Mr. Britt comes to visit

   My longtime friend, Jim Britt, came for a visit in September. I picked him up at the bus station in Tarragona and we proceeded directly to Hospitalet for a little Mediterranean therapy. We split a big cheeseburger at a chiringuito on the beach. It was a beautiful day and the water was just right. Afterward, we went to El Masroig and saw the sights.
   The next day was cool and cloudy so we took a drive around Priorat. We went by the vineyard and then on to Scala Dei and Falset. On Sunday, we went by the winery in La Figuera and drove over to Tarragona for lunch. We had lunch in a Peruvian restaurant by the marina. I've eaten there before and the food is good. We had tapas and then a Peruvian tamale which was just OK.
   Unfortunately, both the amphitheater and archeological museum were closed. We were able to see the amphitheater from above and also toured the cathedral. We enjoyed a traditional vermut (vermouth) in a plaza just around the corner from the old Roman circus.
   The next day (Monday) was September 11 and the national day of Catalunya. Jim and I carried some chairs and a table up to the Plaza Major for the annual sardinara. For one euro they give you a large salted sardine, a loaf of bread, a tomato, an onion, olives and all the wine you can drink at 10:00 a.m. You have to cook the sardine yourself but a fire is provided.
   There was a good turnout and a traditional band that played Catalan music. This particular band was from La Fatarella. I was impressed to see many of the musicians using digital tuning devices. I've noticed that intonation can be a big problem with these traditional bands but, mercifully, these folks had it under control.
   As you can imagine, a siesta was required after the sardinara. In the afternoon, we went to a birthday party for my friend, Sandra, in Cornudella. Sandra teaches English there and invited some of her students. Judith was our hostess and we spent a pleasant few hours.
   Jim caught a train for San Sebastian the next morning. He spent a couple of days there and then flew on to Milan. Jim had tickets to La Scala and saw an opera featuring Placido Domingo. He then went on to Venice for a few days.
   Jim returned to Barcelona and I drove up there to meet him. We toured the Barri Gotic and Las Ramblas before having tapas with some friends later in the day. It was a great pleasure having Jim here and I hope he comes back!
                                                             ¡Gracias, Amigo!

Paella cook-off Festa Major 2017

   This year they included a paella cook-off at the Festa Major. There were four teams and probably close to 80 supporters. Pilar invited us to eat with her and her posse. Isabelita, the owner of the only restaurant in town, was in charge of our paella.
   As you can see from the photos, a lot of effort went into the presentation. I've never seen so much creativity applied to paella. Pepita's was mushroom based and it looked delicious. I'm sorry  I didn't get to try it. The one with the lobster rampant also looked very good. In Catalunya, the paellas are usually seafood based with maybe a little chicken or pork thrown in. Isabelita's paella was judged best. It was really very tasty!
   I only went to one of the dances this year. As usual, it was fun and the band was excellent. They had a saxophone trio that was really laying it down! I finally walked home at 3:30. The diablos were as good as ever but there was a smaller crowd than usual because it was a Monday night.

 

Two for the price of one

   Everybody likes a deal and I've found one. I'm now able to get two haircuts for the price of one. It doesn't bother me that they occur simultaneously. My barber is Francesc Loran of Mora la Nova.
   I probably shouldn't call him a barber because he's an artist. Your head is his canvas. If you sit in his chair, you're going to stand up with the haircut he wants you to have. There is no negotiation.            Some people think Francesc gives everybody the same haircut but that is far from the case. He does a roaring trade and there are always several people ahead of and behind me. We don't all come out with the same haircut. Susan says he makes me look like a German general. I suppose that's better than a German corporal.
   Francesc prides himself on keeping up to date with the latest fashions and equipment. He is especially proud of a pair of American clippers he had imported. I asked to look at them and noticed a label that read "DO NOT USE ON TREES GREATER THAN THREE INCHES IN DIAMETER". Needless to say, they are brutally efficient in the American manner.
   Francesc has a lovely family including a beautiful two year old daughter. The last time I was there, his wife was building a brick and mortar barbeque pit behind the shop. Please check out the photos below while remembering you can only put so much lipstick on an old dog.

Micah and Maisie

   Micah, a friend of Rhea and Joe, came to see me the last weekend I was in Catalunya. She brought her five month old Australian shepherd, Maisie. Micah has a Phd. in Public Health and has done research in Kenya, India and Bangladesh. She is moving to Anchorage in August to take a teaching job at a university there. She has had an amazing life so far and there's no question that many more adventures lie ahead.

   Micah will spend two months touring Spain on her bicycle. She has a light weight trailer for the bike that Maisie rides in. I picked them up at the AVE train station outside Tarragona in Philip's Land Rover. It's only a three hour trip from Madrid to Tarragona on the bullet train.

   We went home to El Masroig and toured the town. Francesc Masdeu came over for dinner and entertained us for a few hours. Micah speaks some Spanish so Francesc enjoyed visiting with her. The next morning went by the vineyards and then on to La Figuera to check on my wine. After that, it was on to Scala Dei for a leisurely lunch. We stopped in Falset on the way home and saw the sights.

   Micah was kind enough to help me work on the irrigation systems in the vineyards on Monday. Things were in pretty good shape and it only took us three hours to fix all the leaks. Unfortunately, there was a lot of mud around some of the leaks and Maisie had the time of her life digging in the mud and running around the vineyards. I've never seen a dirtier dog. I'm not sure how long it took Micah to clean her up.

   When we got back from the vineyard, Micah and Maisie went for a run out to the Ermita and Puig Roig. We went to Mercadona and bought some local sausage for dinner. Micah planned to catch the early train to Barcelona the next morning and started packing her (very small) panniers. We got to the train station in Falset and Micah assembled her bike and trailer. We got her aboard the train with no trouble. She planned to spend two days in Barcelona and then take the train to Pamplona for the Camino de Santiago.

                                                    ¡Buen viaje, Micah y Maisie!