While I travel a lot, when I’m home I also try to have fun. This week we have been going to the beach (in October!) and the opera.

I don’t recall ever going to the beach so late in the year. But we’ll take it: less people, the water is still deliciously warm, and it’s such a luxury to be able to stroll up and down the beach every day!

We also went to the opera in Valencia. Housed in the amazing building Palau de les Arts, we attended Mozart’s ‘Le nozze di Figaro’, arguably the best opera there is.

Nevermind that the building was finished with a huge over-budget and big controversies, its superintendent (who died recently) was accused of financial irregularities, replacing the poorly laid tiles cost 3 million euros, is named after a queen (yes, unfortunately Spain is still a Kingdom), or that their school is named after disgraced (for sexual harassment allegations) opera giant Placido Domingo.

The performance and scenography were good, in particular Grammy Award winner soprano Maria Jose Moreno as the Countess of Almaviva. I also enjoyed the little screens with translations (instead of the lyrics projection some Opera houses in Europe do) and the fact that many people brought their own dinner in home made sandwiches (since the performance started at 8pm and lasted almost until midnight) which they ate in the intermission. Also the fact that nobody accessed the building late, or had their phone on. Nice.