Return to L'Escala: 20th June to 6th July 2025

A pressing need...

I was awake at 6.30am and enjoying the cooler morning temperature sitting on the terrace. It's the perfect time of the day!

Gradually, I was joined by my family, and Sophie said she wanted to iron some of her tops. She fetched the travel iron we'd brought and turned it on, but it didn't get hot. No matter how much we fiddled with it, it refused to get hot even though we knew it was definitely switched on. It was extremely frustrating!

As I had some things I also needed to iron, we had no choice but to ask our host, Marta, to bring one over, even though an iron had been listed on the amenities at the house. She replied that she couldn't bring it over today as it was at another house, and she'd drop it off tomorrow. We were speechless! Was she saying that there is just one iron between all the houses she rents out? Were we now going to make another family annoyed by nicking their iron?

At the moment, on this holiday, we seem to have some sort of drama going on every day! Whether it's an infestation of flies, the hottest June for Spain on record, a lack of laundry facilities, one of us falling over or problems with bills, we seem to be having an interesting time! As Sophie says, when something goes wrong, "It's for the blog!"

We gave up with ironing, I hung yet another wash out on the line, and we adjourned to the pool to cool off and relax!

Lunch was taken on the terrace again, and we enjoyed crusty bread sandwiches and a beer. Bliss! I could see clouds bubbling up on the horizon, but I don't think any thunderstorms are forecast, which is a shame. A good storm from our vantage point would be excellent!

We had a lazy afternoon relaxing by the pool, snoozing, reading and swimming. At 4pm, it was time to cool off properly, so we retreated inside, had showers and got ready to go out. The problem with the air-conditioning is that you forget how hot it is outside, and getting in the car is torture! I couldn't touch the steering wheel, it was so hot and initially, the aircon in the car blasted out hot air!

We parked in our usual place, and Keith and Sophie went to get a ticket. They were gone for ages, and I could see them talking to another couple, so I wandered over. The woman asked if I was local, and I said no, and she asked for help with their disabled badge. Sophie and Keith went to another pay point, and I chatted with the couple. It turned out they were from Melton Mowbray, not far from Northampton! They had also driven from the UK and had been together for nearly 60 years. They were such a lovely couple! Sophie, while getting our parking ticket, bought one for them, and they were really pleased! 

We said goodbye, wished them a safe journey home and popped into the treasure trove of a shop opposite again, this time to buy Keith a shoe horn! They had everything you needed (and stuff you would never imagine you'd need!) stuffed into a shop that was crammed full!

We walked slowly down to the front, had a look at the menu for Ca'l Galan (for our last night on Wednesday) and had a drink at Ultramar. We sat in the shade, and I asked for a bottle of mineral water to go with my Aperol Spritz.

We sat and chatted for an hour and then made our way to La Tagliatella. On the way, Sophie and I went to see if the art shop was still open, which had been featured on A New Life in the Sun, and we saw the man talking to a customer. I spotted some beautiful prints in the window!

We sat inside at La Tagliatella, right by the window, so we could look out over the sea. Our waiter was lovely, albeit slightly hesitant and timid, bless him. We ordered a sharing platter of cold meats and cheese, and fried tortellini. For our main courses, I chose the Bolognese sauce with tagliatelle, and Keith chose the same sauce with meat ravioli. Sophie opted for the Ragu Antico with campanelle pasta.

The starters disappeared in a trice, and the food was delicious. I have to say that my Bolognese sauce was good, if a little sweet, but (not blowing my own trumpet!) the sauce I make at home is better! We had so much left over, our waiter boxed it up for us to take home for dinner tomorrow night!

The wine - a local red and a mix of grapes

As there was chocolate fondant on the menu, I was forced to have this for dessert while Sophie chose Tiramisu. My fondant was on a par with the dessert I had in Chateauneuf-du-Pape!

Look at the ooze on that!

We paid the bill, gave our hesitant waiter a nice tip and walked slowly back to the car in the humid heat. Back at the house, we sat on the terrace for a while, and then it was time for bed!

Return to L'Escala: 20th June to 6th July 2025

Out for lunch

We awoke to yet another beautiful day with cloudless skies and hot sunshine. I love getting up early and sitting on the terrace with a coffee and watching the swifts wheel about in the sky. It's too early for the crickets (I think they're crickets) to be making their racket - they wait until it's hotter, and then the noise is deafening! We also have some noisy magpies and the occasional pigeon sitting in the trees. Oh, and the ubiquitous barking dogs!

We had decided to shop at the supermarket in Pals this morning and have lunch at the beach nearby. We had very fond memories of the beach bar in 2023, but Sophie thought it may have closed down. We set off, got rid of our rubbish and two bags of recycling, and drove through the busy town. The market was taking place today, so there were a lot of people on the streets.

