Before leaving for the holiday, Keith and I had a short but quite nasty argument. Sophie had asked Keith if he wanted to add anything to the overnight suitcase, and I saw him rummaging about in his wardrobe. He then pulled out one of his heaviest sweaters to take with him... as I had already told him about the high temperatures forecast in Spain, I looked at him as if he had genuinely gone insane. He said, "It might get cold at night." I then said that he was absolutely crazy (and a few other things that I regret), and he took umbrage.
Now, in Spain, we have learnt that this weekend the temperatures are set to rocket after a plume of hot air from the Sahara is heading for Spain, Portugal and southern France. Here, in L'Escala, it will be about 37c at the weekend and early next week. Nighttime temperatures are currently hovering around 26 °C (and are set to rise further). We like to remind Keith of this every time we go out.
I was up early this morning, and the temperature was perfect. It was bliss to sit with a coffee and gaze out over the view. We had a delicious breakfast of granola, strawberries and yoghurt and spent the day by and in the pool. I listened to music while Keith and Sophie read. It was wonderful to be able to plunge into the pool when it all got too much! Sophie saved a little lizard who had got himself in the pool, and I had a conversation with another one that was scuttling about.
We had lunch on the terrace and enjoyed salad, paté, crusty bread and tabbouleh. We have all been very good today and drunk plenty of water, with no alcohol at all. The heat in the afternoon was intense, and by 2pm, we'd all had enough and went inside to cool down. The wind also picked up, so we pulled in the canopy over the terrace as we didn't want it damaged. The washing I'm doing is drying nicely!
Sophie was a bit upset that the heat was preventing us from going out to explore as we did on previous visits to this area. The thought of walking about in the heat of the day is unbearable. We had a table booked at Ultramar this evening, so I looked at parking spaces near where the shops and restaurants were, and I sent the directions to my phone.
Ooops! I did it again!
After showers, we left the house at 6.30pm for the short drive to L'Escala, taking a big bag of recycling and rubbish on our way. This area was where we stayed in 2022, and I was pleased to see parking here as we'd like to go to one of the restaurants nearby.
We drove to the old town of L'Escala, and even though I followed the instructions to the car park, I still ended up in the maze of narrow streets, where people wandering about didn't seem to notice us bearing down on them! I was apprehensive that I would get stuck as some of the streets were only wide enough for a car, but by sheer luck, we found our way to the lovely car park near the church, where it cost us just over a euro to park.
It was then a short walk to the front, where people were still enjoying the early evening sunshine on the beach. We picked a bar and sat down well away from the front of the seating area, which was in the full glare of the sun. Normally, these seats are popular, but not today! The bar had done its best to help by placing two huge fans at the front which gave out mists of water, something we had last seen in Florida!
We sat and enjoyed a drink and watched the constant procession of people walk by. I wasn't as hot as I thought I'd be, but I did put my hair up as it felt like a heavy curtain on my neck!
We had one drink and then walked around the corner to Ultramar, a beautiful restaurant looking out over the sea. Sophie told the maitre d' that we had a table booked for 8pm, and he said they just needed five minutes to get it ready. We went into the cooler bar area and ordered a beer and a bottle of white wine to accompany our meal.
Within ten minutes, our table upstairs was ready and we were seated by the window with stunning views over the sea.
The staff were lovely and pointed out a list of recently-caught fish with alarming prices! Perusing the menu, there wasn't a great deal that I fancied as it was heavy on fish, but in the end I opted for turbot as it came with vegetables. Sophie ordered mussels and cod croquettes to share as a starter, and she chose the tuna for a main course. Keith went meaty and ordered lamb.
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| Our starters |
The starters were delicious, and the mussels were served without their shells and doused in a gorgeous sauce. The cod croquettes were equally lovely and came accompanied by a garlicky dip.
When my main course arrived, my heart sank. I'd done it again... ordered a whole fish with the head and tail intact.
There was some kind of powder sprinkled over the cauliflower, carrots and broccoli, which I immediately took a dislike to. It smelled awful! Sophie luckily relieved me of all the vegetables, and I picked away slowly at the fish. It took me so long to eat it, I was probably in a negative calorie state. It was one of those meals where I was hungrier at the end than I was at the start! Sophie gave me a piece of her tuna to try, and I heartily wished I'd chosen that!
Having said that, my turbot was beautifully cooked, and the meat I did eat was lovely. I'm not sure I'll order it again, though! Thankfully, the wine, a local white from Emporda, was delicious and went very well with the meal!
Sophie and I treated ourselves to pudding - a "blondie" served with coconut cream, so I had a satisfying end to the meal!
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| Sunset over L'Escala |
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| Upstairs seating area at Ultramar |
The restaurant had gradually filled up, with one couple looking totally bored with one another, and the man on his phone almost the whole time they were there. We had a lively discussion about health and safety rules and paid the bill, which was a hefty 167 euros. Still, it was our only expenditure, and we'll be spending most of the day at the house again tomorrow!
We took a slow walk back to the car, marvelling at how busy the restaurants were! We'd never been in high season before, and the town was buzzing with people coming out now, as it was a lot cooler.
Back at the house, Sophie and I enjoyed a glass of Rosé Marques de Caceres wine, and Keith had a beer. We sat talking on the terrace, and the breeze was wonderful!
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