Valencia And The Visitor

My girlfriend and I came back from Valencia on Wednesday evening, and she returned to the States yesterday.  I am always happy when friends are willing to fly over to visit us, frequently at considerable expense, but I am equally happy (and relieved) when these visits come to an end.  Entertaining somebody for several days is a lot of work and is tiring.  I now know that adding a trip elsewhere during a visit probably doubles the stress factor.

   

I love Spain and expected that we would enjoy Valencia.  I knew that it was the third largest city in Spain but was still surprised by the size of the city.  It has several museums, a lovely cathedral and the largest aquarium in Europe.  I only got to see a small fraction of what I would have seen had I been traveling with Kenny though.  While I like to see a lot, hop in and out of museums, eat local food, and stay on the move, my travel companion was less interested in doing these things.  I did talk her into visiting the cathedral and aquarium, but she preferred to 'experience' the city by browsing stores and wandering aimlessly rather than mixing in a bit of culture on our adventure.  It drove me a little nuts, but she was probably exasperated with my preferences as well.  This little trip really reinforced how good I have it with Kenny.  Travel can be challenging, and he and I make it effortless.  We are perfect partners in crime!

   

I had a Band-Induced-Blessing on our flight to Valencia (I don't know if it is really an NSV, but tell me if I am wrong).  I took the window seat and my girlfriend took the aisle.  We had hoped that the middle seat would remain empty, but that did not happen.  A man sat down and buckled up, and I WAS THE SMALLEST person in our row.  Now that's not saying much- but still!  I. was. the. teeny. tiny. one.  I was the one whose seat belt was loose and didn't have to wrestle to fasten it.  I was the one who had to deal with my seat being encroached upon (only a little bit, the guy wasn't blubbery) rather than doing the encroaching.  It was fantastic and was a perfect start to the trip! 

    

I also really noticed for the first time how my energy level has increased dramatically.  I have known this to be the case for some time, but Kenny is very energetic.  Now I keep up with him easily, but it is not like he is a slovenly bum who can't keep up with me.  But with my girlfriend I saw something else.  I saw her limitations- limitations that I had just a few months ago.  I saw how she really didn't want to go for long walks and complained when I pushed her to walk a bit more.  I saw how she took the lift at the hotel while I took the stairs because she couldn't handle the stairs.  I saw how she immediately reclined on the couch upon our return to the room (why is it that as we get fatter, we favor reclining?  Is it harder for us to breathe sitting upright?).  I saw how she needed to take a nap before dinner because she was exhausted.  I saw the old me- a me I don't plan on reverting to- EVER!

   

Last week I mentioned that my girlfriend had been considering WLS.  I asked her about it, and she has decided against the band.  She has a lot of weight to lose, but I doubt that the band would help her.  She drinks a ton and can down beers in rapid succession, and that is something the band cannot fix.  She also loves eating desserts, and I don't think she will be giving them up anytime soon.  Given all of this, I didn't feel at all guilty about not disclosing my surgery.

    

 Valencia Cathedral

      

 Outside the City of Arts and Sciences

Cool jellyfish

  

I still love penguins...

  

...and dolphins!