aka "Yes, you can have a great time even when your hair looks...awkward"


Hi YLFers (and Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it) --

Mr Vix and I have been trying to get to Spain for a few years now, but as is our M.O. the time from committing to going was 3 weeks. Hence my additional scarcity around here!

As the Paris bombing happened while we were abroad, I want to acknowledge that tragedy. We were fortunate to have an amazing 2 weeks, and saw so many wonderful museums and priceless heritage spots. Natural disasters wipe out enough lives and history, I wish humankind could stop adding to the erasures....

HAIR
Switching back to the shallow -- I decided let my grey come in 4 months ago and so had some interesting hair for the trip as the shorter front pieces now have 4+ inch roots.

[I've gone cold turkey on coloring the front layers and opted for zigzag low-lighting elsewhere so as to avoid the skunk stripe and look slightly more presentable at work.]

I've been doing surprising-to-me ok with the growout given how I hated my 0.5 inch roots, but let's just say all the YLFers and others online who've shared their greying and/or growout process have made the "ah, what am I doing?!!" moments easier to get through! Real-life reaction has been mixed: Mr Vix and friends who don't color (both greying or not) have been the most positive.

CLOTHES/PACKING
Carry-on luggage. I wanted more color for Seville and neutrals for Barcelona (and our brief stop in Madrid) and opted for lots of light layers, a few wool sweaters + silk long underwear + gloves. Temps ended up being both a fair bit colder and a bit warmer than forecast (low 30s-high 70s) but I did pretty ok -- though I broke down and bought a wool hat because I'd decided to leave mine at home.

One thing I realized is that I want narrow, set-in sleeves again. Those were my favorites. Older, carefully tended green cardigan looked especially bad in photos despite being one of my best colors, so it's now getting donated.

SUPERFICIAL TAKE ON STYLE THERE
The stereotypical leather and scarves. Skinnies and straights. Flats, chunky heels, and stilletos (I was in awe of the latter given the cobblestones). Accessories I failed to admire: cigarettes and tons of perfume.

Phots 1-5: me (and me and Mr V)
Photos 6-7: A few of the many things I encountered that just stopped me in my tracks

Thanks if you made it though.