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<\/a><\/p>\nNotice the name on the fake quote and think back to the movie “Braveheart,” (still one of my favourite movies of all time). This quote says, loosely translated, “They may take our lives, but they’ll never take our enjoyment!”<\/p>\n
I was famished and decided to see if the fast food\u00a0Turkish restaurant<\/a> might\u00a0be serving food that odd hour. Yes! I ordered chicken and rice and paid the extra euro to get veggies, which was a good choice since one of the veggies was a really good oil and vinegar coleslaw that made my tastebuds very happy! And of course, I asked for their garlic sauce. \ud83d\ude42 I really hadn’t gone to town to eat there, but I’m glad\u00a0I splurged on dinner!<\/p>\n I continued to amble. Downtown is compact and I can wander around now and not get lost, although with the streets being at weird angles I couldn’t give anyone directions and it takes me a few turns sometimes to get back to the main thoroughfares.<\/p>\n The varied architecture is lovely.<\/p>\n A stature of Dr. Nicol\u00e1s Salmer\u00f3n y Alonso<\/a>, president of the first Spanish Republic.<\/p>\n I’m really not into the whole holiday season thing, but who doesn’t like pretty lights?<\/p>\n It was chilly and I was acutely aware that I need a proper coat and footwear before I leave Spain. I checked out a few dozen shops, but found nothing that was quite right. Prices were generally very reasonable, so that’s not the problem. I also discovered that clerks will ignore you unless you specifically ask for help. I’m glad my host told me that a major etiquette thing here is to greet people when you come into the shop, otherwise you’re seen as rude. So I would say hi, browse, and ask questions if I had some and clerks were happy to help.<\/p>\n I had just barely enough vocabulary for this exercise and didn’t know how to say things like “high heels.” So I’d point to high heeled boots and say, “I don’t want them like this, rather like this,” and point to flat shoes. Like in\u00a0Mexico, it’s hard to find\u00a0sensible shoes without heels in Spain.\u00a0I was shocked that leather shoes that would be 100CAD+ in Canada were around 45 to 60CAD here. Anyway, the shoes were all either way too urban or way too rural. There was, however, a surprising amount of proper lined cold weather footwear, but I didn’t want actual winter boots, just something I can waterproof and wear with heavy socks.<\/p>\n Coats were difficult because I don’t have the shape of the average Spanish woman (same problem I have in Mexico), where you either have to be a stick or an hour glass figure. Amusingly enough, I saw a woman about my size and shape wearing exactly<\/em> what I’m hoping to find, so I actually stopped her to ask where she bought her coat. Madrid. That was not helpful. \ud83d\ude00<\/p>\n I’m staying with someone about my age in M\u00e1laga and I think I will wait till I get there and get her advice as to where to shop. I haven’t found many used clothing stores here. Population-wise, M\u00e1laga is about five times bigger than Almer\u00eda and gets more foreign tourists, so it definitely sounds like a better place to look. Anyway, I have a better\u00a0idea now of what I’m looking for.<\/p>\n One thing I really liked as I shopped is that most stores will list what the storefront mannequins are wearing, along with the prices. So I could know at a glance if I could afford to shop in that store or not.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n