Over the past four weeks, I have made a list of the things I have learned about this beautiful country.
Before heading back home tomorrow, here are some of my observations.
1) Street names usually appear on the side of buildings, not on street sign posts making looking for directions a lot like trying to find Waldo.
2) Wearing my Canada hat seems to facilitate conversations with strangers. As well, knowing a bit of French has proved invaluable, especially when we were searching for a Catholic church, eglise, iglesia on Sunday morning. I regret not knowing a bit more Spanish and the fact I wasn't more attentive when watching Dora the Explorer with my grandchildren.
3) At 40 cents a can, local beer prices would put a smile on Doug Ford's face.
4) There is a preponderance of English and Irish pubs eateries here leading me to wonder whether the Brits insisted on easy access to fish and chips upon defeating the Spanish Armada in 1588.
5) Local parks don't have squirrels, they have chickens and roosters. No robins, rather parrots. Certainly much more colorful but noisier too.
6) The Mediterranean does have tides, albeit smaller than those of the oceans. Surfers too when the wind is up.
7) One can buy Fanta pop here. Haven't seen it since the 80's in Canada.
8) 40% of the world's olives come from Southern Spain. I'm not an olive lover but the ones here really are delicious. As well, 45% of the world's olive production comes from this area. There are 360 different types of olive trees here, some as old as 2,000 years..
9) I've discovered a way to subsidize our next trip here. Tourists seem willing to pay good money to watch sand castles being built. I'm convinced I could pull that one off...I'd call them Seniors'and Sand Castles. As well, one of the locals is a master at building a Spanish version of inuksuks. Looks easy to me.
10) There are dolphins in the Mediterranean. I was lucky enough to watch a pod of them swim near the shore one morning on one of their rare appearances.
11) Sales tax here is 23% on merchandise and 10% on food although it's not noticeable as the tax is rolled into the price of the goods. As one store owner lamented, "The government here is in business with the merchants."
12) Malaga province is the tropical fruit basket of Spain. In fact, this area produces over 60% of all the avocados grown in Europe. Some fruits, like the ciruela and cherimoya, are new taste sensations for us.
13) I found it was interesting that the Spanish people here in the south usually drop the letter s in their speech. Thus, one hears gracia and not gracias for thank you.
14) A person selling screens wouldn't do well on the Costa del Sol. None of the windows here have screens as there don't seem to be any pests flying in the air. In fact, we haven't had to close our window or balcony door during our stay.
15) Andalusia (Spain's southern coastal provinces) boosts 80 golf courses, some of which have hosted the Ryder Cup or European Tour play.
16) Tapas are small savoury dishes usually served in the afternoon at an outdoor eatery or a bar. They often include sea food but can range all the way from Spanish omelets to lasagna. At prices from one to four Euros per dish, they are a wonderful way to sample the local cuisine.
17) Chinchon is a popular card game with the locals. Using Spanish cards, and removing the 8's and 9's, it's a bit like our rummy. The fact that I'm actually good at it makes want to stop reading my convoluted bridge books.
18) Traffic signals do not have a green light. Rather, they have two amber lights that flash in an alternating manner to indicate GO while a long steady amber means SLOW DOWN before the third light, the red light comes on.
19) In Canada, brand names like Boston Pizza, New York Fries and LA Fitness have a certain catchet. Here it's names like New Alaska Terraza, Tahiti Taperia, and Chino Panda Restaurante that try to create a foreign allure.
20) The squeezed juice from one fresh Valencia orange from a nearby orchard can fill two hands cupped together. Most of the oranges that grow along side the streets are too bitter for anything but marmalade.
21) Sardines, slow cooked over open fires, are a popular fast food here. Shellfishing is banned in Torremolinos because of over-fishing in the past.
22) I'm beginning to understand why great writers like Hemingway spent so much time in Spain. As a Canadian, we devote a great deal of our energy to coping with the climate. Here, with sunny skies and fertile soil, one is in harmony with nature and just as creative.
23) The Mediterranean is a gentle giant without the briny ocean smell of the Atlantic or Pacific. Undoubtedly, it helps that local port authorities regularily send out small trawlers to collect floating debris on the water.
24) Salt and pepper shakers are banished from Spanish dinner tables.
25) The coastlne of Costa del Sol runs 150 kms, much of it lined with boardwalks that run between the Mediterranean and a plethora of hotels and restaurants. Somehow it seems that the tourist industry, although creating employment for the locals, has superceded the indigenous culture of the people replacing it with a pseudo-culture based on consumerism.
Terry and I have discovered so much during our holiday here and we are grateful to the many local people who made our stay so enjoyable....from cheerful maid Begonia to pool lifeguard Antonio, from tour guide Pilar to waiters Akim and Katerina, from bus driver Paco to hotel receptionist Carmen.
Our appreciation of our time here in Spain has brought with it the realization that although youth may be wasted on the young, retirement is certainly not wasted on oldies like us.
ADIOS ESPANA Y GRACIAS
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