We went to a Scandinavian bakery today and bought some good bread, rolls and pastries. Across from that bakery was a Norwegian food store where nearly everything one could be missing from their homeland, could be purchased. Tante Berit just bought the daily newspaper, even though she has a special antenna on her house that picks up all the Norwegian TV channels there are. One can never know enough about Norway. She does admit to getting lonely from time to time and she genuinely seems pleased we are here. Her husband died two and a half years ago and she’s now been living in Spain full time for seven years (she’s 73). She always just buys a one way ticket in the summer when she returns to Norway to visit family. If the weather is too bad, she says, she gets on the next plane back to Spain. This sunshine and perfectly warm (but not too hot) climate is very addicting.
Kory is enjoying the time to get to know his aunt, and we are all still enjoying the perfect weather. Tante Berit took us to an open air market today that only happens on Wednesdays. We saw a similar market with similar wares when we were in Rome last year. I like the prices best, even if the selection is limited. We bought a few things, but really had to restrict ourselves because we didn’t pay for checked baggage and we can only have one carry-on item for our return trip to Norway. Too bad, because the Euro is VERY cheap right now. Last year we paid about $1.68 to buy a Euro, today I bought some for $1.22.
While we were sitting eating ice cream at one of the many beach side restaurants, some people Berit knows from Norway walked by. That woman’s ex-husband is the grandson to one of Kory’s mom’s cousins. I think the whole of Norway is related, one way or another. She was also entertaining guests down from Norway, as this is the Promised Land for those from Scandinavia and Great Britian that need an escape from the rain. Spain made a good move when they offered totally free health care to all resident retirees. Even though Scandinavia also offers free health care, the incredibly long wait to get any kind of treatment, frustrates many, and many die while waiting months for their appointment. (They joke in Norway that those in prison get better medical care than the elderly, but it’s not far from the truth. They deny the elderly much care because its socialized medicine and they watch their expenses.) It’s not so around here. Berit lives very near a super new and modern hospital and medical center and getting appointments are no problem, so that is one of the big draws for the migration to this particular country.
The open air market we went to today was a bit north from the neighborhood where Berit lives so we got a chance to drive around and see several neighborhoods in Torrevieja. She showed us where she lived her first three years here and it was in an incredibly beautiful place right next to the beach. I absolutely love the architecture here – all the while railings and brilliant bougainvillea blooming against the while stucco backgrounds with blue and while tiles accenting steps and walkways – it’s heaven for the eyes. The houses are mostly duplexes or entire blocks of houses connected one to another with the same style balconies and trim and fencing – it’s all well planned and quite balanced in appearance. I noticed some neighborhoods we passed today had the entire block walled off with a main gate to enter onto the street, then each individual house had its own entry gate for the car and pedestrians. Even though it seems a bit prison like, it’s all part of the charm of the city because it’s so well done and beautiful.
Tante Berit took us on a long walk along a real boardwalk by the sea, and it seemed a little like Atlantic City, a little like Hawaii, a little like Puerto Vallarta and a little like Greece… but really not exactly like anywhere else, so I guess this is Spain. We stopped and ate lunch at a seaside restaurant and Kaleb entertained himself with an entire outdoor gym set up in the sand in front of where we were sitting. It wasn’t electronic equipment, but it all worked just fine and gave him a good workout with a knock out view.
While we were waiting for our meal, the vendors came around trying to sell their (probably hot) goods. Musicians wandered by playing the accordion or clarinet, then asking for donations afterwards. Practically every person that passed us while we sat there had a dog on a leash (the majority fell into the Toy Dog category). Tante Berit doesn’t go anywhere without her dog either, and they are welcomed in many places, but not on the sandy beaches.
On the drive back to Berit’s house she stopped and showed us a tower that was built in the 1400s as a watchtower to keep an eye on the Barbary pirates that used to invade this coastline. It’s the only super historical place around here because 400 years ago this town on the southeast coastline was demolished by a very strong earthquake. In Berit’s opinion, it’s a pretty new town, but then she’s used to Norwegian history where many churches in Norway are between 700-900 years old.
Tante Berit’s pool felt especially refreshing after all the time we spent walking in the city. Kaleb and I goofed on in her pool while Kory replaced some light fixtures and Berit made Baccalou for dinner. She had asked Kory if he liked Baccalou and when he told her he LOVED it, I was a bit sad because I would have rather gone out to eat tonight since I’m not real fond of that stuff, but after I tasted her version of this very popular Norwegian dish, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. WOW! (It’s made with klippfisk – a type of salted, dried cod, potatoes, red peppers, onions and lots of olive oil.) She also made caramel pudding, baked in the oven the old fashioned way. That woman can cook! I think she’s in the market for a man, too. I’m sure if Kory weren’t related to her, he might consider a trade-in.
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