Grooming

As we were traveling outside the country for at least 50 days, some of life's pesky realities of life on the road reveal themselves.  Mike was in need of a haircut and my gray roots were showing up like lillies in the Spring.

We started our barber reconnaissance early in the week, learning terms we might need to know like Peluqueria = Hairdressers, peluqueria de cabelleros = Hairdressers for men, pelo - hair.  I searched the internet and found another traveler who had written out some spanish phrases specifically for a gentleman's visit to a local peluqueria.  Not too short, that is enough off the top, etc.  It was helpful.

We identified a "Spanish Super Cuts" that was not too far from our apartment.  It had a red, yellow, green traffic signal out front to indicate your potential wait time, Mike liked the efficiency of the place.  Armed with our page of phrases, we entered the establishment and asked the most important question, Engles? No was his response.

Mike keeps his hair shortly shorn.  As I was speedily searching my translated words and phrases, Mike said, Number three all over and made a halo gesture around his head.  Apparently that was all the translation that was needed.  The barber got to work, mission accomplished.

Our next stop was at the local department store which also included a pharmacy area.  Apparently coloring gray hair is an international activity as well.  There were a plethora of choices of product and color.  They even had a similar brand of non-chemical color which I would use at home.  The color numbering was slightly different, but I picked one with a picture I thought was close and took it home.

I did the color right before we left Valencia before Portugal, so if you don't recognize the redhead in the Lisbon pictures coming up, it is me.  :-)

Who's who in the zoo? (5/22/14)

The title of this post is a phrase that was used a lot by a guy I used to work with.  He used it to illustrate the need to know various roles and responsibilities on projects that we worked on.  I used to always smile when he used it, it just sounded funny to me. Apparently it still does because I am smiling while writing this.  Thanks Dave for the chuckle.  This post has nothing to do with work, but does have to do with the zoo.

The Bioparc is zoo-immersion experience.  Zoo-immersion is a design philosophy and technique that endeavors to immerse the visitor in a faithful re-creation of nature habitats.  The animals, the vegetation and the landscape setting form to invite the visitors to discover the complexity of the ecosystems surrounding them.  The barriers are hidden, giving a sense of continuity between the enclosures in which the animals live and the public space.

This park is located on the Valencia city bus route or you can use the Hop on/Hop off bus to visit. You have no sense that you are so close to the city while visiting this zoo.  It is truly an oasis.  The animals were active and seemed to enjoy their surroundings.  So did we. 

Perfect day for the beach

Our Blue line bus tour the day before had afforded us the opportunity to stroll a short stretch of the enormous beach that is at the edge of Valencia's massive seaport.  The beach stretches as far as the eye can see with the amazing Hotel Las Arenas Balneario Resort located right on its sands.  We walked through its lovely lobby and gardens leading to the beach. We immediately had a plan for the next day, let's head to the beach for paella and sangria.

Recommendations from our host directed us to an area of the promenade near Malvarrosa beach. There is a rather touristy section of restaurants, such as La Pepica (made famous by Ernest Hemingway)  near the Hotel Las Arenas which are well documented as "the place to go" for paella. We chose the path less traveled.

After a hearty breakfast bowl at home and a trek back to Plaza de la Reina, we exited the Blue line bus at the beach.  We walked, seemingly forever in the warm sun to find the restaurant Laura had recommended.  We ended up at a Burger King with a Wi-fi hot spot to ask Google to help us with our quest.  Onward we walked, it was getting late in the afternoon and many of the restaurants we passed were closing up. We finally reached the restaurant we were looking for and there was not a sole in it.  We lingered at the entrance and not 1 of the 3 workers inside acknowledged our presence.

Slightly disheartened, we walked to the next restaurant on the beach, Luna de Luz.  It was pleasantly crowded with locals so we added ourselves to the mix.  Just after our arrival, as we enjoyed a lovely, refreshing pitcher of sangria a sun shower passed through.  We all had to rush for cover under the awnings.

Mike had Relleno with Mariscos and Paella.  I opted for the duck empanada and lamb chops. The meal was enjoyable.  The paella experience was not the best, good, just not great.  The duck empanada was outstanding.

