I
was sipping my steaming cup of coffee at my usual cafe this morning,
facing the sea, watching the world go by as I do everyday. A man
carrying a few red roses, beautifully half wrapped individually with
ribbons, stopped at my table & presented one of these to me with a
lovely smile but without a word, then carried on his way. He was a total
stranger.
Only then did I suddenly remember that today is St. George's Day, or "Diada de San Jordi" in Catalunya, where I live, in Spain. It's a day of roses & books, representing love & culture. The roses are given to the ladies & books for men. These can also be given to one's good friends, & even to a stranger.
Like the past 2 weeks, it's warm & sunny, but seems more so today with happy faces, red roses & books, in specially set up temporary kiosks in all the main streets, beautifully decorated with, what else, roses & books for "walls" or "counters". Some even put on soft background music with love themes.
In the past, I used to get far more roses from strangers, even by cafes & restaurants if a lady is a valued customer. Over the years, this is done less & less, almost non existent in the recent years. For good reason. One single rose costs between €8 to €12 today in Roses. In Barcelona city centre the newspaper said is €15 as the minimum! All depends on where you are, tourist centre or not, town or village, big rose or small one, etc. For a lady regarded as very learned , she might get both rose & a book. Books are very expensive in the whole of Spain too, as are any paper products, for I don't know what reason.
It must be the general atmosphere, I feel happy today although, apart from the unexpected rose, nothing special has happened to me.
Well, the day is young yet.
Current Mood: 
Accomplished
Accomplished
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