All together now Well I’ve never been to Spain….
Actually I have now. And there were 6 dogs so it was very warm. Josef is a hunter as well and not just deer. He has 6 dogs for some Partridge hunting as well. They do have their own living quarters and were well behaved during the night so I threw them a couple of kookaburras in the morning for reward.
A leisurely traditional breakfast of bread , tomato, olive oil and ham followed by a short stroll around the village. Like in France the bread is superb. Some food markets were interesting indeed with bags of snails percolating in the sun. The small villages are certainly a pleasant break from the teeming crowds of tourists awaiting us back in Barcelona on Monday
We set off for a leisurely drive into the mountains. Some stunning scenery indeed and first stop was Poblet Monastery which was also the church where Josef and Magda were married. Rather disturbingly the guy in the gift shop tried to short change me 5 euro than overcharge CLP 10 Euro. A tourist trap methinks – now I understand the term Trapist Monk! There was much driving through winding roads but the scenery was worth it as we decamped for lunch. As expected it was great being with a local Catalan who did all the ordering and before we knew it a vat of Escudella was keeping the tablecloth from going anywhere. The soup of the day actually got its name from the fact that is how long it takes to finish the bowl! Very tasty though with mix of sausages , meatballs, vegetables and what I assume was donkey ears. The intact hair certainly held the soup together and was a nice if surprising touch . A very nice bottle of red and a traditional main course of lamb and 17 vegetables cooked to within an inch of their lives and it was time for the famous siesta. Sadly we were still 1000 m above sea level and 2 hrs from home – with only twisting winding road between and restful sleep. So instead we did a bit more walking taking in the magnificent mountains in background and walking around a couple small villages. Then it was back home for our 9 pm dinner! After the rather large lunch we settled on beer and fruit for dinner, as you do, and it looks like 3 orchards nearby were cleared judging by the amount of fruit on display.
I was slowly getting body into Spanish time which is like France + 1 hr. If I go any later I will be having dinner just before breakfast! Of course the sun stays up until 8 pm and then doesn’t rise until 8 am next morning so it all makes sense. Apparently
flashman181 