Canada Day, and the pain in Spain

Just got back from nine days in northern Spain: a record breaker for the university, I think, as being the sickest stage ever. We racked up the following ailments which affected, if I counted right, 18 out of 24 of us (some people had more than one thing) requiring 4 hospital visits:

3 respiratory tract infections/bronchitis
1 attack of vertigo
1 sinus infection
1 jellyfish sting
1 grazed knee
1 dicky hip
1 stiff neck
7 nausea/vomiting
1 incapacitating hangover
1 sore throat (that stopped there)
5 or 6 colds
1 scary allergic reaction

We arrived in Vic on Canada Day and celebrated with some contemporary tapas (outcome: two sick stomachs). Novelties included a salad with a frozen yogurt dressing:



Delicious cheese flowers: a taste similar to high quality gruyere, and oh so pretty:



Some sausage and the omnipresent Pan con Tomate (tomato bread):



Bacon-wrapped dates:



Not sure why anyone would do this to perfectly nice asparagus, but it looks impressive: