The Big Walk to the Centro Comercial

There is a list. There is always a list. The moment we hit ‘Place Order’ on any given website, we look at each other and invariably say, ‘Oh yeah. I forgot I wanted to order … as well. Next time. I’ll put it on the list.’ And then we do it all over again. But now that we have a move date from Valencia to Galicia we are in the trough. We have the list, but we are afraid to hit the ‘Place Order’ button.

Some websites are still pretending like they can successfully ship from the UK, and that the item will get it to Spain in days or even a week. But we know this to be completely false because we have fallen victim to the perpetual delays from Britain, and then the final, inevitable cancellation. It’s so frustrating, and in the EU they keep your money all this time. It’s not like the US where they only charge your when they ship. 2 months later they’ll give it back, if you stay on top of it. Sometimes, they don’t. We are not willing to risk it. We can’t stay in Valencia waiting for an errant package. It’s time to go.

We can’t hit the ‘Place Order’ button on the day we leave Valencia using the Lugo address, either, because we have no idea how delivery works up there in a rural area. As I’ve said many times before, we are very sure that the Amazon warehouse in Valencia is somewhere under the parking garage in our building. Order at 10pm and the next morning, before you roll out of bed, the buzzer in the kitchen will sound. The guy will be here delivering what we ordered the night before – assuming it’s coming from Spain. And that’s not even with Prime or expedited shipping. We know this because we’ve selected expedited shipping and it takes longer. As though their processing says, ‘We could have gotten it to you in 10 hours, but since you chose 2 days we’ll delay your shipment, as requested.’ So we never choose expedited anything here.

Presumably, in Lugo, and on a farm outside a very small village, it will take a bit longer. But we don’t actually know. What if it doesn’t and we’re on the road when it arrives? And our gate has no automatic opener right now. And no intercom. These new functions will be immediate purchases and installations in the first two weeks. So, until then, when we’re expecting a package we’ll have to leave one of the gates open so the driver can come to the house. First world problems, I know. But things we need to consider.

If Amazon packages do come in the same delivery time as Valencian packages, we will need to go out to the barn and look for the trap door below it. Then we will send Amazon a bill for operating their fulfilment centre from our barn. I feel sure that won’t happen. Likely, our new delivery schedule will resemble something closer to what we experienced in the US. But we shall see.

One thing is for sure. We will be far from the Centro Comercial – the mall. In Valencia, it’s very easy and convenient too get what you need, from a retail perspective. I will miss that convenience in Lugo. So yesterday, we decided to take a walk down to the mall furthest from our house. The one down the Turia at El Saler.

This was the first mall we ever went to in Valencia. It was across the bridge from the hotel where we stayed when waiting for our furniture to be delivered to el Compartimento after catching our air mattresses on fire the night of our arrival. Don’t ask. So, this mall holds a special place in my heart.

We haven’t done much walking over the last six months. I haven’t been up to a long walk. But things are getting better on the health front, so I decided to be brave. I could always stop to rest. Which we did. Or take the Metro or a taxi home.

Cento Comercial El Saler sits next to The City of Arts and Sciences. It’s where the new museums, opera house and aquarium are located. This will be the site of the mass vaccinations that will begin to occur here in April and May. I haven’t been down there in a very long time. so I took some snaps for you to enjoy.

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The mall is undergoing a face lift, which was nice to see. More convenient entrances and a new water feature to blend in with the architecture across the street. There is also a new stoplight traffic system that tells you if you can enter, or if the mall has reached max capacity. They’ll only let 8,000 ppl inside at one time. Which seems like a bit of a joke.

And my big mall purchase to celebrate walking all that way? BOOKS! It seems that book store I’ve always walked past, assuming they had no books in ingle, has a bunch of good, current, titles. Shelves, in fact. Jeff stood outside as I browsed. When I came out with a whole stack he just laughed and offered to carry some for me.

Casa del Libro has an English speaking staff and they’ll even order you books on demand. I even learned the Spanish words for book mark. Mark de pagina. And their selection on the shelves includes Jane Austin. So, they are now my favorite bookstore. In honor of the end if Women’s history month I’m really looking forward to reading Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi. A book about 3 sisters in modern day Oman, and how they navigate the changing cultural and political landscapes as the Muslim world undergoes so much upheaval.

We didn’t stay too long at the mall. The walk wore me out and my new Garmin watch said my ‘Body Battery’ was running low. Jeff got it for me so we could monitor my health stats – especially my heart – in real time. It even tracks my respiration and O2 levels. Which has proved very important in the past few months. So, I acquiesced and we caught a taxi home. Jeff said it was because he didn’t want to carry my 10 lbs of books the whole way. But I think he was just maneuvering me.

Today is a day for rest and reading, and after my adventure yesterday and with my bookshelf fully charged, I’m all set.