December 18, 2016 by Rae

A Quiet and Dreary Weekend in Málaga

It’s been a cold, wet, miserable weekend in Málaga. I’m actually rather grateful for it because I desperately need to get gradually more accustomed to cold, wet, miserable weather as that’ll be normal for Amsterdam and Yorkshire. I got two rather large orders, so I had an excuse to stay in both Saturday and Sunday and work. But I did manage to go exploring a tad to start getting a sense for Málaga!

So Saturday, I headed out in the mid afternoon, during a brief lull in the rain, with the main intention being to do some focused shoe shopping. It was at the El Corte Inglés department store that I realised what I need to buy is a good hiking-type boot, something that’s been on my shopping list for a few years (my last pair was the one I bought for the Chilkoot in 2010 and I’ve worn them through), but which I’ve been putting off because they’re a $400 to $500 investment in Canada. That is the only footwear that will take me from the moors of Yorkshire in England to a humid Mexican jungle by way of the rainy streets of Amsterdam, all with just a change of sock type and so a much better purchase than something that’s tailored to the English experience only. I found exactly what I want, but did not buy them because even at much less than I would pay in Canada, they were expensive and I wanted to check reviews of the brand, sleep on the idea, look for other brands, and also find a coat before committing to such an expense.

I then walked around the neighbourhood for a bit.

Here’s a church right by my flat:

I headed towards Centro and found some decent falafel for a very late lunch across from this scene:

It’s always a good sign when the falafel seller barely speaks the local language and asks you if you know English! I had falafel in the Balkans, but it was pretty disappointing, so this was my first truly satisfying version of the sandwich since that fabulous one I had on Baker Street in London almost six months ago!

I do not tire of European building façades!

There wasn’t much open and I was cold, so it was time to head in. I did find on the way one of those Chinese bazaar shops that had a lot of clothing and a coat that looked promising for about 40 euros. But I found a charity shop that I can scope out Monday morning before I commit to such an expenditure. I’ll be happier about the boot purchase if I don’t spend a ton on a coat that I won’t need when I move to the tropics six months from now!

Today, Sunday, I worked until about 1:30 since an attraction I wanted to visit was free from two onwards. I headed into Centro and was surprised by how much was open on a Sunday. Oh, right. Sunday before Christmas.

Another church:

A lively square. I liked the moon and star decorations. I might check out that Far West (Lejano Oeste) exhibit…

Another impressive church.

But not as impressive as this hospital!

I wandered through a warren of alleys filled with treasures.

Until I found Alcazaba of Málaga, the best preserved alcazaba (citadel or fortress) of Spain and which was built by the Hammudid dynasty in the early 11th century. Entry was free after two and I was early, so I decided to look for a quick and cheap lunch, something that is very difficult to do in Spain.

In front of the fortress is an ancient Roman amphitheatre.

Like in Sofia, there are underground ruins covered by glass at the surface.

Found a street named after my truck. 😉

Puuuuuurty!

Got in some unexpected Cyrillic practice. Red book says All of Andalusia and the bottom one Malaga: Costa del Sol. Hey, don’t want to lose those skills! 😉

There was a proper tourist info kiosk across from this stand, so I stood in line for ages to get a city map. Soon as the person ahead of me left, the clerk yelled in English, “We’re closed! Go away!” before slamming down her window. It was 1:55 and the sign said she should be open till two so I wasn’t having it. As soon as she stepped out the door, I chastised her in Spanish about closing early and told her I just wanted a map. She apologised profusely and got me one. All that for nothing, though, since the map was surprisingly crappy!

I finally found a bakery with reasonably priced sandwiches compared to what everyone else was charging for the same thing and got serrano ham on a whole grain bun. What I really wanted was a slice of real pizza, but I’ve accepted that such things do not come to pass in Spain. I think it says a lot about the state of fast food in this country that the restaurant with the longest queue was Burger King! There were a few places I could have had a menú del día, though, at a very reasonable price, but I’m trying to keep the food budget thin this week since I suspect I’ll be eating out quite a bit in Amsterdam.

