Month: October 2016

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Found in Translation

It ended up being a longer day of work than expected. If I don’t get another housesit after this one, I am going to be bleeding money for the rest of the winter. So, really, this is what I need to focus on. The coffers have dipped below the “I’m starting to get uncomfortable” line so I’m pleased that I have as much work as I can handle right now and a nice amount of receivables outstanding.

I quit around seven and headed out around 8:30 to the tapas bar. It’s chilly here in the evenings and I could not find my hoodie! It suddenly occurred to me that I must have left it at the bar the last time I went. When was that? It was unbelievable that it was only two nights ago; Sunday was really long! I hoped that this was the case and that they had a lost and found.

It was much livelier today, with quite loud music playing, so I can’t fault the server for hearing that I wanted “bravas” rather than “bratwurst” and therefore received a plate of potatoes with tomato sauce. It’s not what I thought I was in the mood for, but it was really tasty and something I was very happy to have accidentally had a chance to sample! They were not the famous fried potatoes with mayonnaise, but rather boiled. I’m really not a fan of potatoes unless they are the waxy ones that are rather meaty in their consistency and a bit sweet, which these were. The tomato sauce was a bit spicy and the perfect complement. So I left happy and perfectly satisfied.

As for my hoodie, I decided to call it a “camisa” (shirt). After a bit of rummaging through drawers and asking if anyone had seen a pink shirt left on Saturday (he understood me!), the owner found it! I was so happy to see it. Can you imagine me in this scenario in Bulgaria hoping Google Translate was asking the right thing?! I would have probably broken out the crayons to draw a picture!

I came in to find an email from one of my clients saying there was work in the queue if I wanted it even though he knew it was very late my time. I logged on and found a bunch of small jobs that would pay very well for the time spent working. So I went back to work until a couple of larger jobs came in that I could save for tomorrow afternoon.

I’m slowly starting to settle into Spanish time, being more comfortable with starting my day much later, taking a long mid-afternoon break for lunch, and then finishing quite late and not being in bed before eleven or midnight… rather like how I used to be. There’s just no point fighting it and it makes it easier to wait till late to go to the bar for a light snack! I was rather bemused at 8:30 tonight that I was raring to go out rather than to bed!

I’m definitely going into Almería tomorrow to break the ice on the bus and get orientated a bit. I want to get to a big supermarket and do a large shop of meat and staples to get me through the next six weeks, since I have a full sized fridge-freezer here, and then just top up at the little shop here as needed. So that will mean taking a taxi back. Depending on how late I leave and whether more work comes in, I may pop into old town and do some tourism as well. 🙂

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Sunday Morning at the El Alquián Mercadillo

The nearby village of El Alquián has a “mercadillo” every Sunday morning. That literally translates as a flea market and would be a tianguis in Mexico.

I didn’t realise that the clocks moved back yesterday, which explains why I was awake around 7:30 when I’d gone to bed around 12:30. Even the fact that the sun was up did not clue me into the time change!

I had a full eight hours of typing to do, but I still wanted to go out. So I had a quick breakfast, vaguely remembering my host saying I’d be able to have coffee at the market and so skipping that step, grabbed the grocery cart, and headed off around 8:30.

While I had less than 5KM to walk, I discovered that the road is absolutely not pedestrian friendly, having a high speed limit and no shoulders. I ended up coming home by the beach, which was lovely, but not grocery cart friendly. So I really doubt I’ll be going to El Alquián again, not when Almería downtown is about 15 minutes away by buses that run regularly.

Approaching the market. People were parked quite a distance away.

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The market is just a very long row of stalls. It starts with clothing and accessories, then you get produce. I bought a ton of stuff from the guy running this stall (he’s in the red shirt) as he had everything I wanted veggie-wise and it all looked fresh. I think prices are way better than in Canada, but sad compared to the Balkans and Mexico.

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The folks with the covered trays in front of that blue tarp had bulk goods so I was able to stock up on raisins. Mangos and avocado were very pricy and I did not get any.

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I wandered up and down a few times, adding four apples and a loaf of bread to my haul. I had hoped to come home with cheese as well, but there was only one tiny vendor selling cheese and meat and he was doing business much too fast for me to feel comfortable shopping as I didn’t recognise any of his wares and would have had questions. The only stall that I lingered at was selling olives in bulk, but the containers were just flimsy plastic ones and I didn’t want to come home to olive juice all over my groceries!

