Life is JUST Beachy! :)

Last night, Matty and I headed for the beaches of Rota for a military friend's "Wetting Down." A wetting down, put very simply, is a party to celebrate someone's new promotion (and raise!). It's tradition for the sailor being celebrated to TREAT! No one ever complains about that part, unless of course it's YOUR turn to put forth your first paycheck. ;) Matt! No silly faces!

For Stan's wetting down, he chose a cerveza, sangria, and tapas party at a chiringuito on the beach. The drinks were great, the company was excellent, and the views were spectacular! The men made the wetting down official by carrying Stan to the water and throwing him in. :) Someone here is a bit wetter than the others...
On a side note, I realized last night how GREAT Spain is for people with kids. While the parents sat and enjoyed tapas, drinks and adult conversation, the older kids were MORE than happy to run around on the beach and in and out of the water. Occasionally they would re-join us at the table with soggy shorts and sandy feet for a quick mouthful of food, but there were no complaints from the management. It's a chiringuito! Sandy floors and wet clothes are what it's all about! I just couldn't believe it; even after 8 pm the beach was still poppin!

As the sun started to set, many of us decided to keep the night alive and walk about a 1/4 mile down the beach to a different (very famous) chiringuito. The beach was stillllll full, and on the way we encountered these sweet airplane kites!
Upon arriving at the second chiringuito, we decided that the location, specialty drinks and outdoor lounge area more than validated why this chiringuito is one of the best!
I'll take whatever you're making!
Yum, yum, yum!!! This is not a mojito, but who cares?! It's tasty and beautiful! Just DON'T eat the cherries! They're candied, and they taste like popcorn.
Watching the sunset made me want to box the WHOLE chiringuito experience up and share it with everyone I know!
Lastly, a mile long walk back on the boardwalk brought us to our final stop of the night: Fiesta de la Urta. The Spanish know how to party, and they will find any excuse they can to do so! Including, a festival to celebrate a fish, the Urta, found only in these parts! At about 11:00 the party was just getting started. The band began and the streets were full of families eating, drinking, and dancing. Unfortunately, Matt and I didn't last too long and made the decision it was time to trek the mile back to the base and catch a cab home. Snapped one last pic of the moon over the carnival rides on our way back.
WHAT A NIGHT!!!! :)