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Spain

Mercado de san miguel

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On Sunday went to the Mercado de San Miguel in Madrid with friends to check it out. The Market is a very popular and lively place where the locals come to eat and socialize. The market which has been established for over 100 years is set in a unique old structure.

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San Miguel Market Madrid

The market was very busy and there were people wandering around the market eating and looking at the products.

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Inside the San Miguel Market

We walked around checking out each market stall. There were amazing fruits, fish, vegetables and assorted other unique items.

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People walking through the market

There was an olive stall selling every imaginable type of olive. They even had olives made into small sandwiches with sardines and other meats.

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Olives and assorted olive sandwiches

We decided to buy a few different olives and try them. We had an assortment of olives, with sardines, cheeses, garlic and in different brines. They were extremely tasty and went very well with the beverages.

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Shelley, Louise, and Ray having a drink and olives at the market

After having a few snacks of olives we walked around and checked out the other stalls. There was a stall with homemade potato chips which looked very appealing. Brad decided to buy some and try them out. It was all very tasty and fresh.

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stall of homemade chips, sweets, and assorted deserts
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Bard with homemade potato chips

We walked through the market for almost an hour enjoying the sights, smells, and sounds of the market. Below are just a few of the neat things we saw.

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fruit drinks and smoothies of all kinds.
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sweet treats of very kind imaginable
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bags of mini sausages, bacon, and ham
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homemade peanut brittle and peanuts candies

There were several stalls with fish and seafood in the market. One display of seafood contained fish on ice that you could buy. It drew our attention because there was a huge fish on display.

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Huge fish on display at the market
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Fish at the market
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Big fish on ice at the market
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Assorted fish on display at market

The market was very impressive and unique. It was not just a market but also a restaurant for people to sit and enjoy the food. We enjoyed ourselves at the market.

“adios y que tenga un gran dia”

 

 

 

Spain

A day at the Market

Yesterday we went to the outdoor market. It was a vibrant and busy day with lots of people shopping in the market.

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People at the outdoor market in Alicante

We went for a walk down each aisle of the market enjoying the sights and sounds. The items for sale were as diverse as the people selling them. You could buy everything imaginable including bathing suits and comic underwear.

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Bathing suits for sale at the market
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Underwear with assorted funny sayings for sale at the market

We walked down the different aisles and there were specific themes in each area, clothing, plants, flowers, pastries, fruit and vegetables were some of the sections. There was no shortage of choices and selections each area contained multiple vendors.

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clothing at the market on display

 

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Spices and honey products at the market
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Spices of every imaginable kind for sale
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Flowers and house plants at the market

 

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Olives of every kind at the market
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An array of different nuts
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Pastries and cakes for the sweet tooth
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Candy of every kind

We walked throughout the market for quite some time admiring the different displays and listening to the noises of the market. People shouting their prices and discounts loudly. There is music being played,  people talking with vendors and the hustle and bustle of all the people talking in Spanish. It is a very unique and enjoyable noise.

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Street musician playing at the market for donations.

There are also people selling unique items as they walk down the market, They shout the price out almost in a song like voice, attracting people to buy their items. The lady below was selling snails and garlic.

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Lady selling snails and garlic at the outdoor market

We came across the most amazing fruits and vegetables on display. There was such a large assortment and selection that it was difficult to choose.

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We came across some vegetables that we did not recognize and have no idea what they are. Below is a photo of a large pear-like fruit which I have never seen before. We have no idea what that is?

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Pear-like fruit on display at the market

We spent a few hours walking around the market taking in the sights and sounds of this rich and beautiful culture.

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Outdoor market in Alicante Spain

“adios y que tenga un gran dia”

Spain

Beach Party

Friday evening we went to a beach party in El Campello, which is a short distance from Alicante. There are miles of beautiful white sand beaches and a gorgeous view of the coastline. We went with friends and arrived at around 8pm. The small beach pub was quaint and a perfect spot to watch the sunset.

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InterNations Beach party

The theme of the beach party was for everyone to wear something white including funny t-shirts etc. We mingled with people from all areas of the world, including Sweden, Holland and other areas of Europe.

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Ray wearing Norwegian Bingo T-shirt

The music and ambience were great and  we enjoyed assorted tapas throughout the evening.  It was a nice way to spend the evening and unwind after studying for the driver exam.

“adios y que tenga un gran dia”

Spain

Getting our Spanish Drivers License

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We are residents of Spain and unfortunately the Spanish government does not recognise our Canadian driver’s licence beyond the first six months in Spain.

We have been studying and preparing for the inevitable task of getting our Spanish driver’s licence. This process began three months ago when we bought the study book in English. The book was very expensive and cost around $150. euros. We also had access to a bank of practice questions online which was a good start for studying.

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The system to get your driver’s licence is very different here compared to Canada. All persons getting their driver’s licence are required to take classes at a registered driving school “Autoescuela”. We attended a few of the driving schools to get general information before registering with one of the schools. We decided to go with an autoescuela located not far from where we live.

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We registered and paid our $59.95 each for the theory class. It is provided online and is also available in English.  We are now working towards the formal written test which we have scheduled for September 22nd.

There are still a few things we need to complete before the test. We are required to obtain a medical certificate at a specific medical facility. This must be done at least one week prior to the test. We are also required to have two passport size photos.

We will be getting these done next week and studying the materials before the test on September 22nd.

“Adios y que tenga un gran dia”

 

Spain

a visit to the Yelmo cinema

We have been resting and taking it easy since getting back to Spain. We have adjusted to the six-hour time change and are now back into our routines. Last night we decided to go to see a movie at the local theater.  We walked to the Yelmo Cinema which is about ten minutes away and is located in the Puerta de Alicante Mall. We went to see the Movie “Star Trek Beyond” which was playing in Spanish.

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Star Trek Beyond Movie Poster

I went to the lineup to purchase our tickets and asked the clerk in my best Spanish  “Hola, dos billettes por la cine Star Trek Beyond, por favor” She looked at me like I was talking gibberish and asked me to repeat myself.  This time, I spoke slower and repeated it again, then she said (in Spanish) oh you mean “Star Trek: Más allá”.  Yup still working on the Spanish communication…

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Line up for tickets and refreshments combined at Yelmo cinema

We bought our tickets for a grand total of $4.50 euros each and went to enter the cinema. The girl taking the tickets informed us that we had to wait until the other show was finished in about fifteen minutes. We decided to walk around the lobby of the theater and look around. As we were waiting we came across some info on the Yelmo fan card. It is a points card similar to the Scene card for  Cineplex theaters in Canada. We decided we would join and get a Yelmo fan card. I went back up to the girl at the counter and asked her in my best Spanish, how do we get the Yelmo fan  card. She explained the process and gave us two application forms. We filled out the forms and paid our $2.50 euro each for the membership. This provides us with one free movie each and discounts on everything from snacks to entry into the movies. We are now proud owners of a Yelmo Fan cinema card.

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Yelmo Cinema Fan card

We watched the Star Trek movie in Spanish. It was very difficult for us to grasp what was being said in Spanish for several reasons. We have never studied scientific terms in Spanish and of course, they were talking very fast, which made it almost impossible to follow along. We sat there a little confused at times but still enjoyed the movie. It is fair to say we are going to watch this movie again, but this time in English.

“Adios y que tenga un gran dia”