A rare interlude of sociability

Is it possible for a couple to live a solitary existence?  On the face of it seems like a contradiction in terms. However, if you asked the recently divorced they may well tell you that it's perfectly possible to live a solitary existence under the same roof. Thankfully our situation is different, it seems to me that we are not so much a couple but a threesome consisting of two individuals and a third hybrid being called Gill&Pete, especially so when we travel. We can go for weeks where our interaction with others rarely gets beyond the purely transactional - shopping, ordering food or checking into a campsite.

We are very self sufficient and the fact that we tour rather than plonk ourselves down for the duration somewhere sunny with a Mediterranean view  means we don't tend to form friendships with fellow travellers. Furthermore, we are away from home regularly for months at a time so we don't really have friends there these days either. We make sure are in regular contact with our kids and our youngest is living at home at the moment. So far as our wider family goes we stay in regular email contact with our siblings - but that's it. So, by most people's standards I suppose we do live quite solitary lives, but it works for us.

The last couple of days have been the exception, Gill's sister and her daughter flew out to Seville and we arranged to meet up. It's been great sharing the experience of them discovering the delight of arriving in Seville from the gloom of a northern winter. We love it too, but this is our sixth visit in nine years so we know what to expect. 

It's always delightful but you forget just how exotic Seville feels to a newcomer - it's grandeur, the tropical vibe of the botanical gardens full of chattering parakeets, the Arabic gardens in the Alcazar, streets full of horse drawn carriages and the most authentic street flamenco in Spain.

In truth we did exactly the same as we always do, but doing it with others gave us a different perspective. Jackie is six years younger than us and Anna is her early thirties.. We walked eight kilometres the  first day and twelve the next, there is no doubt about it age is taking its toll We are both aching this morning - legs, feet, lower back. We did keep up, but each year it becomes more of an effort. 

We are heading for Isla Cristina today to settle down for a few days. As ever we keeping a close eye on the weather. It's looking somewhat unsettled next week on the Alentejo coast but better in the Sherry Triangle. However skipping Portugal would mean missing out on a visit to 'A Seira' in Sagres, which in our view is the best fish restaurant in the universe - are we willing to endure the viscictitudes of two days of drizzle for the sake of a perfectly grilled dorada? This the kind of existential dilemma that a wandering life constantly sets before us. We're made of stern stuff, we'll struggle through somehow.