At any rate, it was almost 2:30 by the time I got back to the alcazaba.

I immediately knew I was in for a treat. Just look at that gorgeous stone and brick work!

Málaga feels very lush.

So many orange trees!

I started to climb above the city.

Looking down to the port.

The Ferris wheel I passed on the bus.

A colosseum.

Loved the marble “bath tub”!

Notice that this roof is cross-shaped.

These marble columns were unexpected.

Everywhere I looked, some exquisite detail.

Found an interior room with heavy wooden shutters.

And heavy wooden doors.

Mossy roof.

I must have stared at this ceiling for a whole minute.

A recessed bench.

There were several of these pools. Watch your step!

Another impressive ceiling.

I couldn’t figure out what they cooked in this giant oven (el horno)…

Until I found an informational panel that made me realise it’s a kiln.

Love this floor!

I liked these blue roof tiles. Nice contrast to the terracotta I normally see.

I was surprised when I eventually circled back to the entrance. Alcazaba de Málaga was like a labyrinth!

I went out and was told I could go into the amphitheatre…

…and that the Castillo de Gibralfaro (Gibralfaro castle), which towers over the alcazaba and dates back to the 14th century, was open and also free on Sunday afternoons. My research told me that if you can only do one, do the alcazaba as there is a lot more to see and it is a very long hike up to the castle if you don’t have a car. Up I went because I have this weird OCD type thing where I can’t not climb up to a fortress if I have the option to do so.

The climb was steep and tiring after all the exploring I’d done in the alcazaba.

But the views were worth the effort!

These didn’t photograph well at all. They were red and orange.

There was a small museum at the top, but nothing really photographed well. It gave the history of the area and the castle’s role in city defences. One of the more interesting facts I read was about how the Germans blocked access to Málaga’s port during WWI, demonstrating how vulnerable the city is.

There wasn’t much to see outside and both my knees were killing me by this point thanks to the dampness. I have no idea how I did this sort of day when I was heavier, to be honest.

Here’s that Ferris wheel again.

Interesting tree.

It was raining by this point and sections like these were slick!

Little did I know, I was heading into a dead end!

This marble threshold was unexpected.

Looking back up.

Here’s another super steep and slick section.

Málaga…

I was able to navigate myself home through a different route without a map, to my immense surprise.

Here’s the back of that church by the hospital.

I think I will investigate the Ferris wheel since I’m apparently obsessed by it!

Look who I found! Do you recognise him? He visited Spain in 1862 and had many kind things to say about Málaga.

I think I just found the Málagan equivalent of Mexican Tositilocos: baked potatoes with everything on them…

I’d earned a gelato by this point and found a shop with several dozen flavours. The clerk asked where I’m from and when I said Canada, she recommended the peanut butter. LOL! But she was right! I haven’t had peanut butter since the Balkans so, dang, this really hit the spot! (By the way, look at my hand — it’s been five whole years this week that I quit biting my nails!)

Yet another lovely church…

Interesting artwork on the side of it.

Finally, some pretty blue tiles against a yellow wall.

I definitely managed to get a taste of Málaga this weekend and I look forward to doing some proper exploring tomorrow, especially if the promised sunny weather materialises!

December 13, 2016 by Rae

Almería After Dark

Late yesterday (Monday) afternoon, I still had about 30 minutes of work to do, but I needed a break and got hit with a case of claustrophobia. So I impulsively dressed for town and headed to the bus stop! Buses don’t run as often at that hour, but I only had to wait ten minutes for one, not enough time to talk me out my non-plan. 🙂

It was past four and just from the bus, I could tell I was about to discover a whole new Almería since there were businesses open that I’d never seen open before.

I got off at my usual stop and started ambling aimlessly, passing a restaurant with this quote outside that made me laugh really hard:

Notice 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!”

I was famished and decided to see if the fast food Turkish restaurant might be 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. 🙂 I really hadn’t gone to town to eat there, but I’m glad I splurged on dinner!

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.

The varied architecture is lovely.

A stature of Dr. Nicolás Salmerón y Alonso, president of the first Spanish Republic.

I’m really not into the whole holiday season thing, but who doesn’t like pretty lights?

