Living in Spain for One Month

A one-hour train ride from the lively city of Barcelona takes us to the laid-back fishing port of Arenys de Mar, where our one bedroom Airbnb awaits.

I think that we could sit on this 12^th floor balcony forever, and watch the sail boats and paddle boarders on the mellow Mediterranean Sea. Our month-long stay is flying by.

Before sunrise each morning, we watch a fleet of fishing vessels venture out in orderly fashion to capture the fruits of the sea.

 

They return in the afternoon and place the catch on conveyor belts, where various merchants bid on the seafood plethora. Anglers give prizes to a handful of lucky schoolchildren out on field trips.

I also go fishing – at the market. Using my credit card for bait.

Walking and biking paths line the port and shore. It is interesting to us how people walk by and do not look at you, or engage in conversation outside of an occasional, quick “ola, bon dia.” But even more interesting is how their dogs act the same way. Most dogs are off-leash and under voice control. The canines do not show any interest in people and do not look at us either. It is taboo to try and pet a stranger’s dog and the owner does not even like it if you just look at the dog for too long. It is so different from the US where we go a bit gaga over our pets. Thus, dogs in the US act like us, and European dogs act like them. Purely a socialization process.

When we are not walking the trails, we ride the commuter trains like the locals. A monthly train pass only costs 20 Euro. Most mornings, Marilynn rides the rails to a nearby town that has an “Anytime Fitness” where our free membership even works in Spain.

The train pass also allows us to take a field trip of our own to a late breakfast at our favorite market in Barcelona, “Mercat St. Joseph.”

Even in this shoulder season the market gets crazy crowded in the afternoon. Especially when cruise ships unload hordes of humans.

Nice to ride out of the city back to our mellow digs, where we walk along the beach to the next town, Canet de Mar. Here, we routinely hike up to “Pedracastell o Creu” the huge cross that towers above town.

Okay, time for another field trip. (Love these train passes) This time to the town of Girona, where we stroll the streets and admire the architecture. My favorite is the petrified witch on the outside of the Cathedral.

Marilynn’s favorite is the Pont de les Peixatereies Velles, better known as the Eiffel Bridge, built by Gustave Eiffel, and surrounded by colorful houses that line the river.

The Cathedral steps are also notable, made famous when the TV drama “Game of Thrones” filmed there.

Enjoying views from our balcony, cooking, eating varieties of fresh seafood, and drinking beer and Cava, fills our afternoons.

We celebrate Marilynn’s birthday with fresh Galician mussels steamed in green curry.

Friendly people fill the sidewalk cafes. We force ourselves to leave our digs to join them. A man at the table next to us engages in conversation. He asks where we are from. He is French but has been living here for 57 years. “They call French people Froggies here,” he says. “It’s because we eat frogs, and to them that is disgusting.”

Spain enjoys an average life expectancy of 84 years, second highest in Europe (Italy and Sweden are tied for first). In contrast, the US average is 78.4 years. People of all ages walk everywhere they go, on a daily basis in these walkable cities. We all hear the benefits of the Mediterranean diet, but it is not just the diet. It is also the laid-back, friendly lifestyle. Meals are seen as an opportunity to connect with family and friends, which means as much as the fresh food.

Three weeks into our stay, a friend from the US joined us for a visit. It feels good to share a place you have come to love with others. And maybe sharing food and conversation with our friend will add a few more hours to our life expectancy.

As our month flies by, we ride that train back to Barcelona for a final four-night stay. No more home cooking, but we shall squeeze in one last field trip to “Montserrat Monastery.”

Signs of the Christmas holidays surround us and our flight home looms. Hope that the flight flies by as quickly as our month in Spain did.

Thank you, Abundant Universe!