Duck empanada

Relleno with Mariscos

During our appetizers, one of the awnings was caught by a gust of wind and about 2 gallons of rainwater dumped on Mike and another patron.  Luckily he was wearing his handy-dandy quick-dry Columbia world traveler shirt.  He was dry before dessert.  We lingered and enjoyed the late afternoon sun that had returned.

On our way back, we hopped off one more time and toured the beautiful palace gardens in the heart of Valenica.  Just a lovely day.

Funky tree in the palace gardens, so I will never be a botanist. :-) 

Red Bus, Blue Bus...Valenica Bus Turistic

Over our years of travel, we have generally found the best way to see a large part of the city at once and get our bearings is to take a ride on a Hop on/Hop off tourist bus.  It seems a little pricey for a bus ride, but you usually get headphones, a recorded spiel (in multiple languages) about the history of the city and you can sit on the top of the open double-decker bus and view the lay of the land.

Plaza de la Reina is dedicated to Queen Maria de las Mercedes de Orleans, 
briefly wife of King Alfonso XII

We selected the Valencia Bus Turistic as our guide for that day.  We bought a 48 hour ticket which also got us some discounts at other attractions we had planned on going to anyway.  Bonus! It had two routes, red and blue which covered the city very well from the old city center, to the beach to the new suburban and cultural centers.  We began the tour at the lovely Plaza de la Reina, one of the most busy squares in Valencia. We spent the morning riding the Ruta B (Blue line)  and took a break to tour the Valencia museum.  After lunch we took the Ruta A (red line).  

Entrance to Museo de Ceramica

Valencia Cathedral in Plaza de la Reina

This gave us an excellent overview of the city sights in a very leisurely way. We also used the map provided for this tour the whole time we were in Valencia as a landmark guide when we got lost wandering around.

We usually steer clear of heavy tourist attractions, but this one has always served us well.  After this day, we were already beginning to fall in love with Valencia.

Fountains on the Plaza de Ayuntamiento

To market to market (5/19/2014)

As with each arrival to a new place, our first trek is always to the local fresh market and a supermercado for staples.  In the case of Valencia, we were one glorious block away from the Mercadona Supermercado.  We were also only a few minutes walk away from Mercado Central de Valencia.  You can actually feel the history in this building and its incredible architecture.

It is bustling daily, except on Sunday. There are vibrant fruits and vegetable displays along with meat and prepared food vendors.

We wandered up and down the aisles barely able to contain our excitement over the food experiences we would enjoy in Valencia.

We stocked up on fresh salad items, some olives, bread, cheeses and serrano ham to get us started.  As it was edging close to lunch time, we made a final stop at a beef butcher with an array of prepared all beef patties.  We selected two buey burgers to take home and grill.  We were unable to confirm exactly what kind of beef were used in the burgers.  Translated, it can mean cow, ox or kobe beef.

Well, we did not have a grill, but I pan fried them with some fresh mushrooms, artichokes and fresh strawberries.  We paired it with some crazy good $3 Spanish red wine and we had our first gourmet experience in Valencia.  


The burgers were tender, fatty and juicy so were did not get too hung up on their genetic make up.   After that very large lunch, we needed to walk around some or sleep it off.  We decided a walk through the Jardin del Turia would do the trick. 

The Turia river is a Spanish river which has its source in the Montes Universales, amidst the mountain ranges of the northwesternmost end of the Sistema Ibérico, Teruel province.  It runs through the provinces of Teruel, Cuenca andValencia, and discharges into the Mediterranean sea near the city of Valencia.  After several flood events, the final catastrophic one occurring in 1957, the city re-routed the river and turned its dry river bed into a verdant sunken park traversing nearly the entire city. It is perfect for biking, walking and enjoying immense amounts of green space in the heart of the city. Several beautiful auto and pedestrian bridges cross the park for access to the new parts of Valencia.   Take a really bad thing about your city and change it into a really good thing, pure genius.

The Jacaranda trees were in full bloom on this day. 

Valencia via train (5/18/2014)

I enjoy train travel.  In Europe, it is an awesome, comfortable, relaxing way to travel from place to place.  Mike always does the driving when we travel abroad so he rarely gets to see the various things or places I point out as we hurtle along at the high speeds of the European superhighways.  For a small incremental cost you can usually book seats in a first class car with plenty of luggage and leg room.  In our case, it even included a meal with a glass of wine!

