I’ve Decided Where I’m Going in July

a couple weeks ago i asked y’all to help me decide where to go in July. my options were Iceland, Tunisia, or Croatia. i’ve made my decision, and…*drumroll*…it’s none of the above(!).

while i really appreciate everyone’s input (by the way, Croatia was the winner of the audience vote and i will definitely go there someday), i realized i’m almost at the point in my life (*cough*middle age*cough*) where i really need to check off one of the items on my bucket list before it’s too late: going to Ibiza and watching the sunset from Cafe del Mar. if i had my druthers, they’d be playing the following song, but if not, i’ll have to slip on some headphones (yes, hearing this song during sunset is a requisite to checking it off my list).

and, given the fact that i will likely be suffering from jet lag, it’ll be perfect to watch the sunrise while listening to this: (also on my short list)

i’ve been wanting to do both of these for a long time (and even wrote about it two years ago). i know, age is just a number, but my body is already starting to rebel against the demands i put on it as it is. if i do decide to stay up all night, better sooner than later. also, Ibiza nightlife isn’t really my scene* (at all), so i should do it while i’m feeling somewhat confident in myself! (i get the impression, and i hope i’m wrong, that it’s the popular/frat/sorority [or UK equivalent] crowd, and i was anything but growing up — i still carry scars and baggage from that to this day, but that’s a story for a different type of blog :D.)

* i’m definitely more of a Love Parade kind of guy than an Ibiza one, although now my musical tastes have definitely turned from Love Parade-esque trance and house to the chillout and downtempo that Ibiza is famous for. sometimes i blame that on old age as well!

i likely won’t be staying up all night partying (though you never know, if there’s a good band or DJ that’s there…), research has shown that there’s definitely enough to do that doesn’t involve drinking and dancing to fill my time. my current plan is to go to Ibiza for 2.5 days (three nights, basically July 4th weekend) and then Barcelona for five days where i’ll workation. i’ve only ever been to Barcelona on a long layover in 2006, so it’s high time i really explore the city and the Catalonia region.

ah, youth:

2006: Me on a playground in Malaga (our destination — a student conference — after we had to change planes in Barcelona)