Friday, October 2nd - Salou, Spain

This morning was another lazy start where I got up around 9, checked e-mail and facebook and looked at upcoming Salou and area events trying to plot out my next few days.  It was afternoon before I had my breakfast / lunch and by then the sun was actually shining.  I should note too that most of the water has disappeared from the street out front after last night's downpour and there are only a few puddles left.  The water on the pathway to the beach has also receded and looks almost dry.  People are out enjoying the beach as if the storm never happened.

I was thinking of going to Reus today to look around and stay for an evening concert outdoors.  However, I'm just not sure enough about the weather to make the trip and besides, it would be late when I got back by bus and I still haven't figured out where the late-night bus stop is in Reus.  The others are marked on my map but the late-night one is not and there is only one late-night bus so I definitely wouldn't want to miss it.  The other reason I'm questioning going is that my left knee is really sore and I can barely put any weight on it.  I can hobble around the apartment and probably around Salou a bit but I don't think I want to try seeing all of Reus, which if I follow their walking tour routes, would take four hours plus any time in museums and galleries.  Yep, that sounds like a bit too much for me to accomplish today.  Obviously in my old age I need a rest day or two between each big walking day.  Luckily I'm happy to do that right now.  It wasn't so easy on some of the tours, but it's easy now.

I spent the afternoon reading and relaxing in the sun on my balcony.  It was quite lovely and saved me having to walk to the beach so I thought it was a good compromise.  I then had a sandwich and changed and headed out for a walk to the bookstore.  Yes, I finally made it to the bookstore.  Well, it's too bad I didn't go earlier because last nights store came in the one side of the store and over 1,000 books were destroyed.  And of course those books were the English ones that I wanted.  Also the French but they wouldn't have been much too me.  The other languages which were in the same area mostly survived but the bookstore owner was very apologetic and yet very distraught about the situation.  The store had been cleaned up so nothing looked out of place when I first walked in but once he pointed to the ceiling and window and started talking about it I could see that he'd had a problem.  I did want to support the poor guy but there wasn't much I could buy that would actually be useful to me but eventually I found a Sudoku book.  Even though the instructions were in Spanish I figured I could still figure out the puzzles in it.

From there I went over to the Old Tower.  There is some celebration on to honour Senior Citizens and I figured I'd fit right in with that group.  They had something last night too but I didn't get back from Cambrils in time to catch that.   My knee was sore as I started out but eventually it got moving and I managed to walk without too much of a limp (I think).  

At 7 p.m. there was a Tai Chi demonstration which we just watched for about 20 minutes.  Although I like Tai Chi the demonstration was pretty boring as we all just sat or stood and watched them move through some of their routines.  And "them" was only one leader who obvioulsy knew what he was doing and five or six senior ladies who didn't necessarily know what they were doing and didn't quite follow him all the time.  In other words it was a very unsynchronized demonstration.

At 7:30 there was a Havaneres Concert.  That didn't mean much to me but the tourist people said it was fishermen singing so I figured it would be something like sea shanties from our east coast.  There were only five people on stage: three male singers, one seated guitar player (male) who also sang at times, and one female who played the accordion and didn't sing.  Okay, right there I knew it wasn't going to be like our sea shanties because I don't remember them having accordions.  Fiddles maybe but accordions not so much.  As soon as they started to sing though, I knew it was going to be a very enjoyable evening.  They were awesome and really great to listen to.  I think they were all tenors but I could be wrong in that.  They sang incredibly tight harmonies though and each one had short solos at times so you knew they all had beautiful voices.  The people around me all knew the words to all the songs, and I think they knew all the performers as well as I believe they were locals. 

They sang for about 30 minutes and then took a 15 minute break.  During the break there were free refreshments and everyone seemed to be getting one or two drinks so I went back and got one.  It was delicious.  It as hot and it was alcoholic but I had no idea what it was.  I couldn't find anyone serving who spoke English so I couldn't find out what it was.  When I went back to my seat I passed the sound board so I asked the two young guys there (probably in their 40's but young to this crowd) and they said it was rum.  Well I'm not a rum lover but the drink was delicious.  I may have to try drinking rum heated more often.

The group came back on and sang for another 30 minutes.  I actually knew one of the songs in the last half, or perhaps I should say I recognized it.  I don't know what all the words say but I can always pick up the "it's Catalonia, it's Catalan" part.  You hear it all the time over here.  It is a nice song but to them it is like a national anthem or should I say a yet-to-be-achieved-national anthem.  The other song everyone seemed to know was one where you had to have your hankie or scarf or something out so you could wave it around at the appropriate part.  "La Bella Lola" is the name of it and it's about a beautiful maiden standing on shore waving her handkerchief as her sailor goes out to sea or comes back from sea - so the audience all (male and female) wave their hankies at the appropriate part in the song.

I really enjoyed the concert but I'm sure the people sitting around me probably thought that I didn't.  I couldn't understand anything that was said between songs and there was quite a lot said, as intro to the next song I assumed.  I therefore didn't understand any instructions to sing along or sway or clap or wave my hankie so I just sat there and enjoyed the music.  It was a nice night weather-wise, which I was not really expecting.  The breeze got a bit cool part way through the concert but I had my sweater with me so I was fine.  The weather was lovely, the music was fantastic and it was a wonderful way to spend the evening.

The concert finished about 8:45 so I walked straight from the Old Tower to the promenade and got there just exactly as the music started for the fountain display.  I would have been there sooner but I had to wait for a train as usual!  I thought I might only stay at the fountain for a few minutes but I was standing quite close to the fountain in a different position than the other times I saw it and it was almost a totally different show.  I could see things tonight that I never noticed on the other two nights.  And the place was packed again.  Supposedly the high season is over so I didn't expect there would be many people out but they were there by the hundreds if not a thousand or more.  There was very little wind which also made the display very enjoyable - definitely drier for those near the fountain but also, because the spray was not blowing around, the projected pictures were clearer as were the laser beams.  I enjoyed it all again and that was my third time, but probably my last.

After that I walked back to the apartment but as I did so I decided I was hungry so I went to the little pizza store at the end of the street and ordered a pizza to go.  I sat outside doing a Sudoku while I waited, then I went home and ate half the pizza while I cleared my e-mails and checked facebook.  Now I am just finishing up this blog and then I am going to bed.