Springtime in Priorat
I really enjoy being in Catalunya during the spring. Especially this year since it was a bit warmer. I was only there for a little over two weeks this time. There was a wine fair in Poboleda the day before Easter. It was sponsored by DOQ Priorat and featured mainly wineries from near Poboleda. Freya came down from Barcelona and Sandra invited us to a very nice lunch at her place in Cornudella.
The fair was fun with many of the usual suspects present. Salvador Burgos from Mas Sinén was there. He's a great guy and always lots of fun. Franck Massard, a Frenchman who moved to Priorat several years ago, was there showing his wines. Freya consults with both of them from time to time.
Food truck with yummy empanadas.
Road Trip to Zaragoza!
Pilar, Montse and I have been talking about a road trip to Zaragoza since last year. It's only about two and a half hours away. We left around 8am and got to Zaragoza a little after 10:30. Zaragoza is a pretty city. The Ebro river runs right through the middle of town. The city has a very open feel compared to other large Spanish towns. The streets are wide and there's a lot of open space.
Our primary goal was the Basilica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar. This is a vast building housing a miraculous statue of the Virgin that appeared on a pillar around 40 AD. It's reportedly the first church dedicated to the Virgin. My friend Pilar was named in honor of the statue so the church has a special meaning for her.
The church is 430 feet long by 67 feet wide. I think it's the largest church I've ever been in. The place is done up in the usual splendor. there is a vast plaza in front of the church.
We then walked up to Castillo Alfajeria. This is a very well-preserved Moorish castle somewhat in the style of the Alhambra on the inside. There are fabulous arches, Moorish decorative art and a garden in the middle of the castle. I'd never heard of it before but the Aragon government has done a superb job at restoration. In fact, the regional government has it's official proceedings inside the castle. It's interesting how the different regions treat their Moorish heritage. It's celebrated in Aragon and Andalucia while being largely swept under the rug in Catalunya.
We were hungry after all the walking and ended up in a neighborhood near the Basilica called "El Tubo". The streets are very narrow so it's obviously an old area. By the way, Zaragoza was founded by the Romans in 25 BC. El Tubo has lots of bars and restaurants. We found a place that specialized in tapas. They were delicious! Pilar and Montse helped me with plates of patatas bravas and calamari. Yeah, baby!
We headed back to El Masroig a little after 5pm. These ladies are always lots of fun. We had a great day.
Thanks Montse and Pilar!
Barrio El Tubo.
Dude! Where's my car?
We did have one little glitch on our trip. Montse was navigating by GPS on our way into the city. Once we got parked, we all jumped out of the car and started following Montse and her GPS. We were about a 15 minute walk from the Basilica. When we got ready to head home, the ladies asked me if remembered where the car was parked. I really didn't have a clue. We found the street we'd come down earlier and started walking. After about 15 minutes, we thought we must be close but nothing looked familiar. The ladies stopped a couple of passersby to see if they knew of a garage nearby. It was then I remembered I had the parking ticket in my pocket. The address was on the ticket. So this is a quick reminder to ALWAYS TAKE YOUR PARKING TICKET WITH YOU!!! Don't leave it in the car. Especially if you're a ding-dong like me!
The fateful ticket.
The vineyards are looking good.
The vineyards are looking good but we need rain desperately. I'm able to irrigate but much of the county isn't able to because the reservoirs are dry. My water comes from a well. We planted 1000 baby grenache vines. I probably won't have a crop for four years but you gotta start somewhere.
Baby grenache.
Festa de l'Ermita
The Festa de l'Ermita is the most important day in the village. It's always held the Saturday after Easter. I'm not able to go every year but always enjoy it when I go. Almost everyone in the village turns out. People group together mostly by family. The tradition almost always involves cooking paella. Because of the weather (drought and high wind), the local authorities instituted a burn ban. It was a shame because this festival is where the local paella chefs can strut their stuff. Instead, people brought food from home so it was more like a picnic.
I made some pimento cheese tapas to share (see below). These were the subject of some skepticism but the people who dared to try them said they were good. I also took some bottles of cava that were less controversial.
Traditional dancing by the village kids. They don't dress up this way very often.
when I first moved to the village.
Texas-style tapas. Pimento cheese with pickle. A few people were brave enough to try them.
Francesc with a winemaker from Alella on the Costa Brava.
Preparing the table for lunch. Notice the duct tape holding down the tablecloth.
Freya, Ben and Siebe come to visit.
Freya, Ben and Siebe came to visit the Saturday afternoon of the Festa. Ben is Freya's middle brother. He works on ships that lay and repair fiber optic cables in the ocean. He was formerly with the R.A.F. and is a very sharp and interesting guy. He brought a drone with him and took some aerial videos of the village. I'll share them with y'all when I get them.
We cooked dinner on the grill on my balcony. I took them on my famous walking tour of Falset. We drank a bunch of wine and had a rousing game of Skopa after dinner. Freya won and was very pleased with herself.
On Sunday, I fixed a paella behind the house. It's been a while since I dragged out the paella rig. As usual, the charcoal was uncooperative so I had to finish the last 15 minutes on the stovetop. Overall, I was happy with the result. Everybody else seemed to like it, too, so I sent a bunch home with them.
I came back to Texas the next day.
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