Once out into the countryside, the traffic thinned and we had a good journey to Pals, passing through fields of maize and apple orchards. We shopped for lunches and dinners, bought wine, beer and water, and enough milk to last us the week. We had frozen a large bottle of water and put it into our cool bag to keep our purchases nice and cold. Next door to the supermarket, I bought two more bottles of Factor 50 sun cream; we're getting through it so quickly because of the heat. I find it impossible to actually sunbathe, it's so hot!

We drove to Platja del Grau, the same beach we went to back in 2023 and found a space in the large car park, which was much busier today! When we visited last time, it was grey and foggy, and there was hardly anyone about, just a handful of surfers. Sadly, the beach bar was closed (and appeared to be permanently shut down), so we went for a drink at Les Dunes restaurant instead. They were serving food from 1pm, so it was lovely to sit and chat in the shade and watch people come and go.

A couple next to us had a delightful little dog with the longest eyelashes we'd ever seen! She kept flopping down in different places, then getting up and flopping down again, occasionally having a cuddle with her Dad, and she was so sweet!

Genuine mistake? Or an attempt to rip us off?

By 1pm, the restaurant was filling up with diners, mainly those who had been on the beach. We ordered our lunch: Keith chose half a rabbit, and Sophie and I opted for the escalopes and shared a Russian salad.

For some reason, we'd been given a bill for our beers, but this was taken away when we ordered food. We tucked in, and the meals were delicious and plentiful! Keith's rabbit was huge! We even found room for dessert as we hadn't planned on eating again for the rest of the day. Sophie chose ice-cream served with Bailey's, Keith went for Tiramisu, while I fancied the profiteroles. It had been a lovely, very relaxed meal, and it was great that the men with the dog spoke to us every now and again and were friendly and chatty.

The restaurant was now buzzing with people enjoying their Sunday lunches, and we asked for the bill. Sophie had popped to the loo, and when one of the waiting staff brought out the bill, it was for 177 euros! I nearly fell off my chair as this was more expensive than the upmarket Ultramar the other day!

It was then that I noticed that seven beers amounted to 105 euros... making them 15 euros each for a little over half a pint! You wouldn't pay that in London! I asked the waitress to take it back and correct it, so she disappeared back inside. When Sophie returned, we said we'd totted up the bill, and it should have been about 90 euros.

After another long wait, a second waitress brought out the bill, which was 105 euros. Before I could query it, Sophie paid with Keith's credit card. It was then that I noticed they charged us for 6 beers at 2.50 euros, but one at 15 euros! It was still wrong! By now, I was seriously annoyed and was wondering whether it was a genuine mistake or were they trying to rip us off? We will never know, but they brought back 15 euros in cash to the table, and we left. It hadn't spoiled the meal, but it did leave a bad taste in my mouth.

Keith went back to the car while Sophie and I ventured onto the dunes, as we did last time. It was mightily different today, though! People were sunbathing and we could see the views to either side clearly. Last time, the sea had been shrouded in fog.

Sophie said the sand was burning, so she dipped her toes in the water, and we returned to the car. Jeeves took us back to the C31 through the sun-baked rural countryside, with the mountains in the distance. For the whole journey back, Keith and I argued about whether the mistakes made in the bill were genuine or was there something sinister going on? I argued that they were trying it on, and hoping we wouldn't check the bill, as I couldn't see how they'd calculated the beers at 105 euros! In the end, we both agreed to disagree, but it just proves how important it is to check a restaurant bill!

Back at the house, we put our shopping away (the fridge stuff had stayed lovely and cold) and donned our swimsuits. It was then into the pool for the rest of the afternoon to cool down. The pool man had added two bags of salt yesterday, so the water was salty, and we needed to have cool showers afterwards to rinse it off. It does make the water very buoyant, though!

We attempted to sit outside again with a drink in the early evening, but with sweat running off us, we ventured back indoors to Keith's lair, where we watched the remaining two episodes of The Åre Murders. We hoped there would be a second series!

By 9.30pm, we had finished watching and we sat on the terrace to see the different colours of the sky. It was beautiful!

Return to L'Escala: 20th June to 6th July 2025

In a grump...

I had a bad night's sleep as my left ankle hurt where I'd landed on it, and I kept thinking about the way Keith and I had both fallen last night... and no, we hadn't had a lot to drink! It would be madness to drink too much and navigate the steps that we have at this house! There are so many sharp edges, especially as you get into the pool.