There were only two food stalls. One had whole roasted chickens and the other one had coffee, hot chocolate, and churros (doughnuts). I got a coffee and that alone was worth my very long walk as it it was very strong without being bitter and the crema was almost like caramel. Yum!

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Frankly, I was disappointed. It just didn’t have the lively community gathering feel that I’ve grown accustomed to at markets.

I’d had my fill within about an hour, right on schedule, so I headed off, pausing to dig one of my apples out of my bag. I found apples, certain types of which are a favourite food, disappointing in the Balkans (always mealy) and have been in withdrawal. This apple was perfect, so crisp and balancing tartness and sweetness.

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I turned to the beach at this point, where you can see my neighbourhood in the distance. I live at the completely opposite end.

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Found someone living the good life!

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When I finally reached my neighbourhood, I was reminded that I’d been to this end of the malecón before with my host. So our malecón is really quite short and that’s why folks will run up and down it. I still had almost a full kilometre left to get home at this point!

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I got in and put my purchases away. 16.52CAD had gotten me:

  • 1 bunch celery
  • 1 large bunch carrots
  • 4 medium sweet potatoes
  • 1 medium broccoli
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 4 medium onions
  • 2 cucumbers
  • 2 zucchini
  • 4 large apples
  • 1 small loaf bread
  • 1 coffee

Next, I did all my outdoor chores and then I finally plopped myself down at my desk and started typing.

Around four, I used some of my veggies and as well as leftover chicken broth and roasted chicken to make a quick chicken soup.

Even though I worked steadily and did not take many breaks, I wasn’t done with my jobs until almost 10PM. Phew. My eyes literally hurt by that point. I had a long hot shower, watched an episode of something, and then passed out.

Today will be a slightly easier work day. Depending on what time I finish, I may go to Almería, but I think I’m better off saving that for tomorrow and making a day off of it. We shall see. My clients have been surprising!

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I’m Apparently in the Affordable Part of Spain

I ended up almost triple booked for work this weekend because a major (in terms of who they are, not yearly order volume) client dropped a largish job into my queue with no warning. They are too important to say no to and will be paying me at the start of the New Year, when I’ll likely be traveling around, not having as much time to work, and grateful for the cash injection.

Despite that, I really want to go to the market tomorrow morning, which will be about two hours away round trip walking. So I worked my tail off today!

Thankfully, I had a really amazing night of sleep — 00:30 right straight to 8:30! That’s almost unheard of for me! The room is like a cocoon, so dark and quiet. I know I slept like crap all summer in Bulgaria, so it’s a blessing to have better sleep conditions here and that I’ll be able to leave refreshed.

I like to check my emails in bed and the cat joined me for a snuggle, so I didn’t get up till almost 9:30. I got cracking right after breakfast and worked steadily through my day. By 8:00PM, I still had, ideally, another couple of hours to do, but I was getting rather hangry. I decided to pause and have a beer and tapa at the place around the corner my host took me to on Monday.

8:30 on a Saturday night in Spain is apparently the perfect time to have a quiet drink at a bar, LOL. I ordered a beer and chose chorizo as my included tapa. I expected a bite or two of the sausage on a toothpick and to come back home and have some peanut butter toast. Imagine my surprise that my 2 euros/3CAD got me not only the beer, but a whole grilled chorizo sausage on a small bun and a small order of fries! I don’t think I’ve ever done that well even in Mexico! That was absolutely a full meal and really yummy! I read the local paper as I enjoyed my unexpected dinner, savouring a little luxury I missed in the Balkans. There, I could read the paper, but if I understood more than the odd word, I was on fire! 🙂

I think I will be going to that bar quite often! Now, back to work.!

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First Glimpses of My Mediterranean Shore

I had another good night of sleep. The room is very quiet and like my room in Alicante, it has exterior blinds that allow for a complete blackout. Add in a decent bed and I’ve got good sleeping conditions.

I wanted to complete a fairly large job before the invoicing deadline today, so I got cracking on that. With about an hour of work left to do on it, I took a break to make something I have been craving for four months: roasted chicken. Or, rather, roasted chicken breast, having bought yesterday a really huge one with the bones in! I had brined the chicken overnight, so I dried it off, seared it, and then roasted it over a bed of veggies. It came out perfectly, so tender, juicy, and flavourful! I have heaps of leftovers I look forward to enjoying.

