Oh, and I forgot....

A couple more things that might cost you an arm and a leg, and maybe a couple of fingers too. I forgot to mention:

• Toys. Toys are outrageously expensive in Spain. I mean real toys, board games, things like that. There are super-cheapo stores all over the place here, called (this is for real, and I have a hard time even typing it) Chinos. The "Chinese stores" are in every neighborhood, sell all kinds of "all-for-a-Euro" stuff, and as far as I can tell, all seem to be owned by Asians. the toys at these stores are inexpensive, and last about as long as it takes to get them to the park.
• Books. When I was a student I was amazed at how inexpensive books were in Spain. My, how times have changed. Childrens books seem to go for about 18-20 Euros (20-24 bucks). Guess we won't be collecting many of those this year.
• Sunscreen. This seems strange, but only because we take sunscreen for granted. I mean, you HAVE to buy it. When we went out to buy some, we nearly passed out from the sticker shock. A small container of sunscreen costs more here than a typical used car in the US. OK, maybe i exaggerate. It costs more than a CHEAP used car in the US. We bought the very least expensive tube for about 9 Euros (11 dollars). Friends, the price only goes up from there.

That's it for today. Tomorrow (or the next day) I will recount my adventures of today on a bicycle, that left me with sunburned arms and the knowledge of a secret garden paradise in the semi-desert of Zaragoza. Gee, could have used that sunscreen today, come to think of it...