I felt a bit homesick this morning, especially as the next couple of days are set to be very hot, a heatwave that's affecting most of Southern Europe, but also the UK, so there would be no respite anyway! We decided to stay at the house all day and have dinner in tonight rather than venture out into the heat. I did yet more washing, and swept and mopped the floor, so worked myself out of the bad mood I was in!

We had an exceedingly pleasant day in and around the pool again. Yesterday, the pool man visited and worked his magic as the water was beginning to look a bit cloudy. Today, it was sparklingly blue and clear, and the first plunge was so refreshing! We are very lucky in that the house is air-conditioned and we have this beautiful pool to dip into when it becomes too hot.

We enjoyed lunch of Spanish tortilla and salad on the terrace, and Sophie and I shared a bottle of Cava, an indulgence as we weren't planning on going anywhere today! The afternoon was spent reading, and I watched the end of Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy. I wasn't impressed and felt it was mawkish and not in the tradition of the earlier films, which were funny and light-hearted.

By 4pm, we had had enough of the heat and retreated indoors to relax. We cooled off and in the early evening, Sophie and I played Scrabble on the terrace. However, the heat was so intense it made Sophie feel queasy (it didn't help that the sun was shining directly on her), and we didn't finish the game (I was winning, though). It was like being wrapped up in a hot blanket, and there was no breeze to alleviate the temperature.

We moved indoors and started dinner, and managed to get Netflix going on the television. I had cut some potatoes into wedges earlier, so we tossed them with some melted butter, and Sophie sprinkled salt and paprika over them before baking in the oven. We had bought a lasagne in the supermarket, so with a salad, that was dinner sorted!

Before we ate, we decided to watch a new Netflix crime series called The Åre Murders, set in Sweden. We were quickly hooked, and as the series was set around Christmas, the abundant snow made us feel cooler!

Dinner was delicious and Sophie and I shared a bottle of red wine from Bergerac that I'd bought in Rocamadour. After clearing away, we went downstairs to Keith's lair to continue watching and saw three episodes in all. There are another two more to look forward to later!

Return to L'Escala: 20th June to 6th July 2025

Relaxing by the pool... and realisation dawns...

Today has been a repeat of yesterday with a lazy start, breakfast of toast and jam, and time spent in or by the pool, in an effort to keep cool. I spent £2.99 on Amazon to watch the latest Bridget Jones film, something I've wanted to see since it was first released.

I also read some more of the excellent travel book, The Lost Heart of Asia, which I am slowly making my way through. It was a very relaxed day, and very hot!

Lunch was taken on the terrace and we enjoyed cold meats, salad and bread. I served strawberries with yoghurt for dessert - delicious! We floated about in the pool in the afternoon, and Sophie and I suddenly realised something: when we booked this house back in July 2024, there was a washing machine, but the owner had taken it out because of a couple of complaints about no dishwasher available. They'd swapped the washing machine for the dishwasher, which was madness! I knew I hadn't been mistaken! In fact, when I looked at the current photos of the house, there is clearly a washing machine in the kitchen, in the same place where the dishwasher is now!

I was angry about this, as she should have told us before we arrived. I am heartily sick of having to handwash our clothes and peg them out when they're wringing wet. I started to draft a message to the owner, and we talked about asking for fresh towels to be delivered, as there's no way I'm washing heavy towels!

We sheltered from the sun at about 4pm and had showers. Tonight, we had a table booked at La Gruta, in L'Escala, for 8pm, so we set off for the town at 6.30pm and found a space in the car park we used on Tuesday. In a shop opposite the car park, Sophie bought a hand-held fan to keep cool. It was a bargain at just over 5 euros!

We walked down to the front and enjoyed a drink overlooking the beach, which was still full of people and fertile ground for being nosy! One man looked very fetching in small, tight swim trunks! I did admire the bathers for being so on show, in front of several bars with people enjoying drinks!

It was bliss to sit and enjoy a drink with so much to see and the gorgeous views over the sea. Sophie and I popped over to one of our favourite shops and bought two bottles of a white Cap de Creus wine, some herbs for pasta, a seasoning for paella and a candle. Lovely things to take home with us!

We then had a slow walk up the street to La Gruta, passing by the gorgeous church.

We were a little early as La Gruta opened dead on 8pm. We were taken to a cool table indoors, but some diners had opted to sit outside in the sweltering heat. It was still about 29-30c!

We sat at the same table we had sat on for previous visits and looked at the menu, all of us choosing the "Bistronomic" menu at 44,50 euros each.

We chose the soft-boiled egg with ham to start, Sophie and I opted for the Iberian pork, while Keith picked the beef. I ordered a bottle of a local Rosé, which was delicious:

Starter

Sublime dessert of panna cotta

The food was delicious and our pork tender and moist, so different to how we cook it at home. Keith loved his beef and shared some with Sophie, who also said it was very good. By now, the restaurant was busy with lots of people eating outside and a party upstairs, where Keith said it felt stifling.

