Fun in the Sun

Take a 99 degree day, add a sprinkler.  Instant fun. :) 

(click individual pictures to enlarge)

Fresh produce

One of the great things about shopping here is the produce.  For the most part, it is in season.  Of course you can find apples, bananas and oranges most of the year, but we have enjoyed very ripe clementines in January, strawberries in February/March, and now fresh cherries.  They seem to only sell seasonal produce in season, which means it is cheaper and more ripe.  We bought the above basket of cherries for 85 cents this weekend.  We would never have found fresh ripe cherries for that in Tennessee!  Mmm.  Delicious.

Doctor visit

Thankfully, we all have been healthy this year and have not needed a doctor.  However, given David's and my history of "pre-cancerous," spots and moles, we both needed to see a dermatologist for our yearly exam.  We were given a recommendation of a certain practice in Madrid, so we got an appointment for both of us and went this afternoon.  It was...different.  We were surprised at the simplicity of it all.  We went in the office, filled out a very basic form (name, address, telephone, date of birth, allergies, reason for visit), and waited for the doctor.  The doctor herself came and got David first, took him back, looked him over and in broken English explained that she was going to burn off a certain spot.  She made a few marks and notes on a paper and told him to come back in one year.  My turn was similar.  She gave me a paper, a lecture about staying out of the sun and told me to come back in one year as well.  Interestingly, in a socialized medicine country, we merely filled out a very basic information form (compared to the pages and pages of medical history, release of medical records, etc. that you fill out in a U.S. office), met with the doctor for 5 minutes each (no nurse), paid our 60 Euro office visit charge (no insurance billing) and were done.  She made her notes and drawings and sent them home with us for our files (she kept no medical file on us).