If you have been watching my Actifit....

You will know that I am on vacation

I'm currently in Alicante, Spain with my wife. It is a beautiful place and in my first few days? We have walked to see the beachfront, walked to see the parks, walked to thrift stores, walked to grocery stores, walked to malls, walked to the Santa Barbara Castle, walked to the San Fernando Castle, walked along tiny Spanish streets and basically put on over 15K steps every single day.

Just today I walked around the entire "Tabarka island" and had 13K steps before mid afternoon.

That's just what my wife likes to do.... see everything.

As for me? I like doing a little exploration little by little. In my defense I have IBS and travelling in unfamiliar places when I never know if my stomach will hold can be very distressing. I'm constantly looking for the nearest washroom, mapping every little escape line and figuring out what to do if things go sideways. Net result: I'm very good at finding my way around.

My wife? Is very bad at finding her way around. I worry about her if she is on her own. If it was possible she would get lost finding her way out of the hotel. That may not be entirely true but I did have to show her how to get to the gym the first time there. Her map reading skills are dismal. Plus she knows it. Which leads to the following endpoint....

..... My wife wants to go everywhere

.....So I get to read the map and make sure she gets there and back safely.

Something about that sounds wrong

My wife wants to find a thrift store and shop for some cheap clothes? Sounds like a great idea because Ryanair doesn't allow much luggage. Get some cheap clothes for ten days and then leave them at the hotel? Sounds like a great idea.

Except I get to walk to a second hand store. Sit at a little table in the back for half an hour. Show my wife back to the hotel. Next day "I really want to get a bag that was in the store, can you take me back there"? Ugh.

I want to just hang out near the hotel. Go out every now and then to find a nice cafe. Go to a museum and look at exhibits for a couple hours. (sigh) But I'm part of a team and should be a team player. Part of being a husband.

Tomorrow we go to Murcia

I was thinking: It is a quiet Spanish town for the normal less touristy "real Spain" experience. My brings me a "to do list" which includes 2 hour round trip to Cartagena. My brain is going day trip to place I don't know with no washroom and no map! Panic panic panic. Of course I have read up on Cartagena and it is one of those "don't miss it" places so I'm not going to complain too much.

Still....

Vacationing can be stressful. Sure it is interesting to see new places, meet new people and do new things. However, doing things every single day can be just as tiring as working. A vacation to rest and rejuvenate can easily turn into a grind that leaves you exhausted.

Someday I hope my wife figures that out and takes things a bit slower but until then? I guess I'll do my best finding points of interest, taking pictures, and finding every washroom along the way.