I don’t know if it was the mosquito or my anxiety waking me up before 6. I pushed my earplugs deeper in my earholes but the mozzie was so loud he just zzzz'd right through them. Rude! I tried to snooze for a while but ruined that by doing the one eyed phone check to see what time it was: 6.44. That's it, I was wide awake. I got excited. Could I do this thing I’ve been wanting to do for as long as I have lived here but my Spanish rhythm just won’t allow me to do things early in the morning?
I ask uncle Google for the sunrise time in Valencia. 7.11. It’s a 22 minute bike ride to the beach but once I start thinking of something I want to do, I have to do it. It’s going to be tight, but that makes me jump out of bed and into my clothes even faster. Banana, water, book, bike, let’s go.
Gosh, I love the light so early in the morning. I realise I haven’t seen the city at this time of day before. Yet I feel fresh and ready. That's new. I think I’m blending in quite well with other early birds who are clearly doing this more often than me. All dressed up for work, which I am certainly not. I remember I forgot to bring a bikini and am not wearing anything swimmable, but I am glad I brought a sweater because it’s chilly at 7 am. 20 degrees says the green glowing farmacia cross.
Calle Colón goes smoothly, I have some hope I might make it to the beach just in time. That hope evaporates as I get every single red light for the next 5 km. I still ride like a maniac, because I like it and because I want to make this early rise worth it. Let’s catch some of those first sunrays.
Every sunrise takes me back to Santa Cruz, no matter where in the world I find myself. I’m back in that slice of West Coast paradise, feeling grateful and kinda special. As if I was one of the lucky few who knew about this great event, this phenomenal performance nature would put on every morning. Is there anything better than that? To start the day together with the sun, to be so fully absorbed in nature nothing else seems to matter.
I squealed with delight as I arrived at the beach just in time for the sky to dip itself in orange watercolours. That early morning pastel glow. The sun was peeking through the clouds on the horizon. Park bike, shoes off, bare feet on cold sand, salty waves to warm them up. The movement of the ocean created patterns that hypnotised me. I don’t think I blinked for 15 minutes. Only that moment existed and I was so happy to be a part of it.