November 17, Thursday

Ahhh, finally a day of rest, and what a gorgeous day it was, too! I hung my clothes out to dry on the porch outside my room, and by the end of the day they actually dried, damp as they were.

First, I met Richard before breakfast and we had a wonderful walk-talk down by the sea before he had to leave, and we just barely made it back in time for him to catch his shuttle.

Then after breakfast the immense highlight of the day was when Sue & Peter, Holly, Christina, Katja, Marien, Erica and I drove to Parque Natural del Peñón de Ifach in the town of Calp, and climbed the huge rock cliff (not up the face of the cliff, although we did see some crazies do that with their ropes and belay devices). We had not intended at all to hike to the very top but somehow we got the urge. Peter, Marien, Katja and I made it all the way to the peak. The views up there were nothing short of spectacular, overlooking the sea far across the water all the way to the lighthouse where we often walk, and looking way, way down upon Calp far below us.

When we got back we went out for an ice cream (we deserved it), and I jumped into the bathtub to sooth my flat-walking-only-in-Florida old legs. At dinner, people had started trickling in for the VIVA event—Mick, Deborah, Trevor and others. Great to see them. The beautiful feeling continues.