Shopping at Mercado de Triana

Today I walked to the big market where there are many dozens of stalls selling mostly fresh seafood, vegetables, fruits and cheeses. There are a few stalls with just about everything including underwear and little bunnies.

I went for two specific things and found both easily. I wanted setas (mushrooms) for the spaghetti I am fixing for dinner and also queso parmesano rallado (grated parmesan cheese). The mushrooms were at the same booth where the man was so sweet and patient with Karen last week when she bought several items, cucumbers, watermelon, oranges, potatoes, etc.

The woman today was a real witch to me. I saw that the mushrooms were about the size of tennis balls and since there are only two of us I decided I needed only six of them. When I asked for "seis setas por favor" she launched into a tirade. I just looked at her without speaking until she finished, pointed to the mushrooms and said "uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis". I am pretty sure saying "seis setas por favor" wasn't misunderstood as some obscure insult.

I never figured out whether she was asking me whether I wanted six kilos, six dozen, six tons, annoyed that I only wanted six, or what. I saw other people buying two apples, two tomatoes, etc. so I thought no big deal. Being here is helping to dampen my temper. If anyone in the States had yelled at me like that and waved their arms I may have jumped over the counter. I got exactly six mushrooms and moved on.

The parmesan cheese was so much easier. I went to a cheese booth and saw what I wanted in the case, "queso rallado italiano". The young woman behind the counter was waiting on someone else, she smiled at me and said "momento". When she finished she said "diga!" and I told her and pointed. She held it up, smiled again and put it on the counter saying "uno y treinta", 1 Euro thirty cents.

I also bought some sliced turkey and ham for sandwiches. Everyone else was nice and helpful. There seems to always be one unhappy person who tries to spoil the day. Hey, I'm here in sunny Spain, no job, no worries. Eating more healthful food and walking as much as I am will hopefully bring me down about 20 pounds in the next eight weeks. Hooah! Vale!

Coming back across the bridge over the Guadalquivir River there is a good view of La Giralda which is the tower of the Cathedral de Sevilla. It is one of the largest Gothic structures in the world, towers above the city and occupies several square blocks on the ground and is the center of the tourist area.

You can see the tower in the photo and the cathedral stretching out to the right. Notice the orange tree full of oranges in the foreground. They grow all over Sevilla and provide lots of shade but the fruit is really very bitter and inedible. Vive la naranjas Florida!

Our apartment is about two short blocks from the cathedral through winding, narrow streets filled with some of the most beautiful architecture we have ever seen, serving as residences and both tiny and large shops.