November 10 - Murcia

Spent the rest of yesterday just bumming around. I looked in several stores for English language books and right before siesta I located a shelf of classics and a few odds and ends in a University bookstore. But of course the store was closing so I had to wait 2 hours and head back. Once again -- my Spanish sucks. It's a major deal just to ask where the English language books are and then understand the answer. He tried to sell me a phrase book (no buddy, believe it or not, I have one!) and then finally I caught the word "novelas", ah, si, si! I bought the birdie "The House of Sand and Fog" and "Tales of the Unexpected" by Roald Dahl. That, along with "Syrup" should hold her until Christmas.

Last night, I went to El Corte Ingles to tackle the grocery shopping for the chicken dinner and A and Juan met me there. Got everything we needed and headed back the throw the chicken in -- ugh. Started to clean it and found it came complete with the head still on it and the guts still in it. Good thing I grew up on a farm. I hacked that head off like a good country wife and got the chicken seasoned and in the oven. At 9 we were supposed to eat but the chicken was nowhere near ready so I panicked and ran back to El Corte Ingles and bought two precooked chickens -- upon my return found that I only needed about 20 more minutes for the chicken I made... so I guess the girls will have plenty of chicken for a while. Everything was ready at 10 but the landlady showed up to collect rent so at 10:30 we finally sat down to fresh roast chicken, garlic mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls and fresh pears for dessert. And possibly the most pathetic chicken gravy ever made. But hey, it was gravy and A and Kristen thought it was cool. I did it! I cooked! Biggest relief EVER.

This morning I went to the outdoor market... I wanted grapes but decided not to go through the hassle of asking for them (is the word uvas? I think so, I don't know). So just walked the length of the market and enjoyed all the sights and smells. Unlike El Rastro, this is a farmer's market too. You can buy everything from underwear to pickled onions in this place. Churros con chocolate, fruit, jeans, vegetables, shoes, scarves, fish, jamon, fabric, many varieties of tomatoes, striped eggplant, pajamas, olives, tiny pickles, figs. Looking at all the food is like eating it -it's really what people mean when they say "a feast for the eyes". Also the nose and the ears. So wonderful! I walked and walked in a slow drizzle, drinking Coke Light and snacking on these little croissants with a nutella filling. Loved it.

After the mercadona I went to the Salzillo museum and was adopted by a museum guide named Antonio. One guard kept following me around and trying to talk to me. Funny thing -- here you say you don't speak Spanish and they think you must be kidding or that you just don't speak it well. I tried to talk to that guy and I guess I answered his question wrong ... all I caught was Aleman (German) so I don't know. But not long after my failed attempt to communicate, Antonio showed up and gave me a personal tour -- telling me all about Semana Santa and the Salzillo sculptures. He had taken English at a language school in Murcia so he spoke very well. And I enjoyed talking to him. Because they get so many Brits here and because they can't hear the difference between the Bristish and American accent he was surprised to hear I was American... don't imagine they see too many Americans in this part of Spain. If you hear someone speaking English with an American accent your head snaps around and you immediately want to say "hey, me too!" Yesterday I was walking down A's street and hear a guy with a Jersey accent talking to his kids. It was a very odd moment for me. Even in Madrid I stood in the line for the Prado in front of a guy from Chicago and he was so excited to hear English because he had been in Madrid for 4 days and hadn't bumped in to any other Americans. Anyway, I digress. Back to Francisco Salzillo: on Good Friday they empty out the museum and penitents carry the statues (life size and decorated with accents of fresh fruit, flowers, palms, etc.) on the shoulders through the streets of Murcia. The statues are so detailed. Much like the Penitent Mary Magdalene I saw at the Prado. After the Salzillo museum I went to the Museo de Cuidad (City Museum) and that, along with El Centro de Bellas Artes makes a neat little trifecta of Murciano museums. One thing I have noticed is that Spanish art vs. the rest of European art was/is intensely focused on the religious. This is still a VERY devout country. The first question Antonio asked me was not where I was from or even my name, but was I Catholic?

I'm hoping I don't get the cold these girls are kicking around. I don't know if it's the weather (it's actually raining a little here, which is never does) or a virus but I feel a little scratchy and stuffy. After A has her cup of tea to warm up we are headed to the Casino, which is actually not a casino but a reading room/gentlemen's meeting place. But it's supposed to be beautiful and so far I haven't gotten past the stained glass doors because I've been waiting for her to go with me.