take a look, its true!). Despite the approaching winter, the weather remained fairly mild due to the coastal climate, so only a light jacket was necessary.

Later on we returned to the flat, and Marie, being an amazing host, made a banana curry dish for dinner. Personally, I had never had such a combination before in my life, but this opened up a new world for me. It was like hearing a Jerry Garcia solo for the first time ever. And that was just the beginning. Dinner was followed by wine, champagne, sharing the strangest music we each knew, travel stories, more wine, and dancing (or in my case, a poor attempt at dancing). Overall, it was a great conclusion to the trip, with the only down side being my morning flight the next day (waking up was soooooo hard and painful). I left with a smile and slight headache saying ‘see you later’ rather than goodbye.