Maybe some of you were Girl Scouts (which I guess nowadays is just Scouts), but those were the lyrics of a song we were taught. “Make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold.”

I always become nostalgic as I’m preparing to leave Spain for the summer, and this time I’ve been thinking about friendship. When I first came to Spain six years ago I knew exactly no one. After a couple of years, I wrote in a blog that I had seven friends. It’s taken some effort, but I have a lot more now. Joining the U3A expat group was a big help. I did that after the pandemic when I, like many people during that time, felt lonely. My neighbor and I would chat in the garden 10 feet apart once or twice a week, but that was it. Then one day I met a man who was living nearby in his second residence during the confinement. We were walking in the same direction and started chatting. After that we walked together every day for a couple of months. I feel like he kind of saved my life. Plus I got to practice speaking Spanish every day. I rarely see him these days, as we’ve both returned to our regular lives, and he’s younger and working and busy.

I say it’s taken some effort because I had to join the U3A group on my own to meet fellow expats. A few are American, but others come from countries in the UK, the Netherlands, Iceland, Canada, Norway, and France. I’ve also met a coterie of international characters in my Catalan class. My Catalan coffee buddy has introduced me to other Catalan learners in Begur, and I’ve also reached out to other neighbors. I am fairly extroverted, but it’s taken A WHILE!! I finally feel like I have a community here. I love it! These are my silver friends and those in the States whom I will see soon are GOLD!!

The other day in front of the grocery store I met a guy walking his pet goat named Xavi. The goat has his own Instagram page…Xavigoat.

I’m off to the States for a couple of months to see friends and spend some quality time with those grandchildren!! This is probably my last post until September when I return to Begur, so have a good summer everyone!

I may have mentioned that I’m a somewhat avid and competitive Scrabble player. Ok, I do have a few of my own rules that don’t coincide with the traditional ones, but that’s the way I play and so do some of my friends.

I didn’t realize how competitive I was until the day I threw the board against the wall. My opponent was already 50 points ahead, which was getting under my skin, and then he played all seven of his letters for a word with a lot of points plus the extra 50 points one gets for using all seven letters. I couldn’t handle it. So, if you play with me in person, beware!!

I play at least twice a week, sometimes more. On Saturdays I play with some ladies from the expat group. If the Indian woman isn’t there, I win. If she’s there, I sometimes win. She’s very good! I play online with a friend another time during the week. There’s a website (maybe more than one) called Internet Scrabble Club where you can play against a friend when you both log in and choose to match one another, or you can play against a stranger, which I’ve never done, yet anyway. We’re pretty evenly matched so it’s a good challenge.

My neighbor was curious about all the Scrabble I was playing so I bought a Spanish board from Amazon. The Spanish game has some different letters like double “l” and double “r,” the “ch,” and “ñ”. There is no “k” or “w” because these only occur in foreign words and therefore are prohibited. There is a different letter distribution, and some have different values, for instance, the “q” is only worth 8 points versus 10 points in the English version. Probably no one reading this is interested, but I stumbled across a weird Wikipedia page that describes the letter distribution of the game in all the languages in which it is available. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrabble_letter_distributions

Because my neighbor had never played Scrabble before, I won handily. The next time we played though, he’d gotten the hang of it, and I didn’t have a chance. Then, my Catalan tutor discovered a Catalan version online, so we played and the same thing happened. Because she’d never played Scrabble before, I won. Mind you, I won using some two and three letter words like “me,” “de,” and “per.” But a win is a win and in another language, I think it should count twice.

The expat organization here has a new Wine Appreciation Group and we had a private tasting led by one of the sommeliers at the giant wine store near me. I may have mentioned in previous blogs that about 10 minutes from Begur is a ginormous wine store. I’m not sure why it’s here in the middle of nowhere, but we’re lucky to have it! It’s a family-run business and the store and warehouse operate as a distribution center for wines throughout my province of Girona, and all of Catalunya and Spain. One of my favorite places! and the people are so nice.

A couple of years ago, when the store was packed with customers, some thieves entered the exclusive area where the super expensive stuff is kept, broke into the secure glass vault, and stole nine bottles of some of the world’s most expensive wines worth a total of about 120,000€. Some staff members discovered what was going on and chased them through the store. There is store video showing one of the three robbers vaulting Tom Cruise-style across the counter of one of the store’s checkouts to escape. Store personnel actually ran after them through the parking lot and across the street to where the three thieves hopped into a getaway car. It’s thought that the robbery was commissioned. It was definitely one of the most exciting things to happen around here in a while! And needless to say, no guns were involved.

