Capital of the Alt Empordà ,in the province of Girona, in the Catalunya region of Spain.With the house undergoing major renovation we have lost the use of both bathrooms; and are having to use a rudimentary affair in the under-build of the house. Functional though it is this bathroom is usually avoided. Not only is decrepit, it is often visited by toads who limbo under the garage door.
Unlike the garden frogs who hop away when disturbed, the local toads seem to have adopted a different attitude. These toads are in no hurry they don’t jump, they amble, looking back over their shoulder as they do so as if to say, ‘I’ll be back’. like some kind of an insect terminator
The light switches are strategically placed so the you must enter the realm of darkness before you can benefit from light. Under my right foot I felt something soft, ‘Oh no not the toad’! With the light on I was relieved to find it was only a piece of lagging from the pipe work. After all toads are desirable for their pest control qualities, though you don’t really want them in the house.
Then I saw it, I could’t believe it, sitting in the shower tray was the terminator toad.
‘Out!’ I said, using the cardboard as a shield once more to remove the toad via the same door.
As the toad ambled away I called after it, ‘And don’t come back’.
The toad hesitated for a moment, before looking back over it’s shoulder the way terminators do as if to say,
‘Oh, I’ll be back’
The restaurant was quiet that Thursday evening. The waiter a tall and pleasant young man greeted us in Spanish before moving effortlessly into English. He told us about his experiences whilst working in
On a nearby table four men were discussing travel arrangements back to the
The food was good, as was the service. We had enjoyed our evening and expressed our satisfaction to the waiter when he returned.
Having engaged the waiter in conversation. The young man told us about the advantages of having both German and Spanish parents. He was naturally bi-lingual.
Before adding;
“I was raised here in
Very sensible of them we acknowledged.
So what did they call you? we asked, guessing Miguel, Antonio…
“Fernando” he replied
Neither of us spoke though instinctively knew what the other was thinking.
The waiter spoke, “Apparently many years ago there was a song”.
An ironic smile played across his face as he offered a slight bow before turning and walking away.
Parents …priceless!
On the road to Roses from Figueres you see a large warehouse bearing the legend
Der Boot Doktor
cobblers on a grand scale I thought, but I was wrong it was a repair shop for the boating fraternity of Empuriabrava.
