Charlie: We are in a neighborhood called “Los Remedios” which our taxi driver said was very nice, safe and interesting but not too expensive. It has a great feel. Block after block of 5-8 story apartment buildings but the ground floor is always businesses. Cafe/bars on every block. Our supermarket to 100 feet away. Lots of people on the streets (except on national holidays). No tourists because there are no tourist attractions. It is exactly what we were looking for.
The supermarket is very nice. In general things are kind of like they were in the US 30-50 years ago. Lots of employees in the markets. A meat person, a cheese person, a fruit person. We got 250 grams of cheese from from a big wheel and the cheese clerk cut off the waxy edges and sliced it. The bread and butter were great. They still have peaches and they were as good as we have ever had. There is a fruit and vegetable stand on the way to the supermarket (that is about 50 feet away from our door) with lovely stuff.
Everyone has been very friendly. Wynette has been talking in Spanish and when she asks a question in slow, careful Spanish everyone is confident of her ability to understand a rapid-fire Spanish reply. Sometimes she gets most of it.
We had a little rough spot getting phones, see the next post.
We walked around a lot today. We found the main shopping street nearby, pedestrians only. We got a roast chicken for dinner at a shop on the street and some empanadas and soups (beet and zucchini). All quite good.
Moira and I have had the same experience. When we use our broken and very bad German in Austria and Germany, the responses we get are often way beyond our abilities. We respond with “langsam und einfach, bitte” (slow and simple, please). Of course, English is much more prevalent in Austria and Germany than in Spain, so we don’t often have this problem at all.
Henry Shapiro
Yes, I have to often say “habla mas despacio, por favor” (speak more slowly, please). It doesn’t often slow them down, however. The Spanish always seem to be in a hurry. We notice this in stores, etc. If you ask a question, they immediately assume they know what you are asking before you finish asking. Even though they rush a lot, they are, almost without exception, very kind and clearly want to be helpful. Wynette