Day 24.

21.51: Well after the excitement on Sunday it’s been a bit hard to write anything because obviously life has returned to its new normal. However, I do want to try to write fairly regularly to give my brain something to do. In the past two days I’ve broken my rule of watching tv during the day and I’ve finished watching the fourth season of La Casa de Papel (Money Heist in English) and today Hilary Mantel’s latest book has arrived. Just in time too as I finally have finished La Sombra del Viento which took me a very long time to read (I started it last year…) but I have to give my self a wee pat on the back for keeping persevering because it was quite tough going (comprehension wise) at times. I’m very excited to switch to English for a bit (I do have my next book lined up in Spanish though; Isabel Allende’s latest book (A Long Petal of the Sea/Largo Petalo de Mar). I checked the weight of The Mirror and the Light (1298 grams) so I’ll also be doing some bicep work when I read it. So I’m keeping on top of exercise too…

Last night while we were chatting on the balcony Rafa pointed out a guy and said “oh that’s the guy that’s been on the news for walking around naked.” I’ve only seen him once in the buff, last year in January or February, and had forgotten about him. Yesterday he was fully clothed and walking with a friend without a care in the world. Today I happened to look out and the police had parked just below my building and from the car appeared the same guy, but this time totally naked. I knew that he lived nearby but not on my actual street. Rafa told me that when he saw him a little while after I had that he was fully clothed and the police were giving him a fine (not for nudism which is completely legal in Spain but for breaking the rules of the quarantine). So… that was today.

Tomorrow is Jueves Santo and a public holiday here in Spain. It’s my second time being here for Easter and obviously it’s going to be a very different one. They take Easter really seriously here in Spain and it’s quite a sight to behold. Before the quarantine started the men that form parts of the many, many, many, processions carrying various Madonna’s around were practicing and I felt quite excited because I knew what they were preparing for. Last year I had absolutely no idea why there were men shuffling around carrying concrete blocks and bags of sand above them on makeshift floats (the weight is representative of the Madonna they would then carry during Semana Santa). It can actually be quite tiresome trying to navigate the city during Semana Santa because the roads get completely blocked off with the processions and quite a few of them pass by my street making it nearly impossible to get home. But… I must admit I’m going to miss the chance to see them again. It just means I’ll have to try to see them next year.

Time for dinner. Happy Wednesday (do days of the week matter anymore?)