Wednesday, February 06, 2019

Some success.

I started my daily search to speak to someone in Spanish at 8:30 this morning, maybe a little too early. I found one man sitting on a bench and approached him, introduced myself and asked if he would speak with me in Spanish. He told me he was from the Netherlands and didn't speak any Spanish. We talked for about 15 minutes in English and then I said goodbye. Not a successful morning. The afternoon would be much better but it would be unfair to Joan to have her just sitting next to me and not understand what is being said. I think it would make us both uncomfortable. It is the same way in Poland when I talk with someone in Polish. I was back home by 10:00 and she was still sleeping.

In the afternoon we went to visit the town of Lorca, Spain.  Lorca is a municipality and city in the autonomous community of Murcia in southeastern Spain, 58 kilometres (36 mi) southwest of the city of Murcia. It has a population of about 92,000 people. The city is home to Lorca Castle and the Collegiate church dedicated to St. Patrick.

The Castle of Lorca is a fortress of medieval origin constructed between the 9th and 15th centuries. It consists of a series of defensive structures that, during the Middle Ages, made the town and the fortress an impregnable point in the southeast part of the Iberian Peninsula. Lorca Castle was a key strategic point of contention between Christians and Muslims during the Reconquista. 
It was a 1 hour 15 minute drive to get there and we were hungry so we went to the main square for tapas,
coffee and dessert. When we ere done we strolled around and I took some pictures.

Before we went to Lorca I put a load of clothes in the washing machine and they were waiting to be hung 
up outside when we got back. As I was finishing, the elderly neighbor came out to hang up her clothes. I
had seen her before and waved hello but this time I walked up to the low fence that separates our houses , 
introduced my self and asked if she would talk with me. he agreed but said she was Portugese, living in
Spain 20 years. We talked for about 20 minutes and then I went into the house.

Zacz膮艂em moje codzienne poszukiwania, aby porozmawia膰 z kim艣 po hiszpa艅sku o 8:00 dzi艣 rano, 
mo偶e troch臋 za wcze艣nie. Znalaz艂em jednego m臋偶czyzn臋 siedz膮cego na 艂awce i podszed艂em do niego,
przedstawi艂em si臋 i zapyta艂em, czy b臋dzie m贸wi艂 ze mn膮 po hiszpa艅sku. Powiedzia艂 mi, 偶e pochodzi 
z Holandii i nie m贸wi po hiszpa艅sku. Rozmawiali艣my przez oko艂o 15 minut po angielsku, a potem 
po偶egna艂em si臋. Nie udany poranek. Popo艂udnie by艂oby o wiele lepsze, ale Joannie by艂oby to 
niesprawiedliwe, gdyby siedzia艂a obok mnie i nie rozumia艂a, co si臋 m贸wi. My艣l臋, 偶e sprawi艂oby, 
偶e poczuli艣my si臋 niekomfortowo. Tak samo jest w Polsce, kiedy rozmawiam z kim艣 po polsku.
Wr贸ci艂em do domu do dziesi膮tej, a ona wci膮偶 spa艂a.

Po po艂udniu udali艣my si臋 do miasta Lorca w Hiszpanii. Lorca jest gmin膮 i miastem w autonomicznej 
wsp贸lnocie Murcji w po艂udniowo-wschodniej Hiszpanii, 58 km (36 mil) na po艂udniowy zach贸d od 
miasta Murcia. Ma oko艂o 92 000 mieszka艅c贸w. W mie艣cie znajduje si臋 zamek Lorca i kolegiata pod 
wezwaniem 艣w. Patryka.

Zamek Lorca jest fortec膮 o 艣redniowiecznym rodowodzie, zbudowan膮 mi臋dzy IX a XV wiekiem. 
Sk艂ada si臋 z szeregu obiekt贸w obronnych, kt贸re w 艣redniowieczu uczyni艂y miasto i twierdz臋 nie do 
zdobycia w po艂udniowo-wschodniej cz臋艣ci P贸艂wyspu Iberyjskiego. Zamek Lorca by艂 kluczowym 
punktem spornym mi臋dzy chrze艣cijanami i muzu艂manami podczas Rekonkwisty.

To by艂o 1 godziny 15 minut jazdy, aby dosta膰 si臋 tam i byli艣my g艂odni, wi臋c poszli艣my na g艂贸wny 
plac na tapas, kaw臋 i deser. Kiedy sko艅czyli艣my, spacerowali艣my i zrobi艂em kilka zdj臋膰.


Zanim pojechali艣my do Lorca, w艂o偶y艂em do pralki 艂adunek ubra艅 i czekali, a偶 nas powiesimy na 
zewn膮trz, kiedy wr贸cimy. Kiedy ko艅czy艂em, starszy s膮siad wyszed艂, 偶eby rozwiesi膰 ubranie. 
Widzia艂em j膮 wcze艣niej i macha艂em cze艣膰, ale tym razem podesz艂am do niskiego ogrodzenia, kt贸re 
oddziela nasze domy, przedstawi艂am siebie i zapyta艂am, czy b臋dzie ze mn膮 rozmawia膰. zgodzi艂 si臋, ale 
powiedzia艂, 偶e jest Portugalczykiem, mieszka w Hiszpanii 20 lat. Rozmawiali艣my przez oko艂o 20 
minut, a potem poszed艂em do domu.