I’m settling in to my temporary home here in beautiful Almería. Every morning I go out for a 1.5 – 2 hour walk. Sometimes along the boardwalk next to the Sea. Othertimes, I walk into the city to see the sights.

I’m very much enjoying my time here. I’m getting to know the city. It’s a small city, really. Not too difficult to get around.The walking is easy on the smooth and clean sidewalks and streets. What has been hard to adjust to are the schedules. As many of you know, I grew up in the USA, though I was born in Mexico. I have now lived in Mexico the last 3.5 years. The schedules that one works, and the meal schedules, for example, vary greatly between the USA and Mexico. Well, now I can add Spain as another culture shift. Today, after 5 days here, I still can’t get it right. Mostly the trouble is around meal times.

Spaniards, like Mexicans, tend to eat a light breakfast. Though in Mexico usually that includes a hot beverage (coffee, tea) and “pan dulce” (sweet bread). In Spain the beverage is coffee (mostly plain black coffee) accompanied by something savory. That could be a soft, crusty (sometimes toasted) bread, like a baguette, with a tomato paste and ham, cheese, and other savory food items (ie: avocado). Here is my breakfast from a couple days ago. It was called a “tostada” and you can add a number of savory items. I chose serrano ham, manchego cheese and avocado. I was asked by the waitress if I wanted a base of tomato. And I said, yes! There were a number of items you could put on your “tostada”. This is what we might call an “open face” sandwich in the USA. I also ordered a black chocolate and mint tea. It was quite good actually!

Life in Spain still includes the much lauded ‘siesta hour.’ Though I don’t think it’s called that anymore. Between the hours of 3-5pm most stores and restaurants close as do some bars. This is also the lunch hour. Many businesses close during those hours as well. The stores may reopen at 5pm, although the restaurants don’t open for dinner until 8pm. That’s where I’ve gone wrong every day this week. I just can’t seem to get my schedule straight and I’m hungy and looking for a place to eat at 6-7pm and nothing is open. Well, some bars may be open but they will be serving alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and maybe tapas. When I ask for the menu, I get funny looks and am offered something to drink. Now, I do certainly enjoy a glass of wine and in many restaurants and bars they will offer you a complimentary “tapas” to go with it. It could be a bowl of olives, a small plate of serrano ham, a small potato salad, etc. Here are pictures of wine with tapas that I ordered this week:

I finally timed it right last night and was conveniently passing a nice Italian restaurant precisely at 8pm. The doors were just opening and I was the first guest seated. I ordered pasta and wine. It was very good. Dinner here in Spain tends to happen between 8-10pm. That’s just so late for me. I have to schedule my breakfast a little later as well as lunch. That way I can hold out for a late dinner. I guess this also means that I should sleep in later? That sounds like a good plan!

Now, as for the rest of the time on Days 3, 4, and 5, I’ve been out exploring the city. I ran into the Christmas Market and have visited almost daily. I just like the people watching and looking at different items for sale (I’m mostly interested in the jewelry) 😉 It’s about three city blocks and also includes booths with food, mostly sweets and, yes, roasted chestnuts (not my thing)

Now something amazing that I had the good fortune of running into quite by luck was the annual lighting of the Christmas lights! I was just finishing up a self-guided tour of the Cathedral and in exactly 20 minutes the festivities were set to begin. There was a DJ playing Christmas as well as Pop music. The entire plaza in front of the cathedral was all set up with 1,000’s of lights. I was there with several hundred people. Once lit they were timed to turn on and off to the music. It was quite spectacular! Take a look:

The rest of the time these three days I did some additional sight seeing. I visited the Museum of Almeria that houses artifacts dating back several thousand years! I also walked across the Cable Inglés, a bridge 1/3 mile in length which was built in 1902 to move the minerals mined in Almeria to the waiting cargo ships below. It has been closed for quite some time and serves as a landmark which provides amazing views of the city. And lastly I visited the Mercado Central which is the main market selling local and fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, fish and cheeses among other things. It was remarkably clean.

Still lots more to come on this month long trip! Stay tuned!

Day 3: 13,330 steps. Day 4: 9,738 steps. Day 5: 19,608 steps.