We're Back!

It has been almost exactly eight months since my last blog post about Spain and in that time I have quit my job and moved here for six months with my boyfriend and our dog, Freddie. We sublet our apartment in downtown Toronto's St. Lawrence Market neighbourhood, and what contents we didn't purge were moved to my cottage in Haliburton, Ontario.

The apartment we rented in Sabinillas, along Spain's southern coast -- the Costa del Sol or Sun Coast -- is not exactly as expected or depicted in the online listing, but we have grown into it and are fairly content here mostly due to the location. Just three blocks from the beach, it is a treat to walk out our door and take Freddie for a walk along the beach and watch him play in the surf.  He has reached a level of 'being' I don't think I've known any human to experience.

Bamboo stalks are everywhere along the beach, some still tied together with rudimentary twine and large water bottle floats. Signs of someone's battered raft that carried them the relatively short distance from the coast of North Africa across the Mediterranean Ocean and into Europe. As unbelievable a thought as that is to most people, the dog appreciates this never-ending supply of sticks.

We've been pretty lucky with the weather so far, but despite the saying, the rain in Spain does not stay mainly on the plane. In fact, over the six days that we've been here it has been a balance between cool and gray, and sparkly and sunny . Yesterday it threatened to rain in Sabinillas so we decided to take a day trip to Sevilla where it was supposed to be sunnier and warmer. It was overcast but we still enjoyed some sites like the Plaza de España and took in a little of the Festival de los Naciones on La Dia de los Muertes, commonly known as Halloween to North Americans. Kids and adults alike dress up to celebrate.

 Today back in Sabinillas, the surf is so 'angry' that we can hear it from our north-facing apartment. It's really something. I'd hate to be a refugee tempting fate in the ocean on the sunniest of days, but today's waves would be impossible to successfully navigate.

When we arrived last Tuesday we went to our local Carrefours, a Wal-mart type shop that carries food, household items, and alcohol. Everything we'd need to get set up in the apartment. Usually when I travel it's as a tourist and I bring my own supply of toiletries. Since we knew we are going to be here for a bit we had to stock up on everything: laundry and dish soap, shampoo and conditioner, paper products, human and dog food, etc. Despite spending  months trying to learn Spanish before we left Canada, I was not prepared for translating the labels of the all the products I would be purchasing. Needless to say, the shopping process was time-consuming and not altogether successful. It has taken me five days to discover that that the 'body wash' I bought is actually a moisturizer. I wondered why it wouldn't lather. On the plus side, my skin has truly never felt softer.