Three things you didn’t know about Spanish showers and other oddities: a photo tour

Jamón (Ham)

First of all, since I reeled you in with the ham photo, man, they love their ham here. You might even say they are in love with their ham after reading what this website has to say about it:

The story of Jamón Ibérico ham is steeped in mystery and romance. The ancient oak pastures of Spain, the noble black Ibérico pig, the mountain air which caresses each ham as it magically is transformed into one of the world’s most exquisite foods…

Spanish ham could be a poster child for delayed gratification. Serrano ham is aged for a minimum of 252 days while Ibérico ham isn’t deemed ready until it has matured for 2 to 4 years. Ham is a staple here. Many a time, we’ve seen local climbers stop for a lunch break consisting of thin slices of ham on white bread. They all seem to be lean and are climbing damn hard, so they must be doing something right. And, well, it does taste awfully good (this coming from a lapsed vegetarian).

Fish

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Even in large supermarkets, you don’t find fish that is filleted and packaged the way it is in North America. The fish here is laid out on ice, whole. There is no way you can fool yourself into thinking that your supper wasn’t recently a living creature. However, in this way, the discerning buyer can verify that the fish is fresh by looking into its eyes (maybe they are in love with their fish too?) In case you are curious, the eyes should be bulging, shiny, and clear—just what anyone might look for in their beloved. Or in the case of the live eels in the video, they should be actively trying to escape.

Christmas Trees

Instead of doing something mundane, like transforming old Christmas trees into wood chips, the whole town of Chulilla got together, threw a party, and burned the lot of them in a big bonfire. There was music, food, drink, and the children ran wild. Check out the size of the fire in the lower part of the photo!

Dancing

Spaniards have some pretty snazzy dance moves. What more can one say? Olé!

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Building Codes

If such things exist here, the locals appear to have a healthy disregard for them. Electrical wires bounce from one side of the street to the other, slithering over the surface of roof tops, hitched to the odd balcony or window grill with bare wire. Handrails are definitely optional on stairways, inside and out.

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Belayers

I wish I had a picture for this, but I don’t. Yesterday, we climbed beside two Spanish dudes. The guy belaying had obviously done the climb many, many, many times, and knew every move. He issued forth a steady stream of detailed instructions to the climber. It wasn’t long before I was wishing for earbuds to drown him out. At one point, he had a huge loop of slack in the rope, perhaps because he was in the process of lighting a cigarette, which then bobbed out of the corner of his mouth as he continued to spout advice. Later, the climber took a “rest,” still perched precariously, but alternating his grip on a good hold and trying to shake out his free hand. Though the climber was less likely to fall at that spot, he was not secure. The belayer completely let go of the rope as he used both hands to demonstrate the climbing motions in the air and shouted up a description of the upcoming moves. In the space of a few minutes, he had broken nearly every rule of belaying. Maybe it was the ham? Or maybe the weed in his cigarette.

Showers

And finally, three things about the showers here.

1. They are tiny.
2. There aren’t any shelves on which to place soap, shampoo, etc. 
3. The faucet is located about three feet off the ground. In other words, “butt” height. So, when you bend over to pick up your shampoo (that must sit on the floor as there is no shelf), you are likely to hit said faucet with aforementioned butt, abruptly changing the temperature. Olé!

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