The Day After Yesterday

It's the day after my birthday and I've had a relapse into the summer flu I woke up with on Monday.

But hey, I had a fantastic birthday, rounded off by dinner at our favourite ristorante, L'Eco del Mare.......

Family run, nonno e nonna were looking after grandson Vincenzo, who was running around demanding figs be picked from the tree in the garden. He was so thrilled when his demands were met, 

he shared his 'booty' with us and hubby & I enjoyed the sweetest figs we'd ever tasted. And I absolutely hated figs before we lived here!

We sat at a corner table on the terrace, watching the sunset, which wasn't the most spectacular by any means, but it was nice to have a different vantage point.

We shared a starter of locally caught alice (anchovies) & carfciofi (artichokes), swimming in olive oil; we don't have the hugest of appetites and a €9 starter is sufficient for 2. The olive oil was mopped up with thick slices of beautifully crusty bread.

Onto our main course - again, with our less than huge appetites, we can't manage an antipasto,

primo e secondo so we just decide which we'd like best and ask that our choices be brought to the table at the same time. I chose a primo of  spaghettoni, gamberi rossi e pomodorini & hubby chose

orata con cozze ('fat' spaghetti, giant prawns & tomatoes for me, sea bream with mussels for

hubby). We also ordered a side salad, but it had loads of onion & hubby HATES onion so I was

left to help myself to as much as I could manage.

Whilst we were eating, I was also clicking away with my camera to capture the sunset......

And then it suddenly struck me that I'd had the sort of birthday we used to have to pay to come away on holiday to celebrate. Now it's become 'the norm': lazing on sunloungers, enjoying the sun & the amazing views, playing my favourite music & enjoying great food. And I can't wait to celebrate again next year.

Oh, the fireworks are from the evening before my birthday, but as they continued to go off all over the valley until 1 am on 3rd July, they count as part of my birthday celebrations.