Duvel

Not having a siesta leaves of course more time for other things. When we came home, I enjoyed a tiny G&T … … before preparing for Pizza* & Movie night (after all, it’s a tradition). From my previous visit to the supermarket it seemed that the sweet ham & olives combo is the most popular one here, so that’s what I made. It wasn’t a bad choice … Enjoyed while watching “Hook”. *unfortunately - as @blue_dolphin has pointed out - without the Ooni …

I think it is very good for long dinners in warm climate - heavily carbonated and salty …

Grated very finely. According to aunt Merce you can use unsweetened cocoa, but it won’t be exactly the same …

In this case, there was a 40 min drive involved (plus a looooot of catching up), so no nap in this instance. But usually yes. After lunch plus wine 😊 Dinner is around 22.00h, with kids a bit earlier. For me this lifestyle is fine during vacation, but to work with this schedule (there is a 3-4h break during siesta) would not be agreeable …

Exactly the same as in Germany. Why there is a third hole in the middle I can’t tell you …

“Lunch” happens a bit later in Catalonia. Around 16.00h, to be precise … We went to one of my wife’s aunts, a very lovely person and a good cook. My wife stayed at her house for some years while studying at the UAB in Barcelona, which is too far from her hometown for daily travel. After salty snacks and a glass of vermouth we started with Esqueixada, a salad made from salt cod (desalinated, but not cooked), ripe tomatoes, peppers, good oil and vinegar, served with raw onion. It is traditional and fits perfectly to the temperatures … Main course was rap amb cloïssas (or monkfish with clams), served in a sauce made from olive oil, garlic, roasted almonds, a bit of chocolate and parsley. This was fantastic. Each of us got a small monkfish - the little one finished his portion alone, much to the surprise of our hosts … Drinks included (cooled) red wine, water and a 0/0 version of the wine/lemonade mixture - no calories and no alcohol … For digestif #1 a strong coffee with milk & brandy … And digestif #2 was a herbal liquor called orujo de hierbas … The little one was happy with the food, but even happier with the pool ☺️

A healthy choice - just think what those 6 liters of Radler do for your kidneys 👍

Except it has triple the alcohol 😆

That’s certainly true, but of course there will be a bit of cooking in the holidays … here is a view on “my” cupboard & “my” nightstand*/** 😉 * sorry for the watch - I know there was a (short-term) member that liked to leave his Rolex in his pictures. I can assure you this is a cheap Garmin and not meant to be a hidden product placement 😉 ** a big thanks to @JoNorvelleWalker for suggesting this year’s holiday read - it is a great book !

There were more than one heated argument about that. In the interest of a happy marriage and because my wife is very persuasive (“think how much stuff you can bring back to Germany if that thing is not in the trunk”), it stayed in Germany.

That sounds pretty much apt as far as the origin of this drink is concerned. But I have to say it is tasty and very refreshing. A few years ago I was touring the Basque country, and after some bar hopping in San Sebastián I noticed that quite some bars there have Kalimotxo ready made coming from a dispenser, just as soft drinks do, due to its popularity there …

A light breakfast, as we will visit one of my wife’s aunts later for “lunch”. Canya de crema (puff pastry, filled with crema catalana) for my wife, ensaïmada for the little one and a spinach-stuffed pastry for me (there was a two for one deal obviously - couldn’t quite get her as she spoke Spanish) …

It is maybe the lesser known cousin of Kalimotxo, which is equally popular here, but huge in the Basque country. Definitely a suitable drink for temperatures above 30 oC …

I’d say head cheese or soup, but I’ll ask next time to be certain …

About 900m. This town is in between some of the major tourist spots on the Catalan coastline, just south of the Costa Brava. It has (at least to me) the same nice beach, but completely uncrowded. I am not very much into beach & sea, but the little one goes absolutely bananas here (as does my wife, so another proof of genetics at work) …

After the surprisingly filling lunch, the small amount of walking around and briefly visiting the beach was not enough to work up an appetite. That, coupled with a rapidly increasing feeling of laziness (as mind & body are getting into holiday mood) led to a simple, yet tasty dinner. Fresh bread (w/ tomato, salt & olive oil), topped with goat cheese, thinly sliced head cheese and bull blanc. Accompanied by a beer from Barcelona and shortly after enjoyed on the terrace in a cooling breeze …

Let me check the rates from here, and I’ll get back to you … 😉

Exactly - free anatomy lessons with your butchers visit 🥳

On the drive home my wife asked what we will have for lunch, and … While we bought a lot - a lot - of nice things, I didn’t purchase any protein or vegetables, to eat right away 🙄 Not wanting to stop at another supermarket, we dropped by the shop that is literally two houses down the street (the pink one on the right). A small enterprise featuring Catalan food (like grandma would make it) for taking home. This was their current offer: We got a slightly carb-heavy selection: lasagne, potato gratin with bacalau and meat-filled aubergine. Served with some crisps and a cooling gazpacho … I bought a beer from the local microbrewery as well - it was tasty ! And the best thing - after that I went to make a siesta ☺️ !