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.

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 Mexico, it’s hard to find sensible shoes without heels in Spain. I 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.

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 what I’m hoping to find, so I actually stopped her to ask where she bought her coat. Madrid. That was not helpful. 😀

I’m staying with someone about my age in Málaga 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, Málaga is about five times bigger than Almería and gets more foreign tourists, so it definitely sounds like a better place to look. Anyway, I have a better idea now of what I’m looking for.

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.

I loved this pretty pink store and that grey coat would have been awesome, but, of course, it was the most expensive thing I’d seen all night (200 euros)! If I thought I might get regular use out of it beyond the next three months, I would have bought it, but since I don’t, I’d prefer to stick to my plan of buying something new for less than 60 euros or, ideally, at a used store for much less.

The sign in the window has a list of the owner’s wishes for 2017: peace, love, health, friendship, work, happiness, and prosperity.

I found an ice cream at one point and could not resist even though it was really not ice cream weather because it was chocolate-hazelnut, not a popular flavour here and one I’ll forever associate with the Balkans. A tiny scoop was reasonably priced.

While I had every intention of getting a beer to cap my night, I started to droop around seven and still had some work to do. So I went to the bus stop and a bus pulled up in less than five minutes!

The ride home would have been freaky in my early days here since it was pitch black out and for some reason, the stops weren’t being announced so it was hard to know where I was at times. The bus emptied out at the university, with just me remaining, and the driver asked if I knew where I was getting off. Yes. It’s very easy because the bus makes one turn after the university and I’m the stop immediately after that turn. Didn’t remember the name of it the stop, though, but he understood what I meant. It was then a walk of a couple of blocks to get home.

Almería after dark was a whole different world than I’ve been used to, much busier than in the earlier part of the day! I think Spaniards are vampires!

December 3, 2016 by Rae

A Lovely Saturday Morning in Almería

I slept the sleep of the dead (my room is pitch black and dead quiet if the wind isn’t blowing!), waking up at just shy of 10 this morning. Well, there went my plans to get on an “early” (9:30) bus to town! But, hey, this is Spain and things move slowly and I wasn’t going to let myself be rushed by this change of plans. 🙂 I made the 10:30(ish) bus with the plan to get partway to town and then walk along the Malecón.

I keep forgetting to mention that I live near the university, with the presence of a university being another reason I like Almería as a potential Spanish home should I move here.

I got off at the senior citizens home, which, like in French, is called a “home for those of the third age.”

It was supposed to be sunny today and good Malecón walking weather. At least, it wasn’t windy and the temperature was comfortable!

First stop was a shop to see if they had boots and a coat. Yes, but nothing I wanted. I need to shop in earnest for these items before I leave for Amsterdam as they will be much less expensive here, plus I’d rather land there with season appropriate clothes, never mind that I can actually describe to shopkeepers here what I want! There are a few used clothing stores that I am going to make a point to visit for the coat. And, yes, I should have no problem finding what I want here. I’m going to temps hovering above freezing so I’m not even looking for lined boots, just something leather that I can waterproof.

I had had only coffee at home and my tummy was growling when I came out of the store, so I went to the café right next door for sustenance. No complaints about breakfast in this part of Spain! 🙂 It was only 1.90 euros!

View from breakfast.

And then off I went towards downtown Almería.

Here’s an example of how you can make an area look better than it is if you select the right camera angle. So rather ugly with those light posts:

And rather paradisal without!

Interesting apartment building.

This “Indian” restaurant had a really varied menu! They do have Indian (Hindu) food on the right-most part of the menu, but they also have pasta, falafel, pizza, and chicken fingers.

Love the name of this ice cream parlour/café.

Looking back the way I came.

The water was so clear!

Can you see the lighthouse in the distance?

How about now?

Nearly there, I found some lovely flowers.

At the “nautical club,” I found this interesting subterranean entrance.

There’s another one.

And another!

This bridge leads to the “English Cable” (ore dock).

On the yellow entrance, I got some answers! They are entrances to parking garages. Quite a lot of instructions for getting to your car between midnight and 7AM. You can only enter at that time through the blue and green entrances.

