Three Lovely Moments from Benidorm, Spain, in Photos

As I pulled out my little blue camera to photograph the toddler playing by the fountain, a tornado of snow-white birds began to swirl.

One after another, the birds swooped around the child, around the red stroller, and finally right towards my face, fluttering my hair!

Gary was busy at the other end of the fountain, trying to photograph the single black bird amid the snowy hordes.

"If any of these photos come out well," giggled Gary, "I'm going to blow it up real big and glossy and paste on the headline: "IT'S OK TO BE DIFFERENT." Then I'll sell it to a cheesy inspirational poster company."

Who knew the world's number one travel blogger had such a flair for enjoyable sarcasm? And who knew that pigeons, so hated in the U.S. for their scruffy greyness, are heavenly white in Spain? These are both nice surprises.

Maria continued our tour through Benidorm by guiding us to the long undulations of the town's new promenade. "See how the tiles change color?" she asked us, pointing to the way the blue tiles melted into purple further down. "If you walk all the way to the end you will see every color of the rainbow!"

This new promenade is designed to mimic the ocean, so as you walk atop it, you will see the edge stretch out and back, out and back, like tides lapping the shore below it.

If you descend one of the walkway's ramps to stroll beneath it (as shown in the photo to the right), a mini concrete tsunami shades you from the sun, and smooth wooden planks protect your toes from toasty sand.

If you have a more sensual eye, perhaps this promenade wall is the graceful arch of a woman's back. Ocean, woman, wave, stone... it's all good.

Maria then guided us... onto a boat! Of course, since she knows everyone in Benidorm and (literally) their mother, she first had a delightful conversation with the ticket salesman, inquiring about his family and life updates. Did you know that the Valencian language is like a mix of Spanish and French... with an almost Russian accent?

The boat, a-flutter with young mothers and their so-cute-as-to-be-nearly-edible babies, chugged off directly toward the triangular rock jutting out of the sea: Benidorm Island.

We came, we saw (note the pretty island photo to the left), and... we didn't really conquer because we stayed on the boat instead of getting out so that we could return to the shore for lunch.

That's right: our chief organ for trip planning is... our stomachs. And what a yummy way to live.