Sophie and I ordered panna cotta for dessert, and the food was so good we asked for a second helping! The pots were tiny! We felt very naughty, but our request was indulged and understood!

Tonight was Sophie's treat, so she paid the bill and we walked slowly back to the car in the warm night air. Back at the house, we sat on the terrace and chatted and had a last drink. The night sky was beautiful.

The Domino Effect...

Keith has been sleeping downstairs in his lair, and when we decided to go to bed, he made his way cautiously down the steps. I shone my phone torch for him, but he missed the last step and went sprawling onto the ground. I shouted to Sophie and ran down, but I missed the bloody last step as well and went down too, almost landing on top of him! We felt like dominoes in a row! Sophie ran down as we picked ourselves up, and both of us were a little shaken, to be honest. Sophie had slipped as she went into the pool the other day and hurt her wrist, but it could have been much worse. 

The trouble was that there was no way of differentiating between the step and the ground beyond, and both of us had just missed it in the darkness. Now I know why our Health and Safety Executive make businesses put warning tape on steps!

I limped to bed and hoped that I wouldn't ache too much in the morning!

Return to L'Escala: 20th June to 6th July 2025

Keeping cool

We had a lazier start to the day this morning and didn't wake up until 8am. The sun was once again shining from a clear blue sky, and we sat on the terrace, drinking coffee and chatting.

Today was forecast to be slightly cooler, so we planned to stay at the house all day and drive to Peratallada in the evening to have a drink and explore the lovely shops there. By 10am, after having granola, yoghurt and strawberries again for breakfast, we were sitting by the pool. Sophie played the Spanish Summer playlist on her phone, and we were all set for a day of relaxation.

View from the pool

The house crocs - used and abused

We love staying in this house, but there are a few things I'd do differently, like not putting gravel around the pool, hence our house crocs. We use these to traverse the sharp gravel to get to the patio area or to the sun loungers. 

A fridge downstairs would be perfect, with maybe an outside laundry room with a sink at the back of the house, where there's plenty of room. The interior is beautiful and modern, but there are just a few touches that would make it truly great.

It didn't feel as hot today, so we were able to stay out a little longer. We had a lovely lunch on the terrace of cold meats, salad and bread and spent the afternoon snoozing, swimming or reading. Perfect!

Later on, after showers, we got into our very hot car and made our way to Peratallada. It was an easy run, and the traffic was light. We parked in a car park near the centre, paid for the ticket with the help of a car park attendant (even though we knew what to do), and joined the throngs of people making their way to the beautiful village.

The sweet little bar we'd had a drink at on our last visit was closed, and the small square was also devoid of open bars or restaurants. The shops were open, though, and Sophie bought a lovely blue T-shirt of a man carrying a sardine!

Although it was supposed to be cooler today, the temperature was about 32c and the sweat just dripped off me. I was wearing my black dress, where the sleeves constantly slipped down, and I'd secured them with Kirby grips, which dug into my shoulders. While swimming, I'd been burned a little, so maybe I should have chosen something else to wear!

We walked slowly to one of the squares where we'd had lunch in 2023. One bar was open and we ordered two beers and an Aperol Spritz. As soon as we sat down, other people joined us, and it was bliss to sit in the shade, with a cool breeze blowing, and chat.

Although we hadn't intended to, when the waiter asked if we wanted anything to eat, we readily agreed! We chose ham croquettes, crispy chicken strips and nachos. The food was delicious!

I think Sophie enjoyed the food!

By now, the village was a lot busier with people arriving in the cool of the evening. We wandered the streets and looked in some shops. The restaurants that had looked closed up earlier had now come to life, with tables set and people perusing menus. We went into our favourite shop, Les Voltes, and I bought another bowl to take home of the same pattern I'd bought before. Every time I use it at home, it reminds me of Peratallada. Sophie bought some pretty dishes and glasses, and a pair of earrings in another shop.

We decided to head home, but we wanted to drive to Pals first and shop in the supermarket we used to use. We were on the lookout for their cling film, which is sold with a little cutting tool on it. We've looked everywhere in the UK for the same kind of thing with no luck, and it's so easy to use!

It took us ten minutes to drive to Pals and we went into the busy supermarket, buying some more wine and beer, salad, water and cling film. We bought three boxes!

We headed back to L'Escala as the sun was setting and put our shopping away before relaxing by the pool for half an hour with a drink. I was a little worried about mozzies and ants, though, so we went back up to the terrace to chat with another drink. Now, it was beautifully cool and quiet!