I decided for my birthday I needed a long weekend on a beach and to see an aquarium, and two places I’ve been wanting to visit came to mind right away: Monaco and Valencia. We were leaning towards Monaco but were having a hard time finding a hotel; after several hours of research, I found a bit of information that explained all and turned our sights to Valencia: the prince of Monaco was getting married that weekend. For a country of only one city no longer than a mile long having a royal wedding on my birthday, we weren’t getting in.

So Friday we took a plane to Valencia. The air there is so humid and warm that it was uncomfortably sticky. Admittedly that day didn’t put me in a great mood, but we got into our room at luxurious Las Arenas Hotel situated right on the beach (hey, I can splurge for my birthday if I want). We checked out the pools and the beach before going to L’Oceanografic‘s (the aquarium) Submarino restaurant, aptly named for residing underwater. The earliest reservation for the restaurant was 9 p.m. though, so we ate late. And a private party was in progress, which was a bit uncomfortable. However, the food was superb (as one would expect from a swank eatery). The round room is surrounded by a large aquarium made to look like you were seeing the small lake it resided in. I was saddened that was what they had done (instead of making it like those glass tunnels aquariums have for people to walk under and by the fish), but that was minor. Worth eating at if you want good fancy fish meals!

On Saturday we took the bus back to the aquarium (learned our lesson from walking the day before), and spent half a day snapping photos of sea life, eating at the other restaurant on the premises, and seeing the dolphin show. Overall, it is a good aquarium, but I have visited better. The layout and architecture are unique. Afterwards we stopped by a small shopping complex “across the street”.

Sunday was our beach day, and it mostly rained and whipped up a sandy storm. Luckily, every morning we woke up early to hit the beach before everyone else and got in a lot of swimming in the Mediterranean. With the amount of cloud coverage (weather.com you liar!) our skin was saved from burning though, so it al worked out. A renaissance type festival was taking place on the other side of the hotel wall, so we perused that and ate some tasty food. I drank a TON of orange juice while we were there too, it was so yummy!

Before our flight back Monday afternoon we took one more dip in the sea for extra crusty salty goodness, then took the tram all the way back to the airport (a nearly direct shot, great layout). We never really saw downtown Valencia, which is our normal “vacation” style (to see everything is as little time as possible). A great relaxing vacation (even with a few little stresses here and there, it was more relaxing than most trips).

Although I haven’t said much the last few months doesn’t mean nothing’s happened. For a while I have considered going back to school, at least to learn German. It took a decent amount of research before deciding upon University of Maryland’s Certificate of German Studies program for a good base knowledge of Germany, its culture and language. And a class started just a few days from when I found out, leaving me in a scramble to get paperwork sorted out.

At the same time, I was approved for a graduate course through my work to advance my knowledge for my career. This was completely online, the first I’ve done a class in this style (I had been avoiding it). So, my two jobs (I am still being detailed into a second position) and my two classes (among many other events) kept me quite busy until a week ago, when the classes ended and I started rehearsals for the upcoming musical (I am so ready for a break).

The Germany Life and Culture course I took was advantageous for living in Germany; we took four study trips – Speyer, Maulbronn, Mainz, and Würzburg – that offered great examples to fit into the discussion topics (all UNESCO heritage sites). The class was much more difficult than the graduate course with all the notes and homework… because of this I haven’t any photos of the places we visited. Also, I am resigned to not partake in an online class again. My professor was excellent, but I need in-person class time for the best experience.

We saw a state museum, the cathedral, and part of the Jewish existence in the city at Speyer. Maulbronn is a former monastery for which we learned about monastic history and lifestyle. The architecture and churches of Mainz, and finally in Würzburg with its very baroque architecture and clear examples of the shift from papal to citizen authority. Every place we visited we experienced beautiful weather with perfect timing to see the best of each city (the best moment was at Maulbronn, in the cloister is a large magnolia tree that was in full bloom… I didn’t want to leave! Especially without pictures); however, our last trip I got too much sun and was miserable for nearly a week after.

Lots more has happened, but that is what has kept me very occupied, and now it is the musical with rehearsals every night. I can honestly say that I had taken on more than I could handle and now cannot wait for a vacation!