¿Do you have it in 'L'?

After arriving in Spain for my six month stay with only 20kg of belongings (see previous posts), as well as living in a strategically chosen flat in the centre of town, it would be hard for me to avoid the occasional spot of retail therapy.  One thing that I noticed almost straight away was the difference in sizing of items of clothing.  Forget our familiar standards of 8 to 18, here in Spain it is common to buy clothes in sizes S, M, L etc... Being a standard UK size 12 (10 if I breathe in) but often the largest of my girlfriends, I found being a size M/L unsurprising, but it got me thinking, what do bigger than average girls do?  This seems like a silly theme to write about, but it surprised me even further when I saw bras being sold in only these 3 sizes (S M L) and it even seemed alien to me.  I am yet to find an Ann Summers, La Senza or equivalent, but many clothes shops do have whole floors dedicated to cutesy, pretty lingerie.  Much to my dismay (but to the relief of my bank balance), the majority are too small for my reasonably sized assets.  I don't think I have ever seen a sign like the one above, (translation: we now stock more C Cup bras, ask us!), and there aren't bra fitting services in even the specialist lingerie stores.  I spoke about this with my beautiful housemate from Lanzarote, and for her this is normal, she even cringed at the thought of someone measuring your correct size at the back of Marks and Spencers.  When I asked what "non average" girls our age do, the answer was pretty much make do with what you can find.  I have been here three months, and although I have to say that Spanish people are (in general) more beautiful than us Brits, I have not noticed anything that suggests a great difference in body size.  Admittedly, I haven't looked up any boob-related statistics to support my musings, but using the commonly found scientific instrument, eyes, I can confirm that some teenagers and young ladies are bigger than I am.  In this foreign land, pretty Double Ds don't seem to exist, and it is not common to know your official bra size. I know for sure that a previous version of myself (younger and less confident) would be upset to be branded as "large" and I would be devastated to not even be able to find nice underwear in normal shops, and it makes me wonder if there are some Spanish girls out there who feel this way, or have simply accepted these strict categories.

Viva la fiesta!!!

Thanks to Sak Noel's number 1 hit of Summer '11 "Loca People", a particular image of the Spanish fiesta has grown in the minds of us Brits as some sort of crazy, giant rave, with hot, sweaty people spilling out of over-full bars and dancing in the streets until the early hours.  Fortunately for me, I have been able to live this elusive experience, and I can confirm is is definitely not your typical "free-entry-before-11pm-leave-your-dignity-and-go-home-after-two-hours" Klute night out.  The Spanish are somewhat notorious for their ferias and festivos; originally instituted by the Church, each Spanish city and town have their own "Bank Holiday" in honour of their patron saint's day.  It varies in each town, as every Feria has its own traditions and meanings for the population, but from what I can see, it is basically an excuse for a huge party.  The economic crisis has only slightly dampened the festivities: I heard that Valladolid's annual ten day festivos have been cut short by only a day or two and our very own Plaza Mayor has been converted into a music festival stage.  Last month, I was lucky enough to attend La Feria de Malaga for a day.  Recommended by almost every young person who has been, it was definitely worth the 8 hour drive down.  

Arriving on a (fortunately) cloudy day, the temperatures were still reaching 40 degrees, and I have never been so grateful for Salamanca's non-humid climate.  We were met with the sight of a sea of people, many of whom had come from all over Spain to experience the legendary all day party.  Although it was a Saturday, every shop in the centre was closed, many of the windows boarded up to protect their property from clumsy, drunk partygoers.  On the other hand, every bar was open, offering  delightful ranges of alcoholic drinks. As it was still only 4pm, we decided to go steady, find somewhere with air conditioning and food that didn't look like it would give us food poisoning, or come with a free shot.  After an unsuccessful search, fighting through crowds and escaping from dodgy cafes for about an hour, we ended up in McDonald's - I now know the reason behind the name "Happy Meal".

Normally I don't like huge crowds of drunk people, the reasons for this are obvious - stranger danger, pickpocketing, fights, trampling, the list is endless...But one thing I did realise was how safe I felt.  I don't know whether that is me maturing and realising that Roger was exaggerating in his speeches of how to avoid dying in foreign lands, but it did seem as though everyone just wanted to have a good time.  I "went with the flow" as the crowds carried me through the streets, following the music and drums and flamenco dancers. Despite queuing for an age for the bathroom and being hotter than the sun, I can say I am definitely glad I got the chance to see it.

I barely had time to recover from this crazy, city-wide party when the Ferias de Salamanca started the other day.  For the past week, casetas have been popping up in every Plaza in the centre, and a huge stage has appeared in the Plaza Mayor.  Although I was excited, having never been before, I did not realise the scale of these ferias until last night.  

As a lover of all things to do with food, this is my idea of heaven. 

 Early in the evening, all the casetas open, offering a deal of a drink and their own pincho de feria , giving you a chance to wander around and sample everything that Spanish cuisine has to offer.  

Then, from 11pm begins the concert in the Plaza Mayor.  Last night the DJ Carlos Jean almost instantly filled the Plaza, with huge crowds appearing from nowhere, and turning the space into a music festival.

Although I am now a huge fan of the caña con limon, one thing I have missed while being here is cider. However, last night we found some, supposedly too strong to drink straight from the bottle unless you pour it from a great height into the glass.  

I think it's better if I just drink it as normal.