Once we dropped off our rental car near Barcelona Sants Railway Station, we walked over to catch our train to Valencia.  It was a very enjoyable three hour trip through vineyards, nut and olive groves.

We exited the train station in Valencia and walked to the nearby metro stop to meet up with our apartment host.  We took the clean, bright Metro right into the center of Valencia's shopping and financial district.

It was a sensory treasure trove of sights, smells and activity as Valencian's enjoyed their sunny, Sunday afternoon.  We were immediately struck by Valencia's cleanliness and beauty.  For another very large, ancient city, it had little of the overwhelming feel of Barcelona. We had stumbled onto a secret, sophisticated gem on the Balearic Sea.

View of exquisite Bank of Valencia building from our apartment window

We walked along Calle Don Juan Austria to our fairly modern, multi-story apartment with an elevator in the heart of Valencia. As with all of our hosts so far, Laura was very helpful to get us situated and made herself available via email for any questions or recommendations.  It was a lovely start to our stay in Valencia.

We unpacked for a two week stay in Valencia, our longest continuous stay in one place since our travels began. It felt good to not live out of a suitcase.  As we arrived on a Sunday, the supermarket was closed.

Our first meal in Valencia was a slice of pizza from a walk-up vendor near our new apartment.  We wandered along in awe of the beautiful buildings, spacious, tree-lined sidewalks and enjoyable climate.  Little did we know on that first day all the delights Valencia would hold for us.

Sunset from our window the first night in Valencia

Back to Barcelona, via Sitges (5/16/2014)

As we left Cal Compte and exited Torroja del Priorat we were treated with one last wine experience which was not on the agenda.  This gentleman was working on his wine production at the end of our street.  Seeing that we were looking at our Garmin Navi with some confusion, he proceeded to give us directions in Spanish.  He did not know where we were headed mind you, but was trying to be helpful just the same.  The gentleman waived us over to park the car and come see his wine making operation.

Through some very broken Spanish conversation I found out his son's name was Michael.  That was about all I could really understand, but he talked and we smiled and nodded.  He shared some of his wine and some dried figs with us.  We graciously thanked him and made our way out of Priorat's rolling vineyard covered countryside.  It was a unique little experience that we will always remember.

After spending 3 glorious days in the vineyards of Priorat our plan was for a soft re-entry back to city life.  We would stop one night in Sitges, a beach enclave located about 35 km southwest of Barcelona.We had skipped this stop on our last trip to Spain and wanted to check it out this time.

We enabled, the "avoid highway's" filter on the Garmin Navi wound our way through towns and roundabouts toward the coast.  The route did not take us along the water as we had hoped, but we veered of track just after Tarragona in search of seaside towns and views.  

We were rewarded with a stop to stretch our legs in Tamarit.  It appeared to be a camping haven near the beach with a resorty atmosphere and mid-rise condos.  It was breezy and cool at the beach but we happened upon a small market where we purchased local olives and some almond cookies before continuing our trip.

Arriving in Sitges by car was challenging.  The Garmin gave us accurate directions to the Hotel Galeon where we were staying, but apparently the satellite guidance and mapping systems are not up on the local customs of when roads are only open for pedestrian traffic.  There was a large metal blockade on the street we were guided to for the hotel.  One way streets and hordes of pedestrian traffic did not help matters.  Plan B...we found a parking garage for the local shopping center, with the car parked, we traversed the twisty streets on foot to the hotel.  The hotel staff spoke English well and shared with us the secret of the roadways and how to park the car.  

We dropped our bags and wandered through the busy streets toward the beach.  It was an active beach town with the typical mix of locals and many tourists.  We arrived at an expansive beach and promenade which provided for a nice walk and view of Sitges from the waterside.  We stopped for a complimentary glass of bubbly on the rooftop of our hotel's sister property at the beach to take in the view.     

Sitges beach

Bubbly at the beach

Sitges beach

Our dinner and breakfast was included in the Hotel Galeon, so we did not partake of any of the restaurants in the area.  The hotel food was good, but no competition for the meals we had just enjoyed in Priorat.  We had been on food and wine overload for the last few days, so it was a good thing to not overindulge.   We did enjoy an afternoon wine, cheese,  olive and almond cookie snack at the beach booty from our earlier stop in Tamarit. 

