Almond blossom at last!

I didn't know that trees could tell the time but here's proof that they can!

Two years ago, in 2012, when I posted the first tiny bit of almond blossom on our trees, it was the 22nd of February. This was followed by the almond trees in full blossom on the 24th.

Today, the trees are in blossom both in the fields and our garden.

Although there are plenty more buds to open, the trees certainly brighten up the countryside...

...as well as keeping the bees busy.

Hopefully, we will now be frost free and can look forward 

to a good crop of almonds in a few months.

"Lost" in Vinaròs!

Vinaròs is a lovely town especially when you get near to the sea.

It has both interesting features as well as the buildings themselves.

This fountain is in the centre of a lovely square with lots of seating areas.

The sea front itself is quite splendid with a strip of beach before the sea which was making a lovely noise as the waves gently rolled in.

On the sea front, but set back between higher, more recent buildings on either side, is this delightful building with a pleasant courtyard at the front.

The building is a restaurant which goes by the name "Lost"...

...and this was where we were to have our meal for the day as a special treat!

First, we were presented with an interesting aperitif based on Red Bull and cherries.

This was followed by several courses, in the traditional style of tapas, which were shared between us. First, above, are almejas, clams, served in a garlic sauce. Lovely!

In the photo below we have the second tapas, canalón de pulpo relleno de patata violeta sobre mar de calabaza y vinagreta a la gallega, which translates as octopus stuffed with violet potato on a bed of pumpkin with Galician vinegar. Very satisfying!

For the 3rd tapas, raviolis de rabo de buey con crema de foie, 

oxtail ravioli with duck liver sauce. Delicious!

Next up, from the fish menú, was the bicolor de atún relleno de queso manchego y anchoa, 2 colours of tuna stuffed with manchego cheese and anchovies. Delectable!

This was followed by an item from the meat part of the menú: Magret de pato con lágrima de ribuardo, frutas del bosque y macadamia which loosely translates as duck breast with ribuardo juice, (rhubarb?), fruits of the forest and macadamia nuts. Superb!

This was followed by a speciality, Volcán "lost", another tapas. In the "volcano" were sauteed mushrooms, a fried egg, foie gras and truffle oil. Fantastic!

Next, bombones de foie y mango caramelizado con gelatina de manzana y lágrima de pera, which were pieces of foie gras, (duck liver), in caramelized mango 

with apple jelly and pear juice. Exquisite!

For dessert, or postre, another speciality, "gin-tonic": mar de ginebra, granizado de tónica y helado de frutas del bosque. Literally, a sea of gin, crushed ice tonic and ice cream of fruits of the woods. Very refreshing for the palate.

The usual accompaniment with the postre course is a glass of cava.

And to finish it all off what could be better than a nice cup of tea.

It is not often that you come across a restaurant like this. Everything from the location, the ambiance, the range of dishes on the menu created with a superb choice of ingredients and served impeccably, makes it absolutely first class and not to be missed.

As I said earlier, this meal was a special treat and what made it so special was that we were there by invitation of our new neighbour, Pedro, who has owned the restaurant for just less than a week. We wish him every success, which is undoubtedly deserved, with this venture.

Not menú del día but...

In the pueblo of Sant Jordi, just 20 minutes inland from Vinaròs, 

is a restaurant by the name of cal Racó.

Inside, it is typically Spanish with beamed ceilings, stone walls and tiled floor...

...and it even has central heating - the wood stove is in the centre of the dining room!

It is tastefully decorated with iron sculptures of leaves on branches featuring regularly.

For starters we shared a mozzarella and tomato salad.

Margaret's choice for the second course was the roast breast of chicken 

wrapped in bacon and stuffed with cheese and mushrooms.

I went for the Galician steak...

...followed by an apple crepe drizzled with honey.

Outside, even the gate was an iron sculpture of leaves and branches,...

 ...the almond trees were in full blossom...

...and a charming iron sculpture of a dragon featured at the garden entrance.

Although the meal was not a menú del día, it was still a worthwhile visit!

Santa Águeda

The day of Santa Águeda is celebrated by all the women of the village of Torre del Compte starting with a breakfast cup of special chocolate and churros in the bar.

As can be seen in the photo below, it is a celebration which involves all ages and the eating of churros with hot chocolate is a very serious activity.

In the afternoon there was a mass in the church attended by all the ladies.

The choir and musicians were in fine form as usual.

Her name, Águeda, means "Good, Virtuous" and evokes her qualities. Águeda was a young Sicilian girl from a good family who was extraordinarily beautiful. Fate led to Senator Quintianus taking a liking to her. The continual rejections of the young girl angered him so much that he ordered her torture and that her breasts should be cut off. One year after her death, Águeda intervened by stopping an eruption of Mount Etna. This miracle elevated her to the status of Saint. Since then she has been invoked against breast pains and fires. The special cakes shown in the photo above, are blessed in the church. They are traditionally decorated with a cherry on the top and symbolise the breasts that the virgin Santa Águeda had removed 

In the photo above is the permanent shrine which is located on a street corner in the village.

The statue of Santa Águeda is taken around the village at the end of the mass.

The ladies then return to the hall next to the bar for cava and the cakes and dancing and singing!

A great way to celebrate a Saint!

3 weeks in Gran Canaria.

Barcelona, Terminal 1, is one of our favourite airports. It is large but quiet despite being very busy.

Yes, it does snow in Africa and here you can see snow covered peaks of the Toubkal range in Morocco which we flew near to.

And now we hope you enjoy the photos we took in Gran Canaria.

The sunsets over the Atlantic ocean were amazing!

On one of our excursions we saw possibly the largest bougainvillea on the island.

Only a few kilometres from the beach towards the centre of the island and you are into mountainous countryside.

Clouds would come from the centre of the island behind us but rarely obliterated the sun.

The western and northern coasts have waves crashing in whereas further south, where we were staying, the sea was calm every day.

And the western coast was much cloudier.

Pigeons on our terrace.

A view of the beach parasols from our terrace, with Instagram effects,...

...and the same view without 'zoom'.

A sunset view with Instagram effects.

Sunrise.

Lunchtime.

Thank goodness for the funicular! 

Our apartment was on this level and the restaurant was at the top!

The weather was glorious but the beach wasn't exactly what you would call crowded.

And we shall probably be going back there next year!