I really like that brick bridge.

Rather sudden stop for the railway line!

Saddest forest I’ve ever seen… 🙂

The English Cable from beneath it.

Here’s the defunct Gran Hotel Almería.

The name of it tickles my fancy since I’m a fan of the Spanish show “Gran Hotel” and have been frustrated to not find the last season with (Spanish) subtitles. I got through the first two seasons without any issue, but I’m still not at the point where I can handle Spanish-language audio without the aid of subtitles, which can be in Spanish. I’m just more of a visual person. Anyway, this was a reminder to go search again as I was left on a cliff hanger!

The city was starting to be decorated for the holiday season.

The art museum was open and I had time to visit the exhibit about fashion at the time of Queen Isabel I (late 15th, early 16th century — the time of Christopher Columbus). Entry was 3 euros.

Can you believe this was a mere lady-in-waiting’s outfit?

All the informational placards were in Spanish only and I learned a lot of new vocabulary! My dictionary app got quite a workout. Most of the clothes in the exhibit were made of silk and/or cotton.

This dress belonging to a sultana was my favourite of the entire exhibit. Just love the teal with the purple and lime green (same colour scheme as my Isla casita my last winter there!).

More Moorish outfits.

Armour with a magnificent cloak.

More armour.

I saw some original 16th century documents signed by Carlos I himself regarding repairs to the fortress of Alcazaba after the earthquake of 1522. And other document that let me see the signatures of the “Catholic kings.”

The next room in the exhibit had clothes related to the court of Isabel I.

Why don’t we dress so beautifully anymore?!

I could see myself in this “simple” lady-in-waiting’s dress.

Queen Isabel’s coronation gown.

I learned that Queen Isabel like bright colours, stiff fabrics like taffeta, and also favoured brocades.

The final room was about the world of Isabel.

Love these knitted leggings. They seem to be in what I know as “point de sillon,” which is knit two, purl one.

Isabel’s mourning (luto) gown.

The dress she wore for her wedding to Ferdinand of Aragon.

Her books of prayers (rezos — told you I was learning a lot!).

I learned that the Catholic kings got control of Almería and forced out Muslims who would not convert.

Here’s Queen Isabel. Rather a shame they didn’t have a portrait of her in one of the dresses on display.

Queen Isabel was very interesting! She was a woman ahead of her time who put forth the interests of women in a world governed by men. She introduced Spain to the Renaissance and to the spread of Christianity through art, politics, and fashion. The sign I’m translating from also says she was the first queen in history to be queen in her own right and not a consort, with all the powers of a male sovereign, but surely they mean that for Spain only.

There were many signs that claimed that she was all for the rights of Native Americans and prevented them from being treated like slaves, proclaiming them humans equal to Europeans, but I took that with a grain of salt…

Familiar looking armour:

Spain was unified through the wedding of Isabel and Ferdinand, creating the strongest state in Europe at the time and the Spanish hegemony.

And here is Queen Isabel’s will… which spells out her defence of Native Americans. Wow!

Incredible inventions of the 14th century included the compass (brújula) and the astrolabe.

Finally in this museum, I saw a painting that made me think of early fall in Quebec when folks go apple picking (“aller aux pommes.”)

Here’s the coronation gown in the context of the museum. Well placed! I also loved the period appropriate music that played softly.

Exterior of the museum:

I next head towards the central market to pick up some produce when I came across this wonderful little street market! It’s that time of year. There were so many lovely things for sale and prices were very reasonable.

I saw these earrings marked just 2 euro and had to have them! The seller and I chatted for a bit since he was curious to know where I was from because he rarely sees non-Spanish tourists, especially in the off season. When I went to pay, he would only accept 1 euro!

Since I had dinner out last night, I didn’t need lunch out and so decided to get an ice cream. I went with cappuccino flavour, which, as expected, tasted very similar to a Tim Hortons iced capp.

I continued on to the central market and it was much busier than last time! I wanted a few things to turn a chicken carcass into broth and looked for someone who would sell me only two stalks of celery.

That was easily done and I also got a few other things from him since he had really nice produce, including grapes. My total was almost 5.50 euros and he would only accent 5, even with my having exact change! Have I mentioned recently just how lovely Almeríans are?!

I walked around a bit and saw something I haven’t seen in a very long time, romanesco, which I had discovered in Yukon of all places.

I felt a little silly walking around with the end of my celery sticking out of my bag. The seller had offered to cut it off, but it adds so much flavour to broth that I declined. He thought I hadn’t understood him and had held up a knife to mimic doing it. So I told him my plan (yay for knowing “caldo de pollo”) and he went, “Ah! Of course!” But I took him up on his offer to cut the greens off the carrots.

I popped into the Carrefour Market to get some soup noodles of some sort and stored my purchases in one of their little lockers (1 euro deposit).

As it turns out, the edible polystyrene is called “prawn bread.” I picked up some Chinese noodles on the same shelf.

I examined a full wall of “turrón,” which my dictionary informed me is nougat. Hard to resist!

Especially the marzipan!

My purchases were a bit heavy (I hadn’t brought the cart) and it was getting close to two, when everything closes, so I headed to a bus stop, where I had to wait 15 minutes. I made the mistake of riding home on a seat facing the wrong direction and got in feeling quite nauseated!

Here’s a map of my route today:

I couldn’t have asked for a more enjoyable Saturday morning off! Back to the grindstone tomorrow. 🙂

November 26, 2016 by Rae

A Drizzly Amble In Almería

I thought I was going to get the weekend off, but, of course, work came in, mostly because I’m the only person who usually works on weekends for that client and the client assumes I’m available! Because it is a holiday weekend in the U.S., I was told I had till Monday morning their time (evening my time) rather than their Sunday morning. They just about never have anything for me on my Monday because it’s still their Sunday and so I had thought to take Monday off. But since I got the extension and really needed a full day off I chose not to work today, Saturday, and then do the work on Sunday and Monday.

It was the first really cold night here. I went to bed in my thermals and added a second duvet to the bed. I was so comfortable I pretty much passed out at 11:30 and woke up at 8:00 this morning. I was in no rush to go anywhere. So I let the cat into the room and snuggled with her for almost a full hour while I checked my emails and Facebook on my iPad. She started to get fussy so I asked her if she was ready for breakfast. She promptly jumped off the bed and headed to the kitchen. But I was in no rush and was still lying there when she came back ten minutes later, jumped on me, got in my face, and yelled, “MEOW!!!”, which I’m pretty sure means, “I WANT BREAKFAST,” in cat.

I eventually got her sorted and made myself a nice breakfast of whole grain toast with hummus, sliced cherry tomatoes, and black olives, plus, of course, coffee. It was grey and drizzly, but I really wanted to go to town as this would be my first day since I got here that I’d have time to just amble aimlessly with no need to go back to work after. I did scratch my plans to get to about 3KM from downtown and walk along the malecón as the wind coming off the water was unpleasant, but figured I’d be okay a bit more inland.

It was almost 10:30 when I finally headed out. The buses run at the half hour on the weekends and the last Saturday bus had come around the hour and 45 minutes. Today, it came at just shy of 10:40.

With a sky this colour, a clearing was not likely!

I got off at my usual stop and didn’t get very far before ducking into a café for a second breakfast. I wanted a pastry since I’d had a healthy first breakfast. 🙂 This pastry with dried apples wasn’t huge and was very tasty!

The wind and rain let up by the time I got through the newspaper (not the one in the picture, as that just has sports coverage), so I headed towards the water.

I’m still trying to figure out what this sign is trying to say…

The courthouse.

This pedestrian street was commissioned and built in 1894 under the reign of Alfonso XIII. They had to reroute traffic to accommodate it.

This is the “cable inglés” (English cable), which was used to load ships with iron transported on trains. It is considered a work of art in steel construction and was built in Gustav Eiffel’s style.

These ferries go to the African continent. Melilla is a Spanish community on the African continent. I am investigating whether a visit to the environs of Nador might be a compromise to going to Marrakech as it’s only about 50 euros to get to Nador from Almería.

