As I sit here in the sun contemplating what I am going to write about during our stay in Marbella… technically, the sitting-in-the-sun did not last long because it’s hot and I can hardly see the screen… so now I am in the back bedroom writing away.
I have been thinking that I would write about some very general things – not like the very specific and detailed first part of my two-part series regarding how to get the lowest exchange rates on your money. Part two is coming very soon if you are interested.
I have already written about some of the features that Marbella has to offer in previous years, like the Old Town, and the market, and the waterfront, etc. so I’m definitely not going to go over that again.
Should I Write a Piece Strongly Advocating for Wintering on the Costa del Sol?
Well, no, I don’t think I should. The Love-goddess accuses me of being an advocate for wintering here, but I do not see it that way at all. I suppose, at the root of this non-promoting thought process is how much I get annoyed when I read travel articles where travel writers declare that the place they are writing about is wonderful and special and suggest that everyone should travel there.
Often, I will read articles like that and think:
“I have been there, and it just ain’t all that special. You are trying your best to lure people there, and they may be disappointed because you have not offered up an unbiased clear picture of what the place is all about.”
And that is why I do not consider myself an advocate for wintering on the Costa del Sol. It works for us, but that does not mean it will necessarily work for you. What I am trying to do is paint an accurate picture of what the area is all about and how you might experience it if you were to come here.
I think my job is to simply point out that wintering on the Costa del Sol is a reasonable alternative that people should consider when thinking about where to go on a winter getaway. You may find it better or worse than where you are currently going. I am making no promises about whether you will like it or not. You may get here and go…… “It’s OK but I think we’re gonna keep going to Florida instead”.
So, no advocate role for me. But what am I going to write about?
I’m Having No Problem Writing and Posting on Facebook???
Although I haven’t come up with any great ideas about what I should be telling you regarding our winter getaway on the Costa del Sol this year, I’ve had no problems throwing up pictures and details about what we have been up to on my personal Facebook page for all our friends at home to see. There is no end to the number of day-to-day mundane things that we get involved with that I think might be of interest to them. But they aren’t the sorts of things that would warrant writing a feature article about.
That said, as I think about it, perhaps that is exactly what I should be writing about. The basic, gritty details about our day-to-day life wintering on the Costa Del Sol. Perhaps that will help bring what it’s like wintering here into clear focus for you. It is very different than our day-to-day lives at home. Most obviously we have no car here, so we have to operate very differently. We walk everywhere and for every reason.
In all fairness, we do a lot of walking at home to pick up some groceries and run some errands – by design and not by chance. We do try to live a bit of the European experience at home, but while we’re here, it is full-on European living for us.
I had pretty much committed myself to write about some of the restaurants that we will be visiting here in Marbella, so why not just take things a little further and write about EVERY monotonous aspect of day-to-day life wintering on the Costa for your reading pleasure!
This could very well be my take on the Seinfeld Show … In this case a blog… “About Absolutely Nothing At All”
What the heck, let’s write about nothing at all right now!
And it Doesn’t Get Any More “Nothing at All” Than… Fruits and Vegetables!
Yes, I have written fairly extensively about grocery shopping in Spain but have primarily focused on the big supermarkets and various markets that are available. I have mentioned Fruterías a couple of times, but in reality, we have not delved into the Frutería shopping experience too often… as in, two times. And those two times resulted in us making quick, difficult purchases because of language issues, so we never returned. 🙂
But all of a sudden, we have become regular visitors to the Frutería located on the ground floor of the building where we are staying. For lots of reasons: it’s close, it’s got a very nice selection of very fresh fruits and vegetables, and the owner seems very willing to accommodate our generally restricted ability in Spanish. But perhaps most importantly, our Spanish is now good enough to shop there regularly.
I threw up a post on my personal Facebook page about us delving into this new shopping experience. And as I’ve decided, if it’s good enough for Facebook it’s good enough for the “Yikes! I’m Retired Now What” website!
So here it is in all its glory.
Our Frutería Shopping Experience
I really don’t like writing things that you will read without some sort of purpose. I suppose my purpose here is – if you decide to come here I would suggest that you make an effort to at least try making your fruit and vegetable purchases in this way. Now that I have done it I’m feeling very confident that this is the least expensive, and perhaps most fun way to buy these products… I may be wrong of course. 🙂
The other reason I feel it is important is because it’s another great way to interact directly with locals. For us, we feel it is essential to have face-time with locals whenever possible, and not just search out other ex-pats to network with. It is helping us learn a new language and allowing us to delve deeper into day-to-day Spanish life. I have come to realize after all these years that part of the benefit for us as older retired individuals is that the whole experience of living in another country where another language is spoken helps keep our cognitive function sharpened.
And NOW, it’s all about the fruits and vegetables! 🙂
1) The one in our building is like all other Fruterías – quite small. There is often a lineup out the door of people waiting to be served. People line up because the vendor picks out most of your fruits and vegetables for you. For the most part… you do not touch them.
2) Look at me buying vegetables in Spanish!
3) This was our very first purchase – a pound of strawberries and a half pound of cherry tomatoes for €3.48. Fresh and tasty.
4) And as I write this, our most recent purchase – three gigantic tomatoes for €2.18. The knife is to provide scale.
5) I had thought about picking up some fresh herbs in containers for the kitchen but decided against it.
The opening hours for these places vary. The one we go to now closes for the day at 2 PM, the start of the lunch hour. The other attraction of this particular place is how close it is. We just walk out the door turn right walk up the sidewalk 10 paces and there it is. Easy to rush down and grab ingredients when you’re thinking about what you’re making for dinner.
How was that? Mundane enough for you? 🙂 Perhaps I’ll write about something a little more exciting next time like… The shrubbery.
