New sidewalk in El Masroig!

  When you live in a small town, sometimes you have to make your own fun and the little things matter more. They just repaved the main road through town from the west side of the Cooperativa to the eastern city limit. It's now possible to walk on a sidewalk from one end of town to the other.
   Hopefully, this will get some of our senior citizens out of the middle of the road where they've been accustomed to walking since I've been here. You have to be very careful near the villages around here. There is so little traffic that pedestrians use the roadways as sidewalks.
 

Good Friday procession in Reus

   My long-time friend, Katie, is staying with me this trip. Her mom grew up in the same neighborhood as Rhett and me and we've been friends all these years. Katie wanted a little R&R so we've been hanging out and seeing some sights. She was here before with Rhett and Deb.
   We went to Tarragona last Wednesday. It was the first warm day we've had and maybe the last! It felt good to get out into the warm sunshine. We had lunch at an excellent place by the marina. That evening, we went to a wonderful dinner at Philip's. Jesus was there and suggested we go to Reus for one of the Easter processions. We decided to go on Good Friday.
   We got there in time to have tapas at my favorite place in Reus. The procession didn't start until after 8:00 pm and we were able to see the preparations. Several churches participated and each has different fraternal organizations that manage the various floats. The floats are based on stations of the cross and other events leading to the crucifixion.
   Most of the organizations have drum and bugle corps that march and play behind the floats. I did see one young woman carrying a saxophone (?). There were at least a couple of groups of men dressed as Roman Legionnaires. They also have drum corps and do their best to look suitably sinister. Before the procession, we saw some of them stopping at a café for beer, coffee and cigarettes. A soldier's life is never easy.
   The different church groups all have slightly different regalia and colors. Each group also included at least a few kids. Considering the procession takes close to three hours to complete (snail's pace), I really admired those kids for taking part. The week around Easter (Semana Santa) is the biggest holiday by far throughout Spain. It's the time everybody takes off work and hangs out with their families.
   One of the most striking features of the procession was the "Capirotes" or conical hats. Most Americans associate them with the Ku Klux Klan. I have to admit it's hard to get comfortable standing around with people dressed that way. It turns out that, before the Inquisition, people doing public penance for their sins were required to wear these hats and cover their faces. For a complete explanation, please check out this link:
                                                       Capirote                   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capirote
   Like most holidays here, there are special pastries and treats. In Catalunya, the cakes are called "monas". Every kid get one for him/herself. They can get really fancy and expensive. Please check out the photos below.
   We had a quiet Easter. Katie brought some plastic Easter eggs and hid them around the house. That was totally sweet and fun. She also brought a chocolate bunny we haven't gotten into yet. Maybe tomorrow! I hope you and yours had a Happy Easter!!!
 

¡Cumpleaños y calçotada!

   Freya, my new Assistant Winemaker and European Marketing Director, invited us to a birthday party for her friend, Lorena, last weekend. Lorena rented a party venue in the country outside Vila Seca which was only about half a mile from the Med. The weather was raw, damp and windy but Katie and I decided to brave it.
   The party was in full swing when we arrived about 1:30 pm. I was the oldest person there by at least thirty years. I'm always impressed by the young people here in Catalunya. Almost everyone there came up to welcome us and introduce themselves. You won't find more warm, welcoming or gracious people (of any age) anywhere.
   There was music playing that Freya identified as "ska punk". I quite enjoyed it in spite of the fact that the volume was cranked up to the point where the window glass was flexing. Needless to say, conversation was difficult but there was lots of dancing and singing along.
   They had a roaring fire going in a fireplace at the end of the room but it was still blessed cold both inside and out. The chicos were cooking random bits of some kind of animal in the fireplace. It was what we call "mystery meat". They were passing around plates of it. I later learned that some of the cuts were pig's ear. Pig's ear is kind of chewy, in case you were wondering.
   The tables were set and the calçots were brought out later. Our friend, Sandra, showed up in the meantime. Calçots are a type of onion about halfway in size between our green onions and a leek. They are typically grilled over an open fire for a few minutes and then wrapped in paper to steam for fifteen minutes or so. Calçots are only available in the Spring. There are restaurants in Catalunya that specialize in calçots and you can buy them in bulk to go. That's what Lorena did.
   Calçots are served with a special sauce (see below). I hope to duplicate this in Texas someday. Grilled local sausage and bread were served with the calçots.
   At one point, a man carrying a tuba walked into the party. Before I go any further, please ask yourself what would happen if you said to your wife "Hey, Honey! We've been invited to a party on Saturday. I guess I'll have to take my tuba!".
   It's been many long decades since I publically associated with tuba players but the memories came flooding back. Tuba players can be a rowdy and unpredictable crowd. I've been to numerous parties where firearms were lying around and occasionally discharged... BUT.....when someone brings in a tuba.... I KNOW THAT ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN!!!
   Katie and I said our goodbyes around 6:00 pm. I understand that the party continued until well after dawn the following day. Thanks again, Lorena, for inviting us and introducing us to your friends!

                                                         ¡Feliz cumpleaños!








                                     MAKE SURE TO CHECK OUT THIS TUBA VIDEO!!!
                                        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_JzCZo3dGQ
                                     MAKE SURE TO CHECK OUT THIS TUBA VIDEO!!!

                                                             Ester and Freya,

                                                       Sofía and Katie.

                                               Sandra was there for a couple of hours.