Spain

It is not that the beaches here aren’t nice; the water is cool and clear, the sand is raked clean daily and the facilities are impressive, it is the CROWDS, and it is not even summer or the holiday season yet!

There are thousands of people, all trying to claim a place on the sand. It is almost impossible to walk through, without flicking sand on someone.
There are groups of teenagers all armed with their MP3 players and mobile phones, groups of pale German/Swiss/English tourists who will perhaps regret their day at the beach tomorrow, as well as a lot of coconut oiled locals. There is hardly a hat in sight - the Cancer Council obviously hasn’t had much impact here.

The CROWD consists of all shapes and sizes and no one is shy. Topless bathing is very popular, even regrettably among the older, larger, and very old, very large group. It is very disconcerting for me, let alone Max (15 years) not knowing where to look or how to avoid such sights.

But when you finally muscle your way in between a few other towels, lie down, get out your book or close your eyes, you could almost image you are somewhere else … except for the general chatter of voices, phones, people signally to lost others their location and vendors battling their way through the crowd selling ‘beer-cerveza-icecream-helado-water-agua?’ in every language.

There are chairs you can hire, windsurfers and small sail boats for the adventurous, fixed volleyball courts for the athletic, toilets, outdoors showers, cafes on the edge of the sand from which drift tempting seafood smells and the sound of enthusiastic diners.

No many people are in the water though – the waves are nothing to talk about and I only saw one lifeguard for the entire beach! Only very few (probably foreign beachgoers like us venture into the deeper, open water. Jeff’s feet even float and that is saying something. –it is very salty.

We have joined a Video club to satisfy our needs to watch undubbed movies. It is very different though – no ailse of movies to select from , no people to direct you, no popcorn – it is more like an ATM – a machine in a wall. You have to put in credit and get a members card and pass word and then you have 24 hour access to their video library. You can search by genres, actors, etc and it keeps a track of films you have previously borrowed. The minimum cost at out place is 1.50 euro (about $2.25) for 6hours, or more for 12 hours, 24 hrs, 2 days and so on.
We thought there were no video shops at all to start with but now have oticed these video banks in the wall all around the place.

The TV offers about 10 real channels free to air plus a few other very sus info-commercial channels and even like classified ad channels. Some are in Spanish and some are in the local Catalan language. All the movies are dubbed which is a bit disappointing– even The Simpsons and Desperate Housewives but not Sesame Street. Sandra Bullock is in almost every move we have seen so far – either they really like her or it is ‘Sandra Month’.

We have been to one movie at a cinema where they show movies in ‘original version’ ie English for us. Yeah!! The cinema complex was enormous with 15 theatres, but I don’t know how they survive as there was only us 3 and one other person when we went to see – you guessed it Sandra Bullock in ‘ Premonition’. The movie was pretty good tough and nice to be able to hear the real voices.

The cinema had a meal deal with the Bocata Chain next door (Spanish version of Subway) so we got a meal included in the ticket price.

There is a price to pay for living in a big city – high rise living. The reduced size of the living area is not the real issue – it is the complete lack of a back or front yard and no grass, trees or flowers, no swings or trampolines, definitely no pool. Any ‘backyard activities’ are now the realm of the 1 x 3m balcony.

Hanging the washing now becomes an extreme sport as you lean over the balcony gripping clothes and pegs. The washing hangs on lines you can pull in and out to move the clothes further along and hang others on. It is a mystery to me though what happens to the odd peg or sock that never returns from an expedition to the outer reaches of the clothesline. I guess people on the ground floor never have to buy pegs and have an intriguing collection of unmatched socks and under wear.

Most people also have an alternative hanging space in a shared air/light shaft for all the bathrooms/laundries on the same floor. Max scored this very attractive view from his bedroom window.

As well as drying clothes, you can often see bicycles stored with their wheels hanging over the railing. Potted plants are high on the list of balcony additions. People on lower floors have to dodge the drops from pots above though. Unused furniture, plus the kitty or doggy litter tray often fills up the remaining space on the balcony. Considering this is such a built up area with the average height of buildings about 10 stories, I am amazed that there are so many dogs - and not just little ones.

There is a big commercial market here for pampered pooches; special foods, coats, leads and collars, shampoos, trims and lots of treats. The doggies are taken out to the local park a couple of times a day. It’s not quite the same as lying around the backyard in shade, or chasing the cat or postman as they feel like it though. I am pleased to see that most of the owners here are very responsible about collecting anything left by their animal, but the grassy areas are not where I would choose to walk or sit now that I have seen the dogs at work.

Given Spain’s recent history, I am pleased to see security measures in place and police, and security guards with dogs often visible at train and metro stations.

On our first long distance train trip last week there were security checks to go through just like at the airport and bag screening too. No one is allowed on the platform until the train has pulled in. I am happy for them to take as many precautions as they want to make sure the train I am on gets to its destination.

The trains were quite nice too – just a bit fancier than in Australia. We had a TV and personal headphones handed out. The 2 movies offered were not bad but dubbed in Spanish of course (and with Spanish sub-titles as well!) All the announcements were in 3 languages – the last one apparently English but we couldn’t understand anything. The seats partially reclined and our seats had a fixed table and desk lamp which made it seem very swish.

The dining car was modern and I must say I am very happy with the coffee in Spain– even train coffee is above average. The worst coffee so far has been at fast food outlets – not a surprise, but even just little, ordinary cafes serve very nice, strong, real coffee and cheap too – about 1.20 euro is standard.

This is a very easy to like Spanish custom. Because the main meal of the day is in the middle of the day (or about 2 to 4pm), most people go out in the evening at night for a walk, to take the kids to the park or walk the dog. In the older areas where the bars and restaurants are in abundance this often involves dropping in to the local for a drink, usually a cervesa (beer) and a bite to eat … not a whole meal, just a plate or two to share and often taken at the bar. Then you move on to try out the specialty at some other bar where you again have a drink and a plate of food. On the weekends or holidays it is not uncommon to see the whole family (even toddlers) enjoying tapas until very late at night.

Some of the standard tapas we have tried are potatoes ajo (potatoes with mayonnaise and garlic), albondigas (meatballs), potatoes a la pobre (potatoes fried with onion) mejionnes (muscles in their shell), ensalada rusa (potato salad with tuna).

This way of passing the evening is very pleasant, means you always eat as you drink and walk a fair bit too. I haven’t seen a really drunk Spaniard yet and they even have zero alcohol beer as well as light.