16th June

Washed a load of clothes late yesterday and discovered the biggest fear of living in these apartment buildings.  They not only have a lift well (fortunately) but also another similar well which is accessed only through the kitchen window and is perfect for hanging your washing on a fixed line.   It even has pulleys on the furthest lines for easy manipulation.  But my hands were shaking as I pegged out the washing knowing that if I dropped an article I would never find it again.  I started today bringing it all in with just as much trepidation but managed not to drop anything. 

We went to the local market this morning and Eric got to taste some of the very expensive ham where the pig is fed an exclusive diet of acorns, free-ranging in the oak forests.  We are not sure how they judge the number of acorns but it is very highly valued.  Pigs are excellent at finding truffles too but apparently dogs are preferred by truffle hunters because dogs won’t actually eat  them where pigs will.   We eventually found the post office to get prices on sending a box home and Eric found a few bargains at a liquidation sale.  The market was again overflowing with fresh produce, all absolutely perfect in shape and colour.  I am starting to be very suspicious that the produce is all genetically modified but it does taste fabulous.  Prices are unbelievably cheap even in the supermarkets for example today I bought 4 x single serve yogurts for 56 cents.  That’s 56c total for 4, not each!  And a very decent bottle of red wine is about AUD$5, long neck of beer AUD $1.60.  Our alcohol consumption has not lessened but we are eating a very sensible Mediterranean diet. 

We’ve managed to catch up with a few friends and family back home through Skype this week which has been great as we have found our email is not reliable from this connection.  Have discovered that Darwin is experiencing a cold snap.  We were thinking of you ‘Darwin lot’ as we spent the afternoon at the beach cycling along the esplanade in our hats, t-shirts, shorts and thongs.  While our thongs were on our feet, most other people seemed to have them around their hips.  I don’t think the ‘Sun Smart’ message has got through here at all as there were a lot of people looking like pink prawns on the train ride home. Barcelona is listed first among the Top 10 Beach Cities in the world which, as Australians who know their beaches are best, we think is slightly over-rated but at least they have sand.  At short intervals they also have lifesaving, bike hire, beach volleyball and playground equipment, fitness stations, Info Centres, First Aid, Cafes and toilets/showers right at hand.  But does any of that matter compared with what we have to offer?  Ooh but you should see the leisure-craft moored at the marinas!