Because the house in which we are staying was mostly empty, we went to a local (larger) supermarket. It is not very photogenic, so you’ll have to cope with my selection of points of interest (or oddities, for that matter) … In the entrance, where the special offers are placed, they had a stand of Salsa Espinaler. This is local condiment used to spice up tinned clams, sepia etc. They make fantastic tinned products as well. A similar, but less fancy version is made by Dani, a company featuring other items for the very important aperitif (for e.g. Sunday lunch) as well … I would have loved to get this Vermouth bottle, but then again I prefer other drinks for aperitif … This visit I want to stock up on two or three paella pans. Just maybe not here, although the selection was decent … These 1.5L bottles contain a mixture of red wine & lemonade, premixed for your convenience. I like the idea & it is cheap … Some pork rinds (which I had to purchase, of course) … The cookbook section was a bit disappointing, although they covered most regions. Plus all of them were in Spanish. I’ll need to look elsewhere … Got a nice whiskey for the vacation: Chivas Regal Mizunara 12. Decent price as well, although … … in Spain, Gin & Tonic reigns supreme ! This is just the “pink section” of their products. Combined with myriads of tonic waters … … and the odd “dry add-ons” that are immensely popular to doll up your G&T. Seemingly white canned asparagus is a thing, too. My wife was a bit puzzled … Beans are very important to the Catalan people. One of my goals for the vacation is to prepare the prefect pot of beans. They have great varieties, but I am looking for the elusive “Mongetes de St. Pau” variety. I might drive up there … Cargols (or snails), precooked. I’ll get them in the restaurant instead … Callos (or tripe) … And (befitting maybe the products that @liuzhou can find imported into China), the “paella” section. This I found cool: the “broth” section - essentially all meat products you want to make a good broth (sausages, fat, bones, feet, …) wrapped conveniently in packages. And many of them. I got some for my beans … Lamb - baby lamb at that. Look at the size of that leg … On the lighter side - fuets (a kind of salami) … And this you know … The meat counter, where I purchase some nice ultra thinly sliced head cheese … And the fish section … We purchase goods for about 300€ and went home happily …

Sure thing - I’ll try to capture as much as possible 🤗

Catalonia is an autonomous province, and all the official signs etc. are either in Catalan or sometimes bilingual. I’d say 90% of the rest of the public lettering is in Catalan as well. Here in this town very little Spanish is heard, most people talk in Catalan, albeit to me as a foreigner they try to speak in Spanish first (until they realize that I don’t speak Spanish and try to talk to them in Catalan, which usually they find odd …).

I think we will skip extended shopping trips to Barcelona this year … we will visit some family members there, but visiting La Boqueria for example will need to wait.

Good morning from Catalonia ! After a (slightly longer) good nights sleep we started the day with a local breakfast. Little one and me headed out to pick up bread, tomatoes and some toppings. We are staying at my wife’s parents house (who are not living there right now, story for another day), which is just off the central street of this town of ~15k people. The street is not busy and the 500 m leading down to the central square is dotted with small shops including five (!) bread shops. (… you get the idea) Of course my wife prefers the bread from the shop farthest away from the house - a small local chain that has a very high turnover and more often than not you get your bread still warm from the oven. There is always a queue … Options include several baguette varieties … … and sweet items, but filled and unfilled (sorry for the lousy pictures). Little one was so enticed by the smell of the warm catalana (a rustic local baguette variety, that has a bit of whole wheat mixed in), that he had to sample on the spot). Back at home, the bread was sliced up, rubbed with a halved ripe tomato, sprinkled with salt and olive oil and served with choriço, serrano ham, goat cheese and truita de patates (with onion, of course). Sweet options included a brioche and this puff pastry item with chocolate. A good start into the day !

That is an indicator whether someone is sitting in the rear (three seats) and if he/she/it is using the seatbelt …