Weekend with Iacopo in Almería and in Malaga - surviving long distance.

Long Distance relationships are never easy.

Last year when I was in Vietnam was a nightmare in terms of long distance but Iacopo and I made it work. He came to visit in November and was sent to Malaysia with work in April, so we managed to see each other twice over the nine months. With a seven-hour time difference, talking was difficult. As he was finishing work at 4 back in the UK, I was getting ready for bed for my 7am starts in Ho Chi Minh City. It was difficult to say the least but we’re still together so something must have worked. This time round, I am in Spain. We are so much closer with a one-hour time difference and we managed to see each other every 6 to 8 weeks. Obviously I would prefer to see him every month but neither he nor I can get enough time off work. Almeria isn’t the easiest or cheapest place to get to, so we’ve had to compromise.

Since I moved in September, we have seen each other twice. Iacopo came in mid-October, the week after my mum came to visit. The following week, we had a ‘Puente’ or a Bridged weekend so I got to go home for a quick 2-day visit.

Iacopo flew from Glasgow Prestwick to Malaga where he hired a car and drove through to Almeria. He arrived when I was in work so we wandered around until I finished. It was so nice to see him! He went out for dinner that night and I showed him around the city which was still warm at night. On the Thursday and Friday, we spent time and the beach and wandering around the cute streets of Almería. We went out to the ‘Alcazaba’before work on Thursday where we chatted and saw the sights of my new home. We went out for dinner with a large group of the other teachers which was great as he then got to meet all of my new friends.

On Saturday, we took a trip to San Jose. As Iacopo had to car, we took the opportunity to explore the area. We blasted the tunes as we drove along the cost and spent the day in a cute town enjoying seafood and beers on the beach. Back home and we headed out for paella and drinks with some others. Sunday was left to recover from the weekend and say our goodbyes. Despite the fact that I was to see Iacopo the following week, it never gets easier parting with him.

The rest of October flew by, then the colder weather hit during November. That was a funny month as work seemed to go fast but the month was slow. As I had to holidays coming up, I never had the chance to go home. Iacopo had wanted to come to visit but he never had many holiday days left and the flights were extortionate. Simona, Oonagh and I had planned a weekend trip to Malaga to see the Christmas lights.

I had mentioned to Iacopo that we were going and he immediately looked up flights to see if he could join. The main issue for him coming to Almeria is the flight landing times. Most flights from Scotland arrive too late for him to get the bus through to Almeria or to hire a car as the office closes. But as we were all in Malaga, he could arrive at any time. He got a return flight for the Saturday morning to the Sunday night. It wasn’t a lot of time but it was better than nothing – I was happy.

We met at our Airbnb which was rather disappointing. I had specifically asked for two separate rooms to host Simona and Oonagh, and Iacopo and I. The Airbnb host instead gave up one set of keys for a room inside of another room. It was not the privacy that we were looking for after two months but it worked out in the end.

The weekend was great. We walked around in the sun for a few hours. It was so hot and in December! Jeans were a bad choice. We had some food and drinks and set out to explore the city. I wish we had done a walking tour but we’ll now know for next time. We chilled in the evening then after a couple of beers in the crappy Airbnb we caught the tail end of a Christmas concert then saw the amazing light show on ‘Calle Larios’. The tapas and drinks continued into the night and I was soon ready to head home.

On Sunday, we took our time having breakfast in a nice square and enjoying the sun. We then got into our hired car and set off for ‘Benalmádena’.

It was a very touristic town full of older British tourists and the majority of the the bars and restaurants were knock off Irish pubs with horrible happy hour deals. Finding an authentic restaurant was difficult. As the day went on, the others found a place to chill as they were hungover. It let Iacopo and I have some time along to catch up and chat about the future. We were to see each other again in Italy on the 28thof December after Christmas so it wasn’t too far away. Living apart is difficult but we have made plans to visit each other and we are sure the next six months will fly by.

I have decided that next year I will move back to Glasgow with him as a year in Vietnam and in Spain is probably enough. Maybe it’s time I sacrifice a bit for the relationship. Regardless, it has been a great two years and I am so thankful for his patience and commitment. In comparison to Vietnam, Spain is a breeze. I will enjoy the next six months but I can’t help but feel guilty being away from Iacopo but so far it’s working out.

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