My First Menu Del Dia!

I had my first introduction to Menu Del Dia in March, 2018 when I had a three course
meal, with wine for ten euros! I visited Cafeteria Sierra Minera with my new found
friends, where I feasted on a delicious selection of cooked meats for starter, pork chop
with home made chips for main, and chocolate pudding for after, all washed down
with wine! Brilliant! I learnt that the Spanish love to share their food with each
other. Sounds like a good thing to me!

People walker slower, eat slower, but unfortunately they do not talk more
slowly!

I feel free here. Free to just sit and enjoy a coffee and some tapas.
There is no rush.

You always have to ask for the bill because the waiters would never
intrude upon you by bringing the bill before you asking for it.

No-one knows how to relax and enjoy life quite the Spanish and that's
why I love it. Me gusta!

Coming up - my more adventurous way of travelling to Spain....

My First Week

My first week went by in a flash, and I learnt how to converse with the local shopkeepers

for my food shopping and say “Hola” to every passing stranger! It's nice that everyone

says "Hola" to this 55 year old strange woman!!

I discovered that the Number 10 bus goes to Cartagena, as does the “baby train” as I call

it from the little local train station in La Union. The bus costs 1 euro, 25 each way for the

25 minute trip - a bargain, with the train costing 2 euros, 70 for a return trip, the train

journey being about 12 minutes each way.

Tuesday was the day for the local market in La Union along Calle Mayor.  I loved the

sights and sounds of the market, the colours, and the general hustle and bustle of the stalls.

I bought so much that I forgot how I was going to carry the goods I had bought in the

twenty minute walk back to my apartment in the heat! Time to puchase one of those

"shoppers" on wheels!

I found food to be much cheaper than in the UK for most items, including delicious

baguettes or "barra" for as little as 43 cents.

I learnt that you take your life in your hands as a pedestrian in Spain and I had to

constantly remind myself to look the opposite way for oncoming traffic. Cars don't

automatically stop at crossings - frightening!

Next blog - making new friends and my first Menu Del Dia meal.

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My Next Challenge

My next challenge upon arriving in Spain was how to find a mobile phone shop where I could purchase a Spanish SIM card and internet modem. I practiced "Me gusteria una tarjeta SIM espanol con internet" until I was blue in the face, and with limited Spanish and a little help from Google translate, I left the shop with my Spanish telephone number and internet modem, with a big grin on my face at my achievement. The only thing I needed to do now was translate the instructions in Spanish and get my internet working! With perseverance I managed that too! Result!

Over the next few days I worked out bus and rail timetables to the local town of Cartagena and I was out every day walking the streets of this port city and naval base in the Murcia region of Southeast Spain. I visited shops, cafes and bars and generally people watched in the sun.

To be continued.....

You Are Never Too Old To Set Another Goal

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream” C S Lewis

As the plane touched down in San Javier, Murcia airport on the 27th February, 2018,  I couldn’t believe that my dream of having a holiday place in Spain had become a reality.

For as long as I can remember, I had wanted to have a bolt hole in Spain where I could just relax and savour the Spanish way of life. Now I had it. My lovely little two bedroomed apartment in La Union on the Costa Calida was waiting for me and I couldn’t wait to make it my own. I had purposely picked a town where very little English was spoken, which meant that my knowledge of Spanish had to improve pretty quickly! “Habla usted Ingles?” fell on very deaf ears!

The local panaderia, El Garbanzal, was my saviour in those first tentative days in a new place. Open very early in the morning, baking the most delicious delicacies,and open until late at night. It was the place for me to take a book, immerse myself in listening to Spanish being spoken all around me, and get to know the locals.

I didn’t realise how cold the nights could be in February, and after taking to my bed on that first night, in pyjamas, jumper, socks and a hat, I seriously had to think how I was going to buy the necessary quilts, pillows, etc., for a good night’s sleep in subsequent nights!. Why oh why didn’t I bring a hot water bottle with me?! Out came the phrase books and notebook for me to practice how to ask for a quilt in Spanish! The next day, I managed to visit the local retail park, and lo and behold, quilts and pillows were purchased, much to my delight!

To be continued.........