Shame these fountains aren’t working. I like the one with the sun.

Ambling westward towards the old city.

I loved how the flower boxes are themselves a work of art.

I ended up going through that arch to find myself in the heart of the old city.

Orange trees still awe me.

I love the tile work I see all over Almería.

Looking north to the fortress.

“We want free women.”

There are tons of play areas like these all over Almería.

They have age limits. The ones I’ve seen in my neighbourhood are for ages 11 and under. The one above is for ages 7 and younger.

A few play structures later, I found one for kids aged 9 and younger.

I love these big trees.

Coming back to Paseo de Almería, I found the Doña Pakyta art museum. It was free, but there was a 3 euro special exhibit. It was almost closing time, so I will come back to the special exhibit, but I had time to go upstairs check out the artwork.

There were were a bunch of paintings belonging to the “Indalo” movement, based on a local cave painting. This group of artists was the first of the avant-garde movement after the Spanish Civil War.

I really liked the rich texture of the oil paintings. I want to take up this pastime again when I get settled in Mexico. I think the colours there would really be inspiring!

“Terraces of Almería.”

I loved this floor that reminded me of a cross-stitch pattern.

This painting was really interesting. Look at the contrast of the super realistic grapes with the crude nature of the rest of the painting.

This is Place de la Concorde in Paris. So I’m guessing this, and not the Washington Monument, is what Almería is emulating.

Cramped buildings, old men on a bench (literally the title of this piece!), and laundry: this is “my” Europe.

“Almería, Joy of the Sea”

I wandered around some more and found this church, where there was a wedding.

I went around the back and found this graffiti-strewn alley.

Just as I came out of the alley, an older couple ran to me and asked me a question, sounding very panicky. I had a moment of Sherlock Holmesian brilliance and made a deduction based on their attire. “Are you looking for the wedding?” I asked. “YES!” the lady replied. I told them the church was on the other side of the building where we were standing and if they went to “that” street and turned right, they’d see the fancy black car parked in front of the church. I got about a thousand thank yous before they rushed off. Amazing timing, no?!

It was almost one by this point and I was famished, so I figured it was time to go home and have lunch. I passed this amusingly named store on the way to the bus stop, a play on the Spanish word for “home” and the word “emporium.”

And then I found… lunch. An American diner/UK café style restaurant with the kitchen open all day! I could not believe it!

The translation effort on the menu was worth a laugh. I mean, “Ask for our English (carta?)”?! LOL

I went for a burger and beer and… learned that burgers in Spain come with a fried egg! Good thing I’m not allergic and only have an intolerance to eggs! Thankfully, the egg came off easily and the flavour did not contaminate the meat, which was a real beef patty. There was also bacon and cheese. I haven’t had a real burger since Belgrade and dang did this one hit the spot! The fries were much better than they look.

There was no sauce on the burger, though, so I asked for mustard and was brought this:

I was nursing my beer and watching on TV the reports of Fidel Castro’s death when I was brought a piece of flan, that, of course, I had to politely decline. I requested a coffee instead (a “solo,” which is a single shot of espresso, no milk). The burger, beer, and dessert were a set price (8.50 euros) and coffee is extra, but the server told me that since I didn’t have dessert, they were not charging me for the coffee. I think this is a fairly standard decision since I often see menú del días that say, “and dessert OR coffee.”

As I was heading out, I heard the server speak English to some other customers! I have not heard English while out and about since I got here! It was really strange!

It was raining quite hard when I got out of the restaurant, so I just hurried to the bus stop. The electronic sign there told me my bus would be coming in 26 minutes, but one pulled up after 4 minutes after I arrived! I had to stand most of the way home.

Here’s a map showing some of my stops today:

It was such a lovely day despite the weather. Finding lunch was such a bonus!

November 23, 2016 by Rae

In Which I Make It to Almería’s Mercado Central

I thought I’d be out of work today, but, nope, more came in! I still decided to take today off and power through on Thursday so I could go to town today during what I’ve ascertained to be the optimal hours: 10 to 2. I was overdue for a day off and a change of scenery and was out of some groceries that I can’t find at the shop here or at Mercadona in La Cañada. I also needed cash and a top up for my phone and hoped that the Mercado Central would be open.