Besides noticing all of the comings and goings at the Russian’s house, the other day, I saw a man on the balcony of the house two doors down from the Russian, wearing a giant unicorn head. Yes! And I always thought I lived on a quiet cul-de-sac!

It looked sort of like this! It creeped me out. The only explanation I could think of was children’s birthday party, but there are no kids there.

And the lettuce!! These babies are enormous! The one below is a small one. I almost can’t get them into the plastic bag! And I love the locally grown pink onions. The town markets are obviously the best source of fresh, local produce, but even the grocery stores offer a very good selection and our newest store, Ametller Origen, a kind of Catalan Whole Foods Market, is my go-to now.

Randomly, I was at the hardware store looking for some kind of kitchen device, when I saw this. It’s for quail eggs! That should come in handy. Bet the manufacturer is making a fortune!

My town, Begur, has four big festivals a year, the Festival of Indians in September (I wrote about this annual homage to the families of Begur who made their fortunes in Cuba and returned in “Departure/Arrival” https://wordpress.com/post/susiessenioryearabroad.blog/28), the film festival in October where the main street in town is covered by a red carpet all week, the Carmen Amaya festival (I also wrote about this flamenco festival in “Culture and Dysfunction” https://wordpress.com/post/susiessenioryearabroad.blog/3070), and

the most recent, the Rockfish festival, which lasts for the whole month of May. Area restaurants offer special menus featuring rockfish in every conceivable form, from croquettes to grilled to puréed (like hummus). I love to take part in the local festivities! Especially when food is involved. Wink.

Update on the Russian spy: his car (the primary car in play) now has Spanish plates. This is not so suspicious as it seems any car from outside of the EU owned by a resident of Spain would need to be registered. But, later on the same day that I noticed the new plates, it was gone and a SEAT with Spanish plates was in the garage. Also, last week I saw a woman, two teenagers, and a dog on the balcony, and I saw the woman later parking a different car in the garage. Then, in two days they were gone. Writing about it is giving me a permanent record of the events should it ever become necessary for evidence!

Update on the arm: My doctor agreed that my arm is sufficiently healed that I can lead a “normal” life, but he suggested that I continue to take advantage of the physical therapy sessions he prescribed, which I am doing. I’d say I’m probably 90% there and at last I can put my hair up when it’s bothering me!!

Note right arm raised and hair up!

April 23rd is Sant Jordi Day in Catalunya. It’s been called the Catalan Valentine’s Day, but it really isn’t. I told the story in a blog last year, “Feliç Diada de Sant Jordi.”(https://wordpress.com/post/susiessenioryearabroad.blog/2022). It’s different from Valentine’s Day in a few ways, but in one striking way. It’s not commercialized, or at least to the extent that the U.S. commercializes holidays. I went to Barcelona coincidentally the Sunday before Sant Jordi Day to spend the day with a friend. I knew Sant Jordi was coming up the following Tuesday, so I expected to see book stands and flower stands throughout the city. But no, they only celebrate it ON THE DAY. Shoot, in the States they start advertising for Valentine’s Day as soon as they take the Christmas decorations down! Cards, flowers, candy, lingerie, are advertised on TV, billboards, online, everywhere for weeks or months in advance. (Don’t get me started on Christmas!). This may be changing somewhat, at least in Barcelona, where booksellers are going to be required to pay a relatively high tax for their stalls making it more difficult or impossible for the small book dealers.

Some of the flower stalls set up on the street currently are operated by non-profit groups. Whoa. Are the businesses missing out on cashing in!! Of the total amount of roses sold, about 40% are sold by professional florists, and the remaining 60% are sold by associations and charities for fundraising purposes.  The day does generate considerable economic activity for authors, publishers, and booksellers, but the emphasis is on the books – physical books. Sant Jordi is a celebration, but above all it is a booksellers’ festival. In Catalonia almost ten percent of a year’s revenue from book sales comes in that day. And the act of giving books isn’t just for couples: parents give books to their children, friends give books to each other. No longer gender-based, friends, couples, and family now give one another books. As one journalist put it, it’s Valentine’s Day for nerds.

April 23 has also been designated International World Book Day. The date coincides with the death of Miguel de Cervantes and William Shakespeare both in 1616. During Franco’s regime, Sant Jordi celebrations were prohibited in Catalunya. I think that is one reason why the tradition is so beloved by Catalans now.

The weather here has been very mild all winter, so when we had a couple of warmer days about a month ago, I packed up my coats and most of my sweaters. April Fools! Winter returned. Someone recently told me – never put your winter clothes away until after Sant Jordi Day. They were right! It’s warming up now, a little.

Coincidence??? After I wrote two weeks ago about the suspicious Russian man living nearby, I haven’t seen his Russian car. There was a car with French plates for a couple of days during which time I saw two guys on the balcony (neither was “the guy”) and they were speaking to one another in British English (native), which I heard when I was walking my dogs. Where does the Russian go? and his car? What are the other cars about? Then yesterday, the car with Hungarian plates was back. This is far from over, but I’ll refrain from overdoing the surveillance and reporting …I did use binoculars the other day to look from my kitchen window… Obsession? I hope I can crack the case one day!

My arm is way better. I can pull a suitcase, carry groceries, and walk the dogs on their leashes. Pulling my hair back is still slightly out of my reach! But I am hopeful. My doctor, an orthopedist, who is referred to here as a traumatologist, told me early on that my arm would never be the same as when I was younger and that I would have to ask for help to put a lightbulb in the ceiling. The timing of multiple visitors here prevented me from being able to fully take advantage of the physical therapy sessions he prescribed. When I told him all my travel plans, he said that it would be bad for my arm, but good for my soul. OMG, what a charming European thing to say! At my last visit, he reassured me that it was not too late for me to improve my range of motion. I hope to report further progress soon!

I say dangerous because I’m back on the road and I received several traffic tickets. I think they are actually from before the broken arm, but I’m quite beside myself. Traffic cameras are ubiquitous…it’s not fair! I think I’m going to contact a “gestor” here – a person who is not an attorney but who deals with administrative bureaucracy on behalf of a client. Their fees are reasonable. I definitely need help. The certified letters I received are all in Catalan, and although I can carry on simple conversations, the legal/bureaucratic language is beyond me.

The drought is still happening here in Catalunya. We have the sea, but there’s been so little rain that pretty severe restrictions are being enforced. The reservoir that serves a big chunk of Catalunya was at 16% of its capacity, but since receiving some rain recently, is up to 17%.

The town that was flooded when the reservoir was created is now fully visible.

Emergency restrictions have been implemented in over 200 municipalities, including Barcelona.  The maximum amount of water allowed per person per day was reduced to 200 liters. Watering your garden with water from the mains is prohibited and you can no longer wash your car or top off your pool. In agriculture, irrigation was reduced by 80%, and livestock water use was cut in half. Water use for industrial and urban purposes was reduced by 25%. For recreational activities water use is prohibited, with some exceptions. Irrigation of public or private gardens will be allowed only if groundwater or recycled water is used. Public pools may be partially replenished if the water used is offset by water conservation measures. Trees will only be irrigated with residual waters to guarantee their survival.

Below on the left is the swimming pool at the apartment complex above me. It looks like poop water! I’m not sure why ours still looks so good, but I’m not complaining!

40+ years later

In the 1970’s I lived in Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol for a year. Life was fun and carefree. Every day began between noon and 2:00 p.m. with a few hours on the beach baking in the sun, reading, and working the International Herald Tribune crossword puzzle. After dinner meant drinks with the owners, employees, and friends of O Mamma Mia Pizzeria, followed by dancing at the discotheque till dawn and breakfast at the hotel café afterwards. Those were the days!

Those were also the days when the town of Fuengirola had far fewer inhabitants and tourists. Fuengirola then was hardly a small fishing village, but now, it seems like an extension of the British Isles! So many Brits! Some of my best friends are Brits! Ha ha. But all of the Costa del Sol now feels like a foreign place, not a part of Spain. It just made me so thankful I made the decision to move to Catalunya and the Costa Brava! I hope I’m not offending any readers with ties to or a love of Andalucía. I still love it too, but I need to be far from the madding English-speaking crowd! It’s such a shame because there is so much history, beauty, and culture in Andalucía – the Alhambra in Granada, the Mezquita in Córdoba, the Alcázar in Sevilla, plus the fairs, the flamenco, the sun. But unbounded tourism has really hurt it and I think it has lost a lot of its appeal, at least to me.

But my recent trip to the south also included several highlights: an odd museum in Málaga that combines classic cars and fashion (weird combo to appeal to women?)…

The cars were fantastic. It reminded me of the exhibit at the Houston Museum of Fine Arts a few years ago that I saw three times because the cars were so beautiful and I wanted to show it to friends.