Good day at the beach

That evening, FC Barcelona happened to be playing a championship soccer match against rival Atletico de Madrid.  We found a small local bar showing the game and squeezed into a table with the locals to watch.  It was an animated crowd who yelled things we did not understand in Spanish as the game progressed.  The only Spanish word I understood from the television was pelota, which means ball.  It was fun.  One of the locals in bar left her pooch waiting outside while she watched the match. He was dressed in FC Barcelona colors, but was disappointed with the rest of us when Barcelona lost.  

Go Barca!

New foods and an old acquaintance

Our guide Rachel arranged two more delightful meals on second day of touring.  Our lunch was at the newly established restaurant, Brots.  Located in the village of Poboleda in the Priorat and owned by a passionate chef,  Pieter Truyts.  Pieter is from Belgium and has long experience working in Michelin star restaurants in Cambrils and Belgium. Our chef is also the husband of a local winemaker. The several course tasting menu, paired with local wines was a feast for the eyes and the stomach, all prepared from local fresh ingredients.  I ate things I never thought would cross my lips. I am not much of a food explorer, but in this case I am glad I was.  I tried to keep notes on the ingredients of the various plates, but as the chef was creating an off-menu selection, just for us, I could not keep up with it. Maybe the wine influenced my note-taking ability. :-)

Some of the delectables included Salad of Iberian pork cheeks and smoked sardines, Codfish belly risotto and tuna cheek, Pulpo (octopus), Mackeral over local mushrooms.  

The decor was hip, whimsical and modern.  

Our visit to Priorat in 2010

By shear coincidence, this restaurant was located right down the street from a little wine shop that Mike and I had visited on our last trip to Spain and the Priorat.  I took memorable picture of the large wine cask inside the shop.

Same wine shop, same man working there in 2014

Our final meal in Priorat was at Les Figueres. The restaurant opened just for our private dinner.  After our incredible (and long) lunch, this meal was an enjoyable, low-key way to end our time in Priorat.  Once again, the focus was on fresh locally sourced ingredients paired with a selection of very local Gratallops wine.

We arrived back at inn, said our goodbyes to Rachel and our tour partners and enjoyed our last peaceful night at Cal Compte.

History Lesson: Priorat Pioneers

One of the great values of having a guided wine tour of this region was learning about the history.  All the wines were pretty amazing, but the story of this region, it's tragedy and tenacity add as much to the wine's "bouquet" as the terroir and grapes themselves.  Read a good in-depth article on the region here. I have summarized some historical info from the article below.

Wine production began in this region in the Middle Ages through monastic orders who were settled in this wild, secluded mountainous region to form new abbeys.  Feudal rights were given to seven villages in this region which formed Priorato. They were adept at viticulture and self-sustaining farming in this difficult terrain.  It is known as the world's most vertical wine region as there are precious few flat lands on which to plant vines.  The Priorat became known for high alcohol, robust red wines.

The 19th century saw the fast decline of Priorat: many workers moved to the silver mines nearby, and then the scourges of oidium and phylloxera destroyed the vineyards, which had reached some 6,000 hectares at the end of the 18th century. The population dwindled and its wine influence became a distant memory, the villages now shells of their former selves.

The Priorat Pioneer folklore of the redevelopment of the region varies a bit, but it is widely held the in late 1970s, when René Barbier (Clos Mogador) and Carles Pastrana, two young local growers, started replanting vines around Gratallops they were joined over the next decade by a bunch of youngsters from many places who heard of the project, plus a veteran oenology professor, José Luis Pérez, who would mastermind some of the collective decisions, such as the importation of French varieties. The region's vineyard area then was just 800 hectares.  There are now almost 200 wineries and 2,800 hectares under vines in Priorat.  These Pioneers, and now their families are again bringing these wines to the world.  

On day two, we began our tour at the legendary Clos Mogador.  Rene Barbier was not at the winery the day of our tour but Katja (our guide) shared the pioneering legacy, the evolving philosophy and of course their award winning wines.

Ancient juice press in which baskets are layered

Grape baskets used for pressing juice lightly from the grapes

We also toured another more current pioneer at Mas Doix, a mother and daughter team who make berry by berry selection of the grapes at harvest to produce award winning local wines.  You Go Girls!      

Sandra Doix, Winemaker

Flagship wine and my personal favorite,
65% Grenache, 25% Carignane, 10 % Syrah