24 June Thurs Exploring ex Rupia

God bless shutters! When did you last sleep in till 11.00 a.m.! I can’t remember when I last slept in that long, but with the darkness of shutters closed and the silence of the day after the party, no one stirred till very late.
Both Gemma and David were on holiday today and wanted to take us sightseeing so we’d suggested a meal at our expense somewhere along the way. After a leisurely start we headed for Pals a delightful medieval hilltop village which new research suggests could be where Christopher Columbus prepared for his trip which discovered America rather than Palo which has always clained fame for this fact. Fascinating detail has been adhered to in the reconstruction here, right through to the “street lights” which were firewood fires lit in metal containers on metal poles. An aperitif (beer or a tasty aromatic white wine) and tapas at a friend’s café was a great start for lunch; my tapas choice a large anchovy/small sardine and Fred’s some cured duck, Mmmmm.
Then for lunch proper, to Calella-de-Palafrugell, a seaside town with 3 tiny bays tucked between rocky outcrops. Here another friend has a Restaurant on the beach. We suggested Gemma and David order for us all and we were very happy with starters of steamed mussels, tasty shrimps and a simple but scrummy tomato, white onion and tuna salad, followed by a Paella made with local rice and brimming with locally caught mussels, shrimps, lobsters, squid and sausages plus a robust stock. Yes, I know sausages sound a weird addition to a seafood paella and yes, we did ask why. The explanation was that this is a traditional village recipe born from the days when there was no refrigeration, so that if Mama had bought sausages for dinner but Papa came in with a good seafood catch, no worries, it all went into the paella and so the dish became common practice. An interesting combination and a distinctively hearty paella. Matched with a beautiful Spanish white wine and positioned so that we could watch the rigid inflatable ferry owners to and from the myriad of craft moored in the Bay, it was a wonderful leisurely Spanish lunch finished with good coffee and then a generously offered complimentary muscatel dessert wine.
After lunch was time to take a walk along the beach above the sunbathers, topless or otherwise, crammed on the coarse, golden sand (reminiscent of Golden Bay sand but not quite as golden). The path lead around the rocky headlands linking the three little bays here on the Costa Brava so that the views unfolded as we walked. It's easy to see why mussells are such a staple seafood here; the craggy rocky coast is perfect for mussell growing and we felt as if at any moment we might spot a smuggler or a pirate hiding amongst the rocks.
Big juicy cactus defy the conditions and flourish amongst the rocks and Gemma told us that once the buds had flowered the fruits were edible, if you can manage to get past the prickles and through the skin. The picturebook villages in each bay are crammed with typical white and terracotta Meditterranena style houses gazing out over a few pine trees and incredibly clean blue sea. This beautiful area is rapidly being "discovered" by tourists and the locals are very concerned to maintain it's prisitine condition and protect it from pollution and litter, so tarriffs are high here.
By the time we reached home again everyone was ready for a late siesta which saw us awake in time to watch the Japan/Denmark World Cup Soccer match with nibbles of bread, ham, salami, hard tasty goats milk cheese and their butcher's yummy pork and mushroom roll.