Life: Idiotropic

The large glass cylindrical building in the background is the largest El Corte Ingles in Valencia and thus, the Mecca for Spanish shoppers here.  Ask where to find something and "El Corte Ingles" is almost always the reply with all items from groceries to fine clothing to pet toys and patio furniture.  It has every fancy shmancy brand as well as some
nice, yet normal brands that common people like me can afford.  It is not known for being affordable, however.

But, being the Spanish shopping Mecca, it is an interesting place to peruse because you find, invariably, what is posh or what is the "look" that locals want to attain.  You also find, if you are not wearing skirts and really tall leather boots, that you are not posh and thus must be looked at with the head slightly cocked to one side to imply that may be you just don't belong there.  

Fashion:  It's all about the accessories, baby.  Yep.  Wear whatever you want no matter how hideous it looks, but wear smashing tall high healed leather boots and carry a big blingy purse and you are nearly there.  Cover it further with a bunchy scarf, BIG jewelry and lots of it, and you are ready for a night on the town.  Seriously.  We saw some crazy ugly things today, but somehow the Spanish pull it off.  It's all in the accessories.  A little attitude doesn't hurt either.

Home Decor:  While most home decor isn't too different from what I would buy, they do have quite a few local artists creating big haired statues that mimic Valencia's own Dama de Elx.  Horses are popular as are bull horns.

Christmas:  This disappoints me.  May be it's my fault.  After all, you don't find Christmas, real Christmas, that is, in the department stores.  But here in Spain there just aren't a plethora of Christmas markets in which to find artisional things.  I thought that may be that there would be some interesting decor - something special that is only Spain.  In foods, yes, they have it, but in decor?  We saw tons of glass balls in different colors with ribbons to match, lots of stuffed animals, and a lot of dancing gyrating things like the hula-hooping hippo and the little gerbil who kept running off the table.  The only thing that looked remotely "special"  i.e. not made in China were the porcelain ornaments by  Villeroy and Boch.   Basically, the Christmas department at El Corte Ingles is exactly what Luci's version of Christmas is in Charlie Brown's Christmas.  A bit tacky at best.