Nov 7 - Murcia

Spent about 3-4 hours just walking around -- saw the main cathedral here, many plazas and my first introduction to El Corte Ingles which is like Dillard's, Target and a grocery store all rolled in to one.

Spent the afternoon shopping for a casual shirt, also went to Zara but didn't find anything there that looked big enough (Evidently, "French Women Don't Get Fat" and Spanish women don't either.) Zara for those of you not familiar with this stylish Spanish chain is a clothing store that is part of a large group that includes other stores I found up and down Murcia's Gran Via: Stradivarius, Oysho and Berksha. Zara has a lot of cute stuff and priced over a wide range from shirts, skirts and pants (on sale) under 20 euro all the way up to whatever. I had never heard of them but apparently they do have stores on the coasts here and in places like Houston, Orlando and Vegas. A's Canadian roommate says they have them in Canada too and they're decidedly more expensive there than in Spain, which is where they're based. (Shame. They had the best bohemian skirts and I already regret not buying one.)

Took A to a quick lunch between classes. She had soup, which looked great. I had --- yeah, stupid--- a cheeseburger. If you are from a meat-raising part of the United States like, say, myself, never, ever, ever order a hamburger somewhere else. It resembled a hamburger like the Epcot Center resembles Europe. I don't know what possesses me to order this stuff, except it takes me so long to semi-decipher a menu without pictures that sometimes I just panic. A's chicken soup had the heart in it and after she identified all the parts I dared her to eat it and she did. Pretty good for a girl who couldn't stand to hear the word "blood" for about three years without getting grossed out completely.

After spending the afternoon wandering around and being, admittedly a little lonely and sort of bored I came back to meet A and found out her roommates were cooking dinner for everyone (a rarity that they all sit down to a meal together, so I feel special!). They started with appetizers -- chicken nuggets, empanadas with tuna and tomato, cheese, sausage and crusty bread spread with a jamon (ham) cream cheese. Then Natalie presented us with Belgian sausages and stoemp (which is mashed potatoes and other stuff -- I googled it and saw that is can contain root veggies, spinach, cabbage, leeks, etc.) We finished up with a birthday cake for A and also enjoyed some really cheap wine (which wasn't that bad, actually) and San Miguel.

I fell asleep trying to think of some basic meal I could cook for everyone without screwing it up and with the ingredients I could find here -- and the cooking tools we have available in the apartment. They don't have much beyond basic pots and pans and there's no micro (not a disaster, I've done without one before, it CAN be done). I decided on roast chicken, garlic mashed potatoes with gravy and sort of southern-style green beans with onion and bacon. Simple and something I shouldn't be able to screw up. I really want to do something nice for them as I am totally invading their space, sharing their bathroom, etc.