I managed to be out the door before 10 and got to the bus stop just as a bus was pulling up! I got off at the start of Paseo de Almería, a main thoroughfare, so I could go to the Deutsche Bank. Again, that’s the bank in Spain where I can withdraw money with my Scotiabank card without paying any fees.

There was a Vodafone store almost right next door and I popped in to ask about a phone top up. They were slammed and the attendant told me she couldn’t help me and to go to a bank! I decided to try somewhere else. No, I cannot top up online because you need a Spanish credit card. I believe that’s for the same reason most countries require prepaid SIMs to be registered against a passport: to fight terrorism by making it more difficult to get “burner” phones.

I then tried a phone reseller that doesn’t just do Vodaphone and she told me that I had to top up with the same amount as I’d originally paid, 20 euros! That was not going to happen since it’s not like I’m out and about that much. If I do stay in Spain through the New Year, then I’ll revisit that question. And as it turns out, you can buy phone top ups at most ATMs. Huh.

The Mercado Central was open!

The top floor had produce, meats, cheeses, olives, assorted groceries, baking, and a little café.

It was much “neater” and orderly than the Mexican markets I’ve been to. I was able to look at things without any pressure.

The café can cook up your purchases!

I’d hoped to get a second breakfast in town and the café wasn’t intimidating. I ordered a café cortado and toast with tomato.

My coffee came in a glass and was perfect.

I read the provincial paper as I waited for my food. Like anyone in their right mind, Spaniards are bothered by Trump’s dressing down of the media and what it means for freedom of speech and a free press in the U.S.

My toast came. The first one of these I had had chunks of tomato, but this was just pulp. Still very tasty, especially with olive oil, a bit of salt, and lots of black pepper! The bread was very nice, kind of like a ciabatta. This is such a good breakfast and I’m so grateful my host introduced me to it.

One thing I like about eating out in Spain is that you are not rushed out the door. I wasn’t done with the paper when I’d finished eating and there was no pressure for me to leave. I just sat and kept reading till I was done. There was a fascinating article about a man who survived 438 days lost at sea near the Marshall Islands.

I then went shopping for some produce. No one had grapefruit (!), which, by the way, is “pomelo” here, not “toronja,” but a few people had dragonfruit (pitahaya).

The vendor who had the freshest looking ones had a lot of other nice produce, so I started with him. I asked for a half kilo of cherry tomatoes (had no idea how much that would be, to be honest, but it ended up being the perfect amount!) and he let me sample them. Yum! I wanted a leek, but didn’t know the name, so “the green and white thing to the left of the celery” did the trick. Puerro! He offered to cut off the green part, but I love it, so I declined. I got a few other things, including carrots and onions.

I then wanted some grapes and found a vendor who had some really nice ones. I was again allowed to sample them first.

Then, I headed downstairs to check out the very impressive fish market. I apologise for the terrible pictures!

There’s a small grocery store on the fish level.

I’d left home with my little grocery cart, so I didn’t have to carry my shopping. Isn’t my host thoughtful to have provided it? The cart itself is very light and easy to manoeuvre.

I went back upstairs and ogled the olives for a bit.

There were some lovely cut flowers.

I wandered a bit around the exterior of the mercado and found these grocery carts for sale. I like that pink and white striped one!

Next stop was going to be Lidl. En route, I found some nice artwork at the entrances to two parking garages.

I found myself on the pedestrian street with the “Washington monument.” I looked for a plaque that would explain it, but there was none.

Almería is very pedestrian and cyclist friendly. Just follow the red brick path!

The Lidl here was rather disappointing compared to the one I went to in Sofia. It was mostly a luxury premade goods at a bargain price store and I didn’t find some of the staples I was looking for, like unsweetened almond milk. But I did find some nice cheddar and a vacuum packed roast chicken like I got once in Bulgaria that was very good, so the detour was not for, well, naught.

