Millions of Fish in Costa Calma

In October I went on my first holiday since we got locked down.

It was half term, I finally had my passport and it was starting to get really cold in the UK. Me and my partner went to Fuerteventura for 5 days.

What I wanted from the holiday:

• To be warm
• To eat good food
• To read some books
• To walk around and learn something new about a new place
• To have a breakfast buffet

What my partner wanted from the holiday:

• All of the above
• To see some fish

The holiday granted all our wishes.

The food was excellent. On one of our days we got a bus down to Puerto Morro Jable. This marina town was more lively and busy than where we stayed. We ate at a small tapas bar on a corner, teeming with customers, spilling across the street or lining up with drinks against a wall, waiting for a table to become free.

Every dish was excellent - these mussels were a highlight. The wine was likewise sublime. As I walked through the restaurant to use the toilet I spotted the lone chef - a little old lady winding down at the end of a very busy service.

This 'pirate coffee' was actually incredible and I would love to find somewhere local where I could get one.

While there I read ‘One Day I Shall Astonish The World’ by Nina Stibbe, ‘I’m Glad My Mum Died' by Jennette McCurdy and I re-read ‘Not Working' by Lisa Owens. Another display of fantastic taste by me. They were all top reads of 2022.

As ever, the breakfast buffet was tip top. A vicious rumour was circulated during Covid that they’d be banned forever and I was pretty bereaved at the idea of it. Luckily, the probably v real worry of contamination & lack of hygiene seems to have been forgotten and this one was in full swing. I’d recommend this article for any fellow buffet enthusiasts. https://www.theguardian.com/food/2020/sep/13/joel-golby-end-of-the-buffet-in-covid-19 .

So many fish. This was a whole new experience for me. Despite living most of my life by the sea side I can’t really swim. I was instilled with a healthy awareness of the dangers of the sea. I still go in the sea like I did as a tiny child, I splash around a bit, cool down, don’t go out of my depth, then go back up onto the sand. But here I was introduced to a whole underwater world (still not out of my depth). My partner has a trick where she takes a role from the breakfast buffet for the fish. Wearing a pair of snorkling goggles from the hotel shop, she holds her breath and swims down under the water. Then release. She breaks up the bread and the fish swarm around her. This is how she got these pictures of the fish. My glasses didn't fit in the goggles and I can't really hold my breath but I did enjoy the pictures.

It was all pretty dreamy: everyone we met was helpful and kind, everywhere we went was stunning and everything we ate was delicious.

One day we went for a walk to find a nearby bay. Needless to say, we got lost and were walking for about 2 hours in the midday sun.

We made this little mate on our last day. He came up to us beside the pool.