Mercado

Town seems quiet at the moment and there were a few stalls missing from the market, most noticeably for us our favourite butchers. The shops are all full of sales, some up to 70% off and there is no trouble getting tables at the restaurants. For the last few years we have been on the look out for signs of the impact of the economic crisis and the really high unemployment figures for the area (50% youth unemployment) each time we have visited and there have been one or two but this year it all seems more noticeable. Hopefully for a town heavily reliant on tourism the crowds will come for the fiesta in a couple of weeks. That would be the real sign.

In the meantime for us an early dip in the pool, food shopping, lunch at Meson and home for siestas, more pool and a visit to Jackson's Casino. And more reading than I've done in ages. The last book I read took 6 weeks, the first one of the holidays 2 days. Amazing how so little can fill a whole day.

Lesley x