Like in the Balkans, grocery stores here have a parking space for your cart. You need to give 1 euro deposit, which you get back. When you pay for your groceries, you can put everything back in your big cart or basket, bring it here, and then pack your cart, saving you from having to fiddle with bags. When I shopped in Sofia, I would put everything back into my basket, go to a counter like this, set my backpack on it, and then load up the bag. This keeps the checkout lines moving quickly.

Since I still didn’t have much in the way of groceries, I decided to go to the “Carrefour Market” on Almería that I’d passed on the way to the Mercado. I took a different route there to see more of downtown.

I liked the contrast of that very neat apartment building and the mess across the street.

Found the lovely San Sebastián church.

There was a neat tree out front.

This contrast of architectural styles reminded me of Sofia.

Love this pink building!

The Carrefour Market was tiny and had almost nothing, which surprised me. I thought I must be missing something since there wasn’t even regular milk. So I asked and was told there were two other floors! Oops! The basement had junk food and drinks, the main floor had the deli, some dairy, produce, and premade foods. Upstairs was what you would normally find in the centre of a grocery store.

They had piles of almond milk, but none without sugar. Since I found sugar-free cereal, I decided to go with a container of sweetened milk and was pleased that they had a the same brand I could sometimes get in Yablanista as it really tastes like almonds. I’ve had bad luck with some brands being very chalky. The big Carrefour had the sugar-free in the brand that I like and can get in Canada, the US, and Mexico (Almond Breeze) and I’m kicking myself for having bought only the two containers.

One thing I was super happy to find was another jar of Tikka Masala sauce! I also scored some whole wheat pasta (surprisingly hard to find), and a pizza with barbecue rather than tomato sauce (surprisingly popular in Spain) for just 1.50 euros.

It was about 1:30 by this point and I was hungry again. I went to the bakery area to get something to munch on while waiting for the bus and selected an empanada with curried chicken. The clerk offered to heat it up for me and said that if I paid for it right there, I could eat it right away at their lunch counter rather than wait. Awesome! It was a little light on the chicken, which didn’t surprise me, but the curry sauce was really yummy and a flavour I haven’t had in a very long time.

I then paid for my groceries and loaded my cart. It was full! But I do have to note that I’d bought a pack of toilet paper at Lidl (on mega sale), and that took up quite a bit of space!

When I’d left home this morning, it had been very damp and cold after a solid 24 hours of rain. By the time I came out of the supermarket, it was warm and sunny — ice cream weather! So I stopped at the heladería I’d discovered my first time in Almería and asked for a small scoop of “cheesecake.” The server was very generous! Calories don’t count in such circumstances! I found a bench and took my time savouring my treat.

The bus stop was just a couple of blocks later and I came up just as my bus was pulling up. Talk about good timing today! Since I had my cart, I had to stand all the way home, but I was able to lean against a wall, so that was fine.

The cat was sitting on the roof of my host’s car as I came around the corner. When she saw me, she let out a very indignant meow since I was an hour late giving her her 1PM treat! So I did that before unpacking my groceries. She’s curled up against me now, so I think I’m forgiven!

Here’s my gorgeous dragonfruit:

What a lovely day it’s been! I’ll pay for it tomorrow, but it’s done me a world of good. Almería was a whole other world between 10 and 2!

Before I close out this post, I want to make something very clear. Frustrated as I am by the Spanish schedule, I have to emphasise that I really like Almería!!! It is a beautiful city with a very walkable downtown core, lots of green spaces, a super friendly population, good public transportation, and an affordable cost of living. If I do manage to eventually move to Spain (easiest country for me to get residency and eventually an EU passport), even without having seen much more of this country, I could very well imagine myself in Almería. It ticks a lot, if not all, of my boxes. I still can’t believe I was fortunate enough to get this sit!

A Life By Design

"Sometimes in life, we reach to a right place by departing from a wrong port with a wrong ship!" ~ Mehmet Murat Ildan

City Tours

A Quiet and Dreary Weekend in Málaga

Almería After Dark

A Lovely Saturday Morning in Almería

A Drizzly Amble In Almería

In Which I Make It to Almería’s Mercado Central