Bonus & Wendy's Big Adventure . . . .

[Gen]

You have no idea how exciting this is!

I can only imagine, having your own things again, will help make everything feel more like home.

[Wendy]

So for all the ladies following us. I will say South Africa is fabulous for fresh veg and herbs. For all the great markets here in Spain, you will have to get your bearings right in a foreign country. No Food Lovers here or anything close. Everything you CAN get is very fresh, big and beautiful. Big, as in peaches the size of tennis balls. I could go on how lovely it all is. BUT you will have to rethink all your favourite recipes. Ingredients are rare for all sorts of old favourites. I especially miss finding an Indian stall at a flea market with big buckets of spices where a man will fill a kilogram bag with a special blend that will make your curry night parties memorable forever. Spices and herbs are all dried here. So as much as I love it, being (a limited) foodie, I do miss Food Lovers Market (for now). I will have lists for every one of you who come to visit. Don't worry about the wine that's good. You won't need to add that to your weight. SA wines of course are the best in the world but we can adapt. (Of course we can, we are South African) so spices are on the contraband list.

[Wendy]

Oh just to add to the wine bit. The wine here is good for €4 and great for €7. So very cheap drinkable wine. I always have to allow a bit of weight in my suitcase when I travel to take a couple of bottles but you can give that a miss coming here ????????

Edited March 31, 2016 by Wendy

[Gen]

So for all the ladies following us. I will say South Africa is fabulous for fresh veg and herbs. For all the great markets here in Spain, you will have to get your bearings right in a foreign country. No Food Lovers here or anything close. Everything you CAN get is very fresh, big and beautiful. Big, as in peaches the size of tennis balls. I could go on how lovely it all is. BUT you will have to rethink all your favourite recipes. Ingredients are rare for all sorts of old favourites. I especially miss finding an Indian stall at a flea market with big buckets of spices where a man will fill a kilogram bag with a special blend that will make your curry night parties memorable forever. Spices and herbs are all dried here. So as much as I love it, being (a limited) foodie, I do miss Food Lovers Market (for now). I will have lists for every one of you who come to visit. Don't worry about the wine that's good. You won't need to add that to your weight. SA wines of course are the best in the world but we can adapt. (Of course we can, we are South African) so spices are on the contraband list.

Wendy, I know a friend that lives in France always complains that here in SA we have most vegs all year round, where there it's seasonal, so some veg not always available. Have you found it the same in Spain?

[Wendy]

In the few weeks I've been here yes, the true for Spain too. I'm hoping that when we go to the city the supermarkets there might have what I need. Otherwise I will have to redo all my recipes. I always said you should adapt to where you go so I'm good for that.

 

Also they do not drink diluted cold drinks here. So it's wine or water. I'm not a big fan of pure fruit juice and I would get used to any "oros" substitute, but there just isn't one. I've been buying fruit juice and watering it down.

 

I'm sure after a year we will have worked it all out.

[Wendy]

Bonus and I have had to buy arnica massage oil (our bikes haven't arrived but we are doing a lot of manual labour) beware when you ALL come to visit. Bring your own sports rubs. Arnica is very expensive here. As Bonus said in an earlier thread. The cost of living is the same as SA. Compared to what people earn it's relatively good (we are still spending rands so not so good for us). There are a few items here and there that are more expensive. Arnica is one of them.

[Bonus]

Container arrives from Barcelona this morning . . .

[DIPSLICK]

Bonus and I have had to buy arnica massage oil (our bikes haven't arrived but we are doing a lot of manual labour) beware when you ALL come to visit. Bring your own sports rubs. Arnica is very expensive here. As Bonus said in an earlier thread. The cost of living is the same as SA. Compared to what people earn it's relatively good (we are still spending rands so not so good for us). There are a few items here and there that are more expensive. Arnica is one of them.

Question is would you be looking at the price of something like arnica oil in Sa ??

Not stirring, really just curious

[Wendy]

Yes we go through a lot of arnica. Oh and I don't ever think anyone is stirring. Even if they are. ☺ haha. I'm sitting here too tired to move and you cannot believe what Bonus is finding in boxes. I now see all the stuff I threw out arrived hidden in bike boxes

[Bonus]

It was the perfect crime :-)

[Uni]

It was the perfect crime :-)

A case of honey, but we paid so much to get it over here we can't throw it out now

Tricksy. More pics please.

[Gen]

Yes we go through a lot of arnica. Oh and I don't ever think anyone is stirring. Even if they are. ☺ haha. I'm sitting here too tired to move and you cannot believe what Bonus is finding in boxes. I now see all the stuff I threw out arrived hidden in bike boxes

[emoji23] [emoji23] [emoji23]

 

That us hilarious. . SNEAKY Bonus

[Bonus]

Shipping arrived first thing on a lovely sunny Thursday morning. We had lots of help from neighbours and their tractors! Then the farmers wife cooked us all  a big breakfast-brunch! We really are very lucky with where we've "landed" . . .

[Bonus]

and . . .

[Bonus]

The Farmer, Me and two removal Amigos. Having a drop of Vino with Brunch :-)

Edited April 8, 2016 by Bonus

[DIPSLICK]

hard life