Because it has been so unexpectedly warm here, we decided to go to the beach today. The Mediterranean is BEAUTIFUL – super clear water and sailboats all over the place. The water was quite cold, but it was plenty warm for a swimsuit (or lack of one if you are wild). The crowd consisted of families, urban campers, students, vacationers, and a lot of hippies.
They do have a slight problem with roamers trying to sell stuff to beachgoers. We were offered everything from scarves and coconuts to beer and cocaine. Nuts, I know. The Pakistani drug man literally sat down with us and would not leave for about 10 minutes. Stories from “Locked Up Abroad” started flashing through my mind. We listened to his sad story and finally convinced him that we really were not interested. When he left, George turned to me and said “I feel really bad for that guy. I think I am going to go give him a euro.” WHAT?!? I am usually the one that gives in to people like this, but this man just tried to sell us coke! He quickly agreed this was probably not the best idea. For once, I was the voice of reason.
(Fact: Barcelona did not even have a beach before the 1992 Summer Olympics. The city dredges sand from the ocean every year to make the beach.)
