Live from Ciutadella, Menorca, Spain (Dos)

Cars. Being a fan of all things on four wheels I have to mention the cars here, and the Spanish thing with vans. Or more specifically, vans with windows. They´re hugely popular here, although I remember seeing more ten years ago. They´re small vans though, like an Opel Combo which is only the front of a Corsa welded to something resembling a shipping container. In Spain, there´s a huge market for one of these things with a bench in the back and windows for the kids to look out, the idea being that it can be used as both a van and a family runabout. Still……very different. And you could count the number of Japanese cars on the roads here on one hand. Those that are are invariably European-built. Everything is usually either an Opel, Fiat, Renault or Seat. I´ve seen ONE Toyota Avensis. Ireland is crawling with them, here there´s just one. And despite Spain oing a little crazy for American cars five years ao, they´ve settled back into European makes although I did see this amazing machine called a Chrysler 300 that´s really amazing in the flesh, even though it´s only a four door saloon. They sell lots more American cars here than in Ireland and the UK, mainly because they only have to change the lights for Europe, whereas with us they´d have to put the steering wheel on the other side, which was never that easy to do. And they also have to sell Dodges as Chryslers and Oldsmobiles as Chevrolets because of some daft court ruling years ago.

Still reading? Wow, I´m impressed! So I couldn´t do this writing from Menorca thing without mentioning the Euro. Yes, you thought you´d get away with it, but no. EuroJoe must have his say. So how does it feel to be able to take the contents of your wallet with you to a foreign country and spend as usual? To know exactly how much everything costs because you use the same currency at home?

Absolutely fabulous! Really, it is. I´ve managed to save so much money this time by knowing instantly when something is a rip off (€8 something for FHM) and when something is absurdly good value (500ml bottle of mineral water is 41c, pint of San Miguel is €2.60 or so). I was ripped off once, something close to €4 for a little tub of butter. But I think anyone Irish will agree that a chilled packet of Dairygold with “El sabor de Irlanda” on the front is worth it. If I didn´t like that, I could´ve had some Kerrygold – “Mantequilla de Irlanda”. Very nice. They´ve just launched Extra Cold Guinness here with the slogan “Pura Intensidad”. One has to grin.

Anyway, euros. Yes, the single European currency is brilliant. It´s like your money has roaming, you can use it just as easily abroad and with no fuss. Well, apart from having to pay €2 an hour at the net cafe. It´s a lot cheaper in Aihua in Dublin…..but sure this isn´t Dublin and when in Rome etc. etc. Within three days the backs of all the coins in my wallet had changed from harps to King Juan Carlos but still, at least now I know when I have a harp in my wallet I got it from a Spanish till. Which is kinda cool. Plus it´s quietly, sneeringly satisfying to think of all the throngs of Brits who have to use Irish coins to get stuff here.

But enough post-colonial pettiness, now I must wind up. It leaves me to wish you all the best til my next entrada, which probably won´t be too far away. The car rental thing isn´t gonna happen, no-one seems to want to give me a car. So feck them. I´m off to El Rey De la Hamburguesa. Adios.

j

p.s. What´s Hansel and Gretel’s favourite rock band?

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And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Bread.