Today at the sea, there were so many jellyfish and new jellyfish. As I was walking to the dock there was a man taking a photo of the area. I asked if he was going to swim, and he said yes. So I said, “yea, I’ll swim with you.” He is visiting Sweden from the Netherlands with his dude. When we got to the dock he did not like the look of the many jellyfish. There were maybe ten of them floating just near the ladder.
I assured him that it was safe, that I had been swimming with them for a few weeks without any issues. He said he didn’t want to get in, and I said, that’s ok. He said I was brave, and I said “no, desperate. It’s all about mental health for me.” He got that. Then a man came running up to us, and using maybe Swedish and mostly hand signals, told us that a man had been stung by a jellyfish and we should stay out of the water.
I pointed to the jellyfish I could see, and said that they were safe. Then the other swimmer talked to him, and deciphered that there were two different types, and one was bad. That was enough to convince both of us to take a break. I noticed most of them had the same clover markings, but there was one with blue markings and more of a triangle body under the hood. Some of them looked like they had feet or ridges under the hood. Not really tentacles, but I wasn’t sure.
Instant Travel Friends
By this time the Netherland guy’s bf was on the dock, taking photos. I tried to show them were they could go to a lovely lake on the bf’s phone map, but they were heading south and thought they’d just keep driiving. We sat in the sun and talked for about an hour. They were aghast at all of Trump’s crimes and more aghast that people still wanted to vote for him, even poor people he would never help. I couldn’t explain it. I also coupon’t explain the guns and the $$$ of the gun lobby. And the vile Republican Party that has completely sold out.
They also didn’t understand why any woman would vote for people who were trying to get rid of abortion. I couldn’t explain that either. Basically, I couldn’t explain most things about the US because they don’t make sense to me, either.
Eventually, they decided to get back on the road. They thanked me for the chat. I was really happy I ran into them. When traveling, it can be awesome to spend an hour with strangers, even when talking about crazy things. The other guy was from Turkey.
Change O Plans
I saw an older woman getting into the water, but on the child swimming area, where there were maybe only ten jellyfish. I warned her about what the other guy had said, she wasn’t bothered at all. I could see that some of the jellyfish on the sea side were different than the typical type I’d seen, but she thought there were fine. I compromised and decided to swim in the kiddie area.
I did a dozen laps across and back, only running into one huge jellyfish. I hit my arm, and didn’t sting. If I had wifi I would try to rent a car for a week so I could swim in lakes for a week before I start wearing the wetsuit.
I had a nice swim in the shallow water. The sun was shining, forming a nice reflected beam under the water. It wasn’t quite a tunnel, but it was good enough for me. I chanted greetings to my top five, “E, H, T, R, A.” That’s all I had the energy for today. Then I swam back and forth, enjoying the cold water, and wondering why there were spots that seemed warm.
I’ve had a hard day. I lugged my too-heavy bag to the bus stop, then decided to check my messages before the bus arrived. I dragged myself and bag to the supermarket for free wi-fi, and it’s a good thing I did. My cousin and his wife are sick! So, no trip for me. I was really disappointed, especially after all the work I did preparing, packing, etc.
But then I decided that it was a beautiful sunny day, and I was gonna go for a swim! I’m glad I rode my bike to the beach even if I was exhausted. I’m glad I chatted with two nice men on vacay. I’m glad I swam in the sea and didn’t get stung by a jellyfish. Shit happens. Plans get cancelled. Suitcases are too heavy.
I learned today that it’s dumb to use the smaller bag. Why? Because the bigger bag has four wheels. And wheels are everything when you have to walk almost half a mile to get the bus.
I’m so tired. But I have yummy leftovers for dinner: a broccoli, spinach, zucchini thingy with chickpeas. And a ton of garlic. And tomorrow is another day.
Don’t give up. Go for a swim! Or a walk. Or a run. Or whatever. Just don’t sit and pout about it. Or do some pouting, but then go for a swim.