Then there were the lush green, rolling hills in the province of Cádiz, with Africa in the background..

And there’s an out-of-the-way wind-surfing spot in Tarifa at the Straits of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic. In March, it was almost deserted…quite the opposite of the Costa del Sol…

As you can see below, it is still green here in Catalunya, but the drought is enduring. We’ve had some rain, but not enough to make up for three years of drastically reduced amounts of rainfall. In Barcelona, I saw signs everywhere, many in English, to remind residents and tourists to save water, but especially tourists who may not be aware of the situation. Residents are aware of the restrictions in place and the strong penalties for over-use of water. As they say, water water everywhere…

P.S. My arm is better. I can finally drive myself and I can take the curves just as fast with one arm as I can with a fully functioning two!

It feels a little like I’ve been re-living the pandemic…stuck at home with little to do, wearing no make-up and sweatpants every day. I’d been blowing and going since some time in December – a whirlwind trip to the U.S. that included Texas, California, and Florida, multiple doctor appointments, and visits with lots of friends. Then, on return to Begur, for two weeks I jumped back into my routine of classes, Petanca, meetings, and meals out with friends. Then, boom, I fell and broke my arm.

I have private insurance here in Spain, which I am required to have in order to obtain/maintain my residency visa. On the day I fell, while I was on the way to the Emergency Room, I called the insurance company to obtain whatever authorization I needed, and I was told to go to the hospital in Girona. That’s an hour from where I live! And there is a hospital about 20 minutes from me in Palamós, just 15 minutes from where I was when I called. My arm hurt and I was scared. I did not want to go to Girona, and had no intention of doing so. That meant I would have to pay for my care. I was given an X-ray, saw an ER doctor, placed in a sling, and given a prescription for some analgesic medication. It was 350€ ($378). I can only imagine how much it would have cost in the U.S. I’ve had a couple of follow-up doctor appointments at that hospital at 50€ each, and a CAT scan for 120€. I’m still under $1,000! My Catalan neighbor thought this was expensive!! This just pushes all my buttons about how messed up the U.S. healthcare system is because citizens in most Western countries have a right to health care. Period.

During this time of disability, I learned to compensate in various ways using my teeth, my legs, my shoulder, and even my underarm to open a wine bottle with the two-armed opener. And I looked up and found on the internet (there is everything there!) how to put your hair in a ponytail if you only have one arm. That woman was amazing, but I never mastered it. Anyway, my arm is stronger every day, but it’s still uncomfortable and I’m still homebound because I can’t drive. I have a long list of errands to run once I can get behind the wheel again! Because I live at the end of a long and very winding road to get to the nearest town, it seems dangerous to try to maneuver with one arm. So, I wait… Enough whining.

Some friends have stepped up to drive me to my Catalan class twice a week, which is about 30 minutes from my apartment. One day recently, the class went to a wine tasting (10:00 a.m.!!) at a nearby winery. The tour and discussion was all in Catalan, which was the point. The winery is one of four located in a valley near the sea where farmers still practice traditional family farming. The Molla family that owns the winery has held onto the property without interruption since 1338!!! Since that time, they have produced artisanal wine in wooden barrels using no chemicals. They do not even use irrigation techniques. They sell their natural wines (red, white, rosé, and sparkling) directly from the farm and only to established local clients. The family member who gave the tour explained that a viticulturist who came to study the grapes growing in their vineyard discovered over 30 varieties of grapes, seven of which exist no where else in the world today.

The Molla family truly reaps what they sow, with only what hard work and nature provide. The results are a unique product – each barrel each year produces a different taste. It’s an amazing place, a business unlike any of our time.

One-liter bottles, no label. Pure and simple and good.

So, besides my bi-weekly classes of Catalan in a classroom setting, and my bi-weekly online classes of Catalan with my tutor, I now have a weekly coffee date with a volunteer from the program created by a Consortium to promote the study of Catalan language. You’d think I’d be totally fluent by now!! Ha ha.

My coffee partner is a local Catalan businessman with a family who lives and works in my town, and who has great pride in his Catalan culture and language and wants to share it with others who are interested in learning it. He’s so enthusiastic and eager to share his insights into the language and everything about the Catalan way of life. One day we went to the supermarket together and talked about food in Catalan. And he’s the one who unfortunately was first to the scene when I fell, and he wound up driving me to the hospital while we spoke in Catalan, Spanish and English because I was so shaken up.

