PRETTY SITGES

The seaside resort of Sitges is the Catalan equivalent of Brighton. Once a simple fishing village, it became a magnate for avant garde artists ever since Santiago Rousiñol took up residnce in the late 19C. The 1960's saw this reputation develop further as intellectuals and free thinkers sought to escape the oppression of the Franco dictatorship. It became a residence and holiday destination of choice for affluent Spainards, many of whom had made money in the Americas and concequently comissioned impressive mansions in the Modernist and Noucentista styles which today give the town so much of its charm. It;s about as nice as any tourist-dominated town can be. double click on any image to enlarge.

PAELLA SATURDAY

I was invited by friends of my flat-mate to a Saturday paella birthday cook off. It was the same people who kindly invited me to their Calçotada (see previous post).
The format was triumphantly the same; Rustic old farmhouse with no electricity ( and I;m sure no planning permission).Killer views. A great crowd of bubbly people. Some twigs for a fire. A long table. that;s it.
It was fantastic. we didn;t have the sunny weather of the calçotada, but we still had a great time. Such a simple way to have a great birthday celebration.

BETTER THAN BRISTOL-TO-WESTON ON A WET, GREY SUNDAY.

Took the train to Barcelona last weekend and thought I'd film some of the journey to give you all a flavour of how pleasant a trip it is. Apart from the inescapable grafiti-stewn railway sidnings, and the poor quality from my hand held phone camera and a dusty train window I hope you'll get some appreciation of how lovely a trip it is. It's not all perfect. Some of the towns bear witness to random urban planning and there are a couple of campsites along the way which people say are very nice, but which tend to spoil the 'dessert island vibe'. However the coastline is thankfully devoid big scale tourism. Sitges is possibley the most touristy town but it has managed to retain much or its charm and style. Generally the journey reveales cove after cove of rugged rock, pine trees and scrub, cradling turquoise waters and clean, sparsely populated beaches. Please forgive the video quality, it's pretty bad but hey-ho!

DOOMED LOVE!

I have fallen in love.........with a building!
Saw this sorry and forgotten building many months ago and fell in love immediately in the same way you fall in love with a mongrel puppy just because it;s very imperfections make it perfect.
Did some research. It was built around 1910 and was a hotel. It holds an AMAZING location.....perched on a hill, with killer views of the sea on one side and the ancient walls of the Old Town on the other.
It has a wide pavement in front with a fountain and trees.
But it;s clearly in an advanced state of disrepair. The owner fell tired of running it as a hotel wanted to turn it into flats. The council refused permission so he boarded it up.
And the stale-mate continued for 35 years!
I went into dream-mode. It would make a stunning base for quality boutique tourism. None of that package tourism rubbish. I;m talking sophisticated, cultured people who want an insight into the past and present of a World Heritage City. The rich cultural of Tarragona would be there for the taking. You know what I mean.
Anyway whilst I was dreaming about how to find out more, I read in the press that the council had finally bought the property after years of wrangling and were going to demolish it to make a green space!
I must admit I felt quite ill when I read this. Not only are the council missing a quality-tourism-trick.....they are also foregoing the associated provision of jobs that would come with it.
Green spaces might be very 'right-on' and 'eco-whatever' .....but this town (country) needs economic stimulus and jobs.
Damn! I Wish I was Richard Branson sometimes.

I'm taking the Hypocritic Oath (sic). Free expression is great, as long as I can control it!

a little bit of sepratism methinks.....
a litle bit of da-da ism methinks



"silence is the loudest shout"

A few pics of Graffiti/street decoration which I like. I still cannot find an answer to the question of whether graffiti is a good or bad thing. I love creativity but there are obviously more aspects to this argument. Until such a time as a definitive answer appears I will continue to enjoy what I find ..as long as it's not on my property...unless it's a BANKSY! arrrrggghh ....what a hypocrite I am!!!

isn't this a bit Chagal-ish?

Tarragona...what's not to like?

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yes, this is a Miró commissioned tapestry


Many people have said to me (including my employer) why Tarragona? Are you sure? Wouldn't you rather be in a bigger city?
My answer from the day I stumbled across this jewel has been ...WHAT'S NOT TO LIKE?
LET ME SUMMARIZE:
- Beautiful, unspoilt coastal location.
- Few tourists.....(haven't heard a single british voice in town)
- Amazing historic Old Town
- Fascinating 'tension' between Spain and Catalunia. (some people really uncomfortable speaking Castillian)
- Wonderful traditional fiestas. The week-long Santa Tecla is a blast for anyone looking to gain insight into another culture.
- Small enough so I can afford to live centrally.
- Barcelona is only a 6 euro train-ride away.
- I can run through the medieval Old Town, down to the beautiful, deserted beach, along to the Port, up through the seedy Port town and home, on a daily basis. It's like a trip through the centuries on foot!
- I can stroll down the elegant Ramblas (there are two) to the Balcon del Mediterraneo, which must be up there with any seaside town promenade in Europe.
- The Food Market...see previous posts. They speak for themselves.
- The art. Yes there is art. A couple-or-three museums....see pics above.
- Finally what I call 'the allure of restricted entry' . This City hides it's best secrets. It hasn't prostituted itself. You can't access them without inside introduction. Many things go on by word of mouth. I am still very much an outsider, but I can smell the secrets,,,they are there....waiting for me to win my rite of passage. Then the true rewards will reveal themselves. (double click to enlarge all pics).

CALÇOTADA - AN UNDISCOVERED CULINARY TREASURE

The Calçotada has held mythical status for me since reading Paul Richardsons' book 'A Late Dinner'. It only exists in Cataluña and is a curious ritual-like feast featuring the most primeval of forces, fire, and the simplest of ingredients, the onion. Of course it holds great sway with me as it embodies the essence of what I call subsistence-alchemy. I have experienced it now first hand and have to say it is something that should be on EVERY gastronome's must-do list. I officially declare the Calçotada one of the gastronomic wonders of the world!
The story goes that from January to March, onion farmers used to dig their fields and would find that the onions missed in the autumn harvest had sprouted, The particular varitey used produced a sprout very simmilar in appearance to a leek. The subsistence survival instincts kicked in and the workers would build a wood fire and roast the onions over the flames. This rustic workers onion barbecue became a local tradition known as the Calçotada.

It is still rustic. Very rustic. Often a stand-up affair it must be done outside with a pine or vine wood fire. It has a party atmosphere derived from the need for all hands on deck; fire building and tending, onion trimming, vegetable peeling etc.
The onions are cooked over a fierce fire to a scarily blackened state. They are then wrapped in newspaper to allow them to steam and relax. The blackened onions are held in the hand and the charred outer leaves are stripped with the fingers to access the simple but exquisite sweet caramelized onion flesh beneath. This is then dipped in the classic romesco sauce of pounded nuts, dried peppers, fried bread, garlic and tomato and conveyed to the mouth by hand. No cutlery allowed! The taaste is exquisite. Smoky, sweet, earthy, and rich. This is real country cooking and a great way to spend a Sunday.





In order not to waste the fire, and to give the meal extra dimension, sausages and meat are also grilled as well as peppers, artickokes and anything else you might care to add to your feast. Click on the videos below to see it in action.

getting a rack on onions on

taking some off and turning the rack

Wrapping them in paper so they steam and stay warm too.

how to eat a calçot