It is what it is....

This has been our mantra for the past month.  We can't do anything about some bad luck, and are trying to make the best of a rotten situation.
It started on my first ride here in Girona on April 5.  I managed to fall about 1 mile from home and really messed up my right leg.  Walking almost impossible due to torn adductor muscles.
We had a wonderful week with Kate here. I was able to go to Paris for a few days to meet her, but my sightseeing was cut very short by my hobbled status and then food poisoning the last day.  It was, what it was.....
Kate and Larry did some wonderful riding the week she was here, and we did some sightseeing one day in a rental car to see more of all things Dali and some of the beautiful Costa Brava.
On Kate's last day here we were able to do a short ride all together, and it felt so good.  Still feeling frisky 2 days later, we teamed up with a friend we have met here.  We had a fantastic ride through the countryside and I was back in my happy place.  Then disaster struck again.  Our friend was leading on the only busy road we had to ride, and he thought we were way behind him, so he stopped to see where we were.  Sadly, we were right on his wheel, and I ran right into him and Larry into me.   Yes, there were adorable ambulance drivers, yes, much scraped skin, a few stitches, a slight concussion, 8 hours in a cervical collar on a stretcher in the hospital trauma center, a head scan and many x-rays. Fortunately everything is basically ok except for my elbow and my re-torn adductor muscles. Walking is again an activity I can't partake in over a turtle's pace.  It has been a week, and Larry and I are healing slowly.
A final note on all of this medical attention here in Spain..... My first clinic bill 3 weeks ago, which included 2 docs, several e-rays and a very streamlined visit to the clinic was 385 euro and the 8 hours in the hospital trauma center was 305 euros.  Darn that socialized medicine we supposedly hate in the US.  As a Spaniard, they pay 85 euro a month for their healthcare.  And the healthcare was excellent.
I am hoping my slight dizziness will abate soon and that Larry's elbow and hip will feel better that we can once again hit the road..... but keeping the rubber side down this time.

Girona, lifestyles of the healthy and happy

Editor's note... (me)
This was my last post LAST year, that I have discovered I never finished) I am going to publish it now, then have a follow up on what is happening in our life in Girona now.

What a wonderful month we have had in beautiful Girona (Gerona).  I will challenge Disneyland's claim of "The happiest place on earth" with life in this beautiful Catalan city.
Every afternoon, after bike riding or strolling the medieval city, we sit on the Rambla for a "canya" (small draft beer) and watch the world go by.  A few observations about the Spanish population.

1.  If you are a woman under 60, your jeans are skinny.  Your shoes are stylish.
2. A woman under 30, your jeans will have the obligatory ripped knees and your shoes will be platform.
3. Under 20, and this is going to come as very sad news to many of us, you are wearing jeans with a waist again and rolled up like those in Grease.  Ugh....  And shoes... who cares...anything goes!
4. Obesity does not exist in the Spanish lifestyle.  This is not to say everyone is skinny as a rail and perfect bodies, although most are slender, but you NEVER see a truly obese person here, unless they are a tourist from GB, Germany or US.  And believe me, it is not for lack of availability of everything delicious and accessible.  What you will not ever see in most of Europe, and especially here, is someone walking around with a large to go drink in their hands, giant sandwiches or massive amounts of junk food.  Just as a testament to their healthy lifestyle, Spain has the highest longevity rate of any European country, and second in the world only to Japan.
5. Cafe culture is the norm here.  Entertaining and socializing is mostly done in the many small cafes that inhabit the city.  And it goes on for many hours, but heavy drinking is rarely seen, and loud rowdy scenes don't exist.
6. The population is extremely polite and follow the rules. This is exhibited on the streets every day as pedestrians and cyclists interact with the drivers. No angry horns, no raised fists. 
7. The police force is mostly for gentle crowd control for the many festivals and events held in town.  We are in the heart of the city, and I think I have heard sirens about 5 times in the month we have been here.  And those may have been ambulances. 
8. All said, life is good in Spain.