Fin de Semena con Nuevas Amigas (Weekend with New Friends)

Back when I first arrived in Valencia, there was a field trip (there's that term again!) by rail to Benicassim for a paella festival where I met an American couple who had up and left the U.S. (Baltimore, so we had shared memories of Charm City) and settled in Castello, a seaside city a little over an hour north of Valencia. I was very intrigued by their decision (a recent one, they're less than a year in) to become real expats, and we chatted at some length while enjoying the paella. They invited me to come to visit for a day, which I finally did last Saturday. Mary Carol and Frank, over the course of a single afternoon, became friends..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TC5UdQTBNk................................................................................................................................................. I arose early, too early, on a Saturday morning, to have some breakfast, shower, dress and walk out into the ever-present blue sky and sunshine, to make my way to the train station, which should have been a 15 minute walk. But no, this morning I thought that I had found a new way to Estacio and wanted to test my Valencia compass. El stupido... As family members can attest, my sense of direction, on whichever continent, is non-existent. For the first time in a couple of weeks, I was forced to pull out my phone and call up Google Maps to figure out where I was, and more importantly, how to get to where I wanted to go. Made it to Estacio Nord and after pretending to buy a ticket at a kiosk, caved and went to the window (btw carved beautifully out of some kind of native hardwood, probably a century or two old.) Knowing full well I could pull off this purchase with a little pidgin Spanish, I decided instead to engage in a full-on conversation. "Habla Ingles?, un poco?" I queried, and the guy on the other side smiled and responded with a yes, in perfect English. I told him I wanted a R/T billete to Castello and handed him a 50 euro note. Upon seeing it, he exclaimed "Ahh, go big or go home!" I laughed and proceeded to completely lose the change he slid to me on the ground below. He pointed this out, and with a giggle, as I picked up the remnants of my 50, wished me a safe trip. Abashed, I found my way to the train......................................................................................Mary Carol met me outside the station as Frank circled. They drove me all around Castello before taking me to their lovely home, a short walk from the beach. And what a playa bonita! So reminiscent of Wrightsville Beach, from my Wilmington days. From there we made our way to the club they belong to. Hoity-toity? Not so much...golf course, gym, restaurant and more - 60 euro per month! 9 holes of golf - 2 euro! Overlooking-the-fairway lunch for three (calamari and the best mussels and the best cod I have ever been served), all in - 70 euro! And just a gorgeous place to spend an afternoon. Mary Carol and Frank took the leap and found the good life on the Mediterranean. As they put it so well, with technology as we have it, and trans-atlantic travel very available and reasonably affordable, it just wasn't all that difficult to make the move. To me, nothing if not inspirational. I encouraged them to come down to Valencia during Las Fallas, and they told me I always had a place to come to in Castello. How lucky am I?