Last week my coffee guy was asked to do an interview on the local radio station about the volunteer program. Besides me, he also teaches a class of parents from the school who are from other countries or other parts of Spain. The students themselves are taught some percentage of the day in Catalan, a language some of their parents do not speak. Today he told me the radio station has offered him a weekly program and one day he’d like to interview me on-air about my experiences in learning Catalan. How funny would that be?

It finally happened…what I’ve feared and what my doctor has warned me about… I tripped in the square in town (a little public humiliation was the icing on the cake!) and broke my right arm. On Ground Hog Day. Fortunately, I’m ambidextrous!

Just kidding! I’m right-handed and it’s a pain in the ass and I’m trying to figure it out! It’s going to be awkward for a while! I don’t have the skill or energy to type a full blog post solely with my left hand, so I’ll have to leave my big ideas for another day.

I gotta say how grateful I am to friends who took me to hospital, sat with me, drove my car, shopped for me, and are watching my dogs! It’s taking a village…

I despise being helpless! Below is my grocery list written with my left hand, and pitiful me in a sling!

Hopefully, I’ll be back to normal soon!!

I just got back from a month in the US, celebrating Christmas and New Year’s with family and welcoming the newest member, Monty, to the clan.  I am so lucky! Below are from youngest to oldest, Monty, Goose, and Gordie. 

Several observations reminded me that I should update my list of pro’s and con’s of living in Spain vs living in the US. Below are some small things, but ones that make a difference in everyday life:

Pro’s for US

• The gas pump runs automatically so I don’t have to hold it the whole time; when it’s cold outside, I can sit in the heated car!
• My coffeemaker makes a full cup of coffee
• Grocery bags are free

Pro’s for Spain

• The grocery store is not freezing, so I don’t have to wear a coat to shop, and I don’t need an attendant’s assistance to buy alcohol at the self checkout!
• The wait staff in restaurants let you enjoy your meal or just a coffee and stay as long as you like
• The restaurant bill and the grocery receipt are not astronomical!!!

I think one of the biggest pro’s for Spain is the price of food. I went to the grocery store today and I bought two types of sliced cheese, yogurt, six eggs, salami, a head of lettuce, an orange, an apple, two mandarins, a coke, garbage bags, peanut butter, and butter. Guess the price…24€/$26. 

So, I went online to my local grocery store in Houston and added all of the same items to my bag, and guess the price…38€/$42. It makes a difference! I think the price difference at restaurants is even greater!

I’m glad to be back home in Catalunya!! Happily readjusting…

As Christmas approaches, the hams come out!! Florencio Sanchidrián, (pictured below) is widely recognized as one of the world’s greatest cortadores de jamón (ham cutters). If you are interested, this video produced by The New York Times is interesting… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eft3LIlHU0Y. A rock star of the ham world (yes, he’s been called that!!), he travels the globe slicing the thinnest slivers possible and commanding a fee of €3,700 ($4,000) a ham. His clients have included Barack Obama, George W. Bush, a couple of Popes, Robert Redford, and Al Pacino. The most expensive hams in the world sell for $4,500 per leg. The most expensive leg ever sold was for €11,881 in Japan. See my prior blog, “Hams,” to read about types of ham. This is the guy!

Another fun fact, research has shown that ham from Iberian pigs fed on an acorn diet provides a rich source of oleic acid, so the mono-unsaturated fat in the ham actually lowers bad cholesterol.  Only virgin olive oil has a higher oleic acid, hence the local nickname for the pigs as “olives on legs.”

Stupidly, this week, I bought a bunch of packs of vacuum-packed, fancy, expensive sliced ham to take to the States for gifts before I figured out you can’t take it into the US unless it’s FDA-approved. Damn. I remembered, after the fact, that a friend told me there were ham dogs at the airport. They weren’t looking for drugs, just ham!

New Shitters 2023!

The new shitters are out for 2023! See my prior blog on “Poopers.” Yep, every year they bring out some newbies. I’m not surprised Barbie or Netanyahu and Elon Musk would join the group this year, but Cleopatra? Why has she been passed over in the past? Has she been in the headlines lately? Weird.

Tonight I wandered through Barcelona. It’s a beautiful city every day, but it’s very beautiful at Christmas. I’d been wanting to go see the Sagrada Familia at Christmas-time for years, so tonight, I walked there after dinner and took in all the magic. 

Have the happiest of holidays!!! I’m off to the U.S. tomorrow for the birth of my third grandson and to celebrate with family. Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad, Joyeux Noel and Bon Nadal to all!! I’ll be back at ya…