Today was a mixed bag of good and not so good. We had a break from the 100 degree heat which was wonderful, and we made progress on finding a more permanent apartment - saw one today and will see two or three more tomorrow. The one we saw today is in the same complex we are in now which means keeping the same interesting historic neighborhood, making an easy move, and keeping a swimming pool which is extremely rare in this subtropical city.
We also got invited to house sit for friends from Lubbock in Granada for three weeks starting July 1, which is really appealing.
The not so good thing is that it turns out we have to have a permanent address to start the process of getting our Residency cards - and it is a process. I had the impression from the Spanish Embassy in DC that we would just show our Visa Residencia to the Police, fill out a form and receive the card. But no. It will take several trips to different places, showing our housing contract, paying taxes, etc. and it puts the pressure on us to find that permanent place right away so that we can even start the process. The visa runs out on August 13.
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Monday, June 17, 2013
Mucho Gusto
After a countdown of years, then months, and finally days and hours, we are in Spain! The Santa Cruz neighborhood of Seville to be precise. Santa Cruz is the Jewish section of historic Seville. Not that I've seen any evidence of it's Jewish origins yet - it all seems extremely Catholic with a bit of Moslem influence. Tonight for instance we walked north up Jesus of Great Power Street and back south on Love of God Street, passing several cathedrals and catholic schools enroute.
Streets in Santa Cruz are incredibly narrow, 10 feet or frequently even less, between the facing walls of buildings that line them. The idea of a grid system for streets, or any system had not been conceived yet, so it is fairly labyrinthine. Sidewalks are irregular to non-existent. When vehicles pass by in one of the non-existent sidewalk sections, pedestrians duck into the nearest doorway or if there isn't a handy doorway, simply flatten themselves against the building wall. The buildings are four and five stories tall, so with the aforementioned narrow streets, the streets are a bit like canyons on western US rivers - there is at least some shade except at high noon, or when the street happens to line up perfectly with the sun angle. This is a godsend because it is hot hot hot here! We are loving Santa Cruz and would like to find a more permanent apartment here
So far I can say that the coffee is great; gazpacho is creamy smooth and delicious; plazas are sprinkled like salt everywhere; Cruz Campo cerveza is light and perfect for the heat; and the Spanish tradition of siestas and late night meals makes total sense due to the extreme heat which dissipates around 9 PM. We have not adjusted mentally or physically to the siesta tradition however. If we eat dinner at 10 PM, then we don't go to sleep until 1 AM or later. Then we sleep til 11 AM and by the time we've breakfasted and are ready to venture out, it's 1 PM, and that's just crazy due to the heat and to the fact that businesses are closing for the afternoon by then!
A little background may be in order, though most of you are well aware of it. After retiring around the first of February, 2013, we spent a month in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with near and dear relatives sleeping and skiing. From mid-March to late May we
Streets in Santa Cruz are incredibly narrow, 10 feet or frequently even less, between the facing walls of buildings that line them. The idea of a grid system for streets, or any system had not been conceived yet, so it is fairly labyrinthine. Sidewalks are irregular to non-existent. When vehicles pass by in one of the non-existent sidewalk sections, pedestrians duck into the nearest doorway or if there isn't a handy doorway, simply flatten themselves against the building wall. The buildings are four and five stories tall, so with the aforementioned narrow streets, the streets are a bit like canyons on western US rivers - there is at least some shade except at high noon, or when the street happens to line up perfectly with the sun angle. This is a godsend because it is hot hot hot here! We are loving Santa Cruz and would like to find a more permanent apartment here
So far I can say that the coffee is great; gazpacho is creamy smooth and delicious; plazas are sprinkled like salt everywhere; Cruz Campo cerveza is light and perfect for the heat; and the Spanish tradition of siestas and late night meals makes total sense due to the extreme heat which dissipates around 9 PM. We have not adjusted mentally or physically to the siesta tradition however. If we eat dinner at 10 PM, then we don't go to sleep until 1 AM or later. Then we sleep til 11 AM and by the time we've breakfasted and are ready to venture out, it's 1 PM, and that's just crazy due to the heat and to the fact that businesses are closing for the afternoon by then!
A little background may be in order, though most of you are well aware of it. After retiring around the first of February, 2013, we spent a month in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with near and dear relatives sleeping and skiing. From mid-March to late May we
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