We’d intended to post photos of the apartment today, but instead, we are doing laundry and more organizing. At some point, we will include pictures, but please bear with us. As it turned out, the laundry soap used for the bedding has caused me an allergic reaction around my neck. As a result, it became necessary to wash the bedding on the hygiene setting on the washer using the hypoallergenic laundry soap we purchased that arrived with yesterday’s grocery order.
When we placed the online grocery order, as shown in today’s photos, we didn’t order any meat other than chicken breast. Beef is costly here. Instead, we ordered basic household supplies, such as toilet paper, paper towels, coffee, and the ingredients to make coleslaw and chicken salad: mayonnaise (without bad oils), celery, onions, cabbage, carrots, and a few seasonings.
Since we will only be here in Spain for another 39 days, it makes no sense to buy a large quantity of ingredients to prepare our usual meals when we’ll have to dispose of them when we leave.
Over the next few days, we’ll prepare the chicken salad and coleslaw, which will be enough to last for two or three days. We will make such a meal once a week and do takeaway for the remaining days of the week. So far, since we arrived, we’ve ordered takeaway each day.
With Tom’s picky taste buds, it’s not easy to find foods he’ll like from restaurants nearby. Fortunately, we are in an area with many restaurants, but when we looked up menus, we discovered we couldn’t dine out for anything less than US $100. Additionally, given my dietary preferences and Tom’s limited options, we decided it was easier and less expensive to order takeout four days a week than to dine out. Then again, there are those stairs.
Since we’re both doing OMAD (one meal a day) to lose weight before the cruise, we’ll manage fine with ordering takeaway. I ordered some fantastic healthy “bowls” from a local restaurant. We are using Uber Eats, which offers free delivery with a small service fee. Ultimately, this plan may cost us as much as dining out or buying more groceries. However, this is what we believe works best for us at this time.
When we stayed in Cleveland for four months for my medical appointments, we followed this same plan, and it worked out well. The only difference here is the menus in Spanish, and the options are very different than those offered in the US or other countries. Spanish meals typically consist of a lot of starchy foods, such as bread, pasta, and rice, none of which I can eat.
In any case, we’re settling in and working our way into a comfortable routine. Of course, I’m anxious to get out, but as Tom says, my getting injured would put a quick end to our plans. We’ve already visited Barcelona in the past and participated in some sightseeing activities.
As we’ve often mentioned, we’ve seen enough historic buildings to last a lifetime, and visiting more is not on our radar. As much as we’d like to share lots of great photos of touring the area, we have to consider my limitations and make the best of our time in Barcelona.
Be well.
Photo from ten years ago today, September 18, 2015:
