Day 7: Tender Tossa de Mar, Flourishing Forests, Sucking Seafood, & Caught in the Campfire

Wednesday 5 January 2022

I opened the curtains and was surprised by how little light came through the window. Dark clouds filled the sky and drops smashed in pieces on the window. Of course, I thought as I walked to the breakfast room, the weather sucks on the day I want to hike.

My smile came back when I saw the breakfast table. They had everything, fruit, warm beans, bacon, fresh bread, multiple types of cheeses, and even tomatoes and cucumber to put on top. Even tortilla frittata in a tiny oven to stay warm. Americano, I thought while I pressed the right button on the coffee machine. I looked around, most people were eating the tortilla. In case you wonder what all the fuss is about, here’s the recipe.

I sat down, took my mouth mask off and started eating while I stared at the rainy pool. This would be such a beautiful place if it was summer, but then again, it would be packed with screaming children, probably twice as expensive and unbearably hot outside. Rain is good. I chewed on my bread and nodded. I made a smiley of food on my plate with the pieces I could not eat. It’s a terrible job to be a dishwasher. Trust me, I speak from experience.

After a long shower and free shampoo that was so terrible that I used it all at once (so that I could throw the tiny tube away), I put my new dress on. It is long and white and makes me looks like a Spanish woman. Only my height, blond hair, green eyes and pinkish-white skin will tell you the difference, or the moment I open my mouth.

Fresh and energized I started my walk up the mountain. It had stopped raining and the sun was sometimes able to break through the clouds. Tossa de Mar was deserted. Especially uphill it felt like I was the only person in the town. It looked like the streets were filled with holiday houses that were only used in summer. Impressive picturesque holiday resorts towered the silent hills.

 

   

 

      

Everything is closed, everyone is away. More place for me! With a smile, I walked through the empty streets and stopped to take pictures. Large patches of pine trees flourished in this tiny town at the sea. It smelled like Christmas trees, but stronger and sweeter. It was so quiet, that only birds were able to break the silence. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who had the time of my life. “Cause I’m having a good time, having a good time,” I sang.

Not again! This song is so addictive.

Tossa de Mar is tender, it’s meant for married couples and families with children to spend their summer holiday. Screaming babies are the only nightlife, with no lively bars with loud music and single men. Maybe in the next town, I thought while I looked at the romantic coastline. In ten years, this place might satisfy all my needs. Thank god I’m not yet a mom!

I ordered a beer and a chicken burger at a little terrace next to the beach. The waiter was cranky, but I wasn’t sure if it was because he was old and fat or if he just hated his job. Maybe he hated me or the weather, or perhaps it was everything at once. I tried to be as sweet as possible by talking to him with a high voice, just like I talk to my cats. His brown eyes didn’t look amused under his wild bushy eyebrows. Nothing seemed to lift his spirits.

I thought there was only one type of paella, but look at this menu! It is similar if you go to the Netherlands and think we only have one mash pot, while we have mashed potatoes with endive, kale, carrots and union and lots of other veggies. It’s an art form, and even babies can eat it, if they liked vegetables. Thinking of babies again? What is this place doing to me? Let’s move on, quickly!

A younger woman approached the restaurant, put an apron on and relieved the cranky waiter of his work. It was the end of his shift and he sat down with a meal of his own. Of course, he was hangry! Mystery solved. Lots of fights are caused because people are hungry. Next time you feel like hitting someone, eat a sandwich first.

I still had the end of the afternoon left, so I did some groceries in a huge supermarket: Esclat. Sometimes, big supermarkets are my enemy, just like IKEA, where everything is but you can’t find anything. Getting in isn’t the problem, it’s getting out. It’s almost as if they change the arrows when you are inside, so you walk in circles.  

This time I felt like exploring the endless alleys with towers of different products. Everything was so cheap! Smoked salmon for 3 euro, a great wine for half the price, and cheap pasta meals. The food is crazy expensive in the Netherlands, while it tastes worse. The weather is shit, I can’t find a house, the weather is shit, the weather is shit.

I went back to the hotel. The moment I closed the door behind me the sun broke through the clouds. I shook my head and laughed, that’s not how it’s supposed to work. I made some coffee and saw how the hives appeared around my throat. Every time it appeared late in the day and got worse until the time I went to bed.

I was scratching the irritated skin and had to think back to the Amazon. Wait! The Amazon! Rushed I threw myself at my backpack and started digging, throwing everything out. Where is it? Ah of course, in my brown leather bag, with my essentials. What do you think this is?

No, it’s not gum, it’s a fat cream that makes the skin feel cold and smells like eucalyptus. It worked against the mosquito bites and this time it also worked against hives. I don’t go anywhere without it, my little miracle cream from the Amazon. Thank you for the tip, random Irish girl! Tiger balm works.

I put some music on and started to do my homework. In order to do the itinerary from the LP, I had to drive a lot every day. After the wild ride the day before, I wasn’t keen on doing that. I needed to select the most important places I wanted to see. Pretty tough in a country as big and beautiful as Spain!

L'Escala my parents said, a tiny city a little to the North. It sounded like another romantic place at the seaside, that would probably be deserted, just like Tossa de Mar. The pictures of Rhianne hunted me, okay, I will go to Girona next. After that, I will go to Olot, which is a city in the middle of a volcanic reserve. Taüll, in the Pyrenees, is too cold and too far away. Just imagine how difficult it will be to drive on the snowy peaks. No thank you, and how else will I throw the ring in the volcano?  

In the evening I almost stayed in. I felt like writing, had nice music on and felt super comfy in my room. I was in the perfect place for food, I had the time to go out, the money and the appetite. Only my laziness prevented me from going. Come on! You haven’t come all this way to stay in your hotel room and eat instant noodles. “Alright, alright, I’ll go,” I said sounding like a kid that was forced to brush her teeth.

I left the hotel before I changed my mind. The darkness fell and the cold wind caressed my legs. I had tights on, but in case it’s not extremely obvious, tights are ice cold. Super-hot, but ice cold. My creamy red skin turned into goosebumps. Restaurant! Quickly! I rushed through the streets as if I had a group of orcs behind me.

I looked for a restaurant, empty street after empty street. Damn, this is not Barcelona, here you have to look for a restaurant instead of being bombarded with them. I followed the smell of food that was accompanied by the sound of voices. It led me to a little alley that went uphill and ended in a tiny restaurant. People were outside drinking, eating and smoking. A skinny waiter in his apron kept watch. He saw me coming and opened the door. He was standing in the doorway.

“Inside or outside?” he asked.

“Ehm...,” I said.

I was warm due to the rushed walk, and everybody else was outside. Still, I knew that if I stopped moving, I would get just as cold as I was before. I looked at my tights. The waiter stood still in the same position, as if he had frozen in time. His big eyes were pointed at me and he was stuck with a big question mark on his face. He didn’t even blink.

“Inside,” I said firmly.

Finally, he blinked and seemed happy about the answer. He guided me to a table far inside the restaurant next to a fireplace. There was a bar with stools, a tv with football on and a wall filled with liquors. Great, I’m going to dinner at a bar.

The skinny waiter rushed to my table with the menu. “If you want me to explain, just ask. We don’t have the menu in English,” he said. Score! It’s a real local restaurant.

“It’s okay, thank you,” I answered politely and ordered Paella de Mar.

“It will take 40 minutes,” the waiter said.

That means they will make it fresh! “That’s okay, I will read,” I said, the fireplace is my favourite place to read.  

I relaxed and read my Lonely Planet next to the fireplace. The warmth of the crackling fire kissed my legs. I felt the glow on one side of my body and wanted to turn like a sausage on the BBQ. Suddenly the door smashed open and the smoke turned back through the chimney towards me. You could hear the wind roar through the chimney, feeding the fire, filling my lungs with smoke. I coughed.

A fat waiter appeared and he ran towards me. After a quick look at the chimney, he ran to the door and closed it. The smoke went back into the chimney. “Lo siento!” he said.

“It’s okay,” I said and laughed, “I see what you guys are planning, you are turning me into BBQ food!”

Both waiters laughed.   

The chef came out, he looked the youngest of the three. For some reason, they seemed to gather around me and were eager to start a conversation.

“Where are you from?” The skinny one asked.

“Hollanda, Países Bajos,” I replied.

“Me too!” the skinny one said, “I’m from Breda.”

“What? Really? I wouldn’t say,” I said baffled.

“Me too,” the fat one said, “I’m from Rotterdam.”

“No way! Are you serious? I’m from Amsterdam,” I said.  

They were Spanish, but came from the Netherlands.  What the hell was going on? Before they could explain why, my dinner was ready and I got a huge pan with paella in front of me. I was so distracted that I forgot about our conversation.

All the friends of Spongebob on my plate. I felt sad by the number of dead animals in the Paella. It’s harder for me when I recognize the animal, then it’s not just a piece of fish anymore. They died for me, to eat them, what a cruel world. It wasn’t an option to send it back, with two waiters and the chef looking at me. And o my god, why did it taste so freaking delicious?

It wasn’t easy to eat though. The paella mostly consisted of sea animals: mussels, shrimps, shells, tiny squids, and even baby crabs. I had to take the animals out of their shells in order to eat them. It was the opposite of mashed food, what an effort!

“How on earth do you eat a tiny baby crab?” I asked the fat waiter from Rotterdam.

“I will show you,” he said and took my knife and pinched through the harness of the baby carb, right in the middle of its belly.

“Merci,” I said, but soon noticed there was barely any meat to take out. “Wait, how do I eat it?”

“You have to…” and he acted as if he put the baby crab to its lips and sucked it out. He looked like an idiot making kissing noises.    

 “Suck?” I asked.

He nodded.

Sucking out baby crabs, I hope nobody tells Mrs Krabs. 

“Lekker?” the skinny one asked.

“Erg lekker!” I replied, surprised to hear Dutch, it was one of the few words he knew.

The food was damn good, but very oily and it hits you all of a sudden: FULL! I need to get out of here while I can still walk.

“La cuenta por favor,” I asked.

“Rekening?” the skinny one asked, showing off his Dutch skills.

“Very good, de rekening ja.”

“No coffee?”

“No, I’m good.”

“No tiny drink?”

“What do you mean?”

“Limoncello or Grappa.”

“I never had Grappa before.”

I didn’t have to say that twice, because his eyes became big and within seconds I had a tiny shot glass with Grappa in front of me. I took a sip, the burning liquid tasted sweet.  

“Hmmm, it tastes like lemon and anise,” I said. if Ouzo and Limoncello had a child, its Grappa.

The skinny waiter jumped up as if he had the fireplace under his ass. “Anise!” he screamed, grabbed a bottle from the wall and put his chest forward like a pigeon, “My uncle,” he said with dreamy eyes and pointed to the bottle of anise. His pride was undeniable, how sweet.

I got the remaining animals with me in a bag and walked out. They all waved me goodbye, as if I was a good friend leaving the restaurant. I wish I’d asked their names, but then I would still be sitting there, stuck at the bar, listening to their stories. How did they come from the Netherlands? Damn it. I guess we’ll never know.  

Frio! Muy frio! I screamed while I ran back to the hotel. Even a warm room feels cold if you walk away from the fireplace, imagine going outside, in winter, with strong wind, in tights.

Tired, full, but satisfied I entered my room. You never know how an evening will go. I was grateful that I decided to go out, because this was an unforgettable evening. Literally, because I smelled like a campfire for the rest of the trip.