By about four, the job was done and I started on my weekend work, knowing more was incoming. Not only did I have the stamina to do that, but I hadn’t felt the least bit of a need for a nap and… I wanted to go for a walk! I’m almost better!

So off I went to explore the very nearby beach and malecón.

Here I am looking towards Cabo de Gata.

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It’s not a nice sandy beach, but rather gravel. My host explained that the beach got washed away every winter, so the authorities finally built a series of jetties to control the erosion and then covered the beach in pea gravel. The jetties seem to be working.

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The jetties aren’t meant to be walked on, but I wasn’t the only one who had fun hopping from stone to stone to get to the end of one!

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I cannot believe the colour of the Mediterranean! I thought I got a couple of good shots in Alicante, but it looks like it really is turquoise!

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So Cabo de gata again.

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And looking towards the African continent, less than 200KM away…

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Looking back towards my neighbourhood.

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Our lovely Malecón. It ends a couple of blocks away in the direction I’m facing, but I’m not sure how long it is in the other direction.

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I could be in a suburban Mexican neighbourhood, like Playa Sur or just off the Golden Zone in Maz.

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This is where I had my first tapas! It has been fully renovated recently.

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It’s going to be a working weekend, but I am taking Sunday morning off to go explore the market my host told me about. Hopefully, I’ll be back to full speed by the start of the week so I can take my first bus ride and get further orientated as to greater Almería as I’ll already be one week down into a seven-week stay. My time here is going to fly by!

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My Own Routine Is Good

My sore throat went to painful and kept me up most of the night of Tuesday to Wednesday. I eventually got desperate enough to choke down an ibuprofen tablet and it helped immensely. I don’t think I have a cold per se. I just get like this when I’m running on not enough REM sleep.

My host left very early Wednesday morning, so I had the house nearly to myself when I finally got up around 10:00 to a cat who made it clear her breakfast was the first priority! We spent some time cuddling on the couch before bed Tuesday night and she gave me a bath, so I’d say we’re starting off on the right foot. It’s so lovely to have some feline company again!

It is very particular to live in someone else’s home. I’m really torn between realising that seven weeks is not an insignificant period of time so I should get comfortable and my instinct to make myself as small as possible so as to not disturb anything of my host’s. Thankfully, there is clear designated space for me in all the areas I am allowed to use and being able to put my things away in those spaces helped me feel a bit more at home than if I had to live out of my suitcases for nearly two months! My host did a great job of making me feel like I can be at home here.

One of the best gifts she gave me is permission to use her home office, so I have a proper desk and chair! I worked most of the afternoon, glad to have an excuse not to go out as I really am worn down to the nub. I even had a mid-afternoon nap!

Dinner was a simple pasta, but baked with browned cheese on top. I have so missed having a broiler!

I managed to get to bed early (by Spanish time) on Wednesday night and slept a solid five hours before going back to sleep for another three or so. Even though my throat still hurt this morning and I’m a little sniffly, I felt rested, something I haven’t experienced in too long. A couple more nights like that and I’ll be back to normal.

I didn’t latch the bedroom door properly when I got up in the middle of the night and so I woke up to a snoring weight on my chest this morning! I’d say the cat and I are going to get along just fine!

The morning was spent working steadily and then I headed out to the nearby shop to get a few groceries. I really did mean to take some pictures of the beach, but I had no spare energy at all for even such a tiny detour! If I hadn’t been somewhere I speak the language, I don’t think I would have had the strength at all to go out.

I had another largish job to do in the late afternoon/early evening, so I took a long nap before starting on it! Listening to your body is the best way to heal.

My appetite is just fine, so I heated up a pizza and had part of it for dinner, with my favourite sore throat food for dessert, vanilla pudding. If I have to be sick, at least it’s in a country where I can ask if such a thing is available! What I was offered isn’t as good as the Lala brand in Mexico, but it does the trick!

Now, I’m having a cuddle on the couch with the cat and am about to put on a movie. It really didn’t take us long to be friends. She even hung out in the office with me for part of the afternoon!

I’ve got a couple more big days of work and then I should be able to start exploring a tad. Just bear with me. 🙂