Whining and dining in Besalú, Spain

Besalú, Catalonia, Spain

Hola from Besalú!  Dario and I, and several other travel bloggers, are here in Catalonia, Spain, exploring the area, eating the food, drinking the wine, and staying at amazing luxury villas (srsly, they are suh-weet!).  Grab yourself an eyeful of the view we had this morning!

 

To infinity and beyond!

 

The above photo was taken near Cadaqués this morning at Sa Vista, one of the most amazing properties I've ever seen.  It's a place that I immediately pictured hosting celebrities and their entourage (or posse, as the case may be).  For some reason, I kept thinking of Lady Gaga, but it probably doesn't have enough disturbingly shaped body parts or sequins for her taste.

Richard says that all the villas they manage have private pools, but the one at Sa Vista is especially impressive as it is an infinity pool that gives the illusion of stretching down to the waters of Port Lligat.  When standing by the pool, if you turn your head to the right, you can see one of the houses of Salvador Dalí.  We toured the house and found it freakishly stylish and fun!  It's recognizable from afar by the giant eggs on the roof.  (You heard me – eggs!)  I am hoping that enough of my photos came out that I can write a proper post about it for you.  In the meantime, I did post a single photo on Google+ and Pinterest, if you'd care to take a peek.

 

Mas Tallaferro, which roughly translates into "Your belly is like unto a lump of iron".

 

In other news, it seems that if we are not careful, our host, Richard will sneakily arrange another big meal and round of wine tasting. At this point, it may have shifted into "whine" tasting, since every time we hear of more delicious food headed our way, we all seem to both smile and groan at the same time.  I know, I know…  #firstworldproblems.  As one member of the troupe said,  "Should have brought the buffet pants!"

Right now we are staying at  Mas Tallaferro in Besalú, Catalonia.  The castle-y bit above is the view from the garden where we just watched a paella cooking demonstration.   And, yes, then we ate the paella.  Whiners we may be, but foolish we are not!

 

It's like a macabre, seafood-based water ballet.
 

Later we are supposed to have – surprise! – more wine tasting and a light dinner.  Good gracious, I hope it's light.  I think our airline may charge us for excess baggage if we keep eating like this.  Or at least charge us with a safety violation since we'll be unable to tighten our belts "low and tight " across our hips.

In any case, I can see why people love Costa Brava and Catalonia.  The people are nice, the food is wonderful, and the history is rich.  As always, very much enjoying learning about a new area of the world.

 

What part of the globe are you exploring?

 

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34 Comments

  1. Ah! Don’t know why I’m just seeing this now.. you were a busy lady while we were stuffing our faces and drinking too much wine! Great post and I have to say- I’d like some more paella! or just another weekend in Catalonia!

    1. Yes, though it meant that I didn’t go on the town tour and see the miniature museum, alas. Still, sick hubby needed attending and my tender feet appreciated the rest. Agree with you on the Needing More Time In Catalonia front!

  2. I’m still in detox mode after all the delicious Catalonian food and wine.

    1. Know what you mean, Laurel!

  3. Looks luxurious and fishtastic, not necessarily my thing but cool to read about. And as Laurence mentioned, great to see the humor in writing.

    1. Thanks, Andrew! Glad you liked it. I think I might steal “fishtastic” for future use. ;)

  4. That paella looks gorgeous, I would not whine at all!

    1. Oh, but if you had seen the meal we had the night before… The number of courses is up for debate. A member of the restaurant staff said 10 off the top of his head, but on later review it may have been as many as 13 — each with their own wine! I think we just needed a day of food detox between meals so we could appreciate everything fully (or rather, not quite as fully). ;)

  5. Oh, that looks so delicious :)

    1. Dario's mom has agreed to attempted to recreate the deliciousness using Erin's recipe (in the comments below) sometime soon. Maybe you can find comparable ingredients in your part of the globe and have a go, too! :D

  6. Nice digs! Nice fish! I am sorry too, that I had to forgo this one. Enjoy the laughs and fun moments. :)

    1. Did and done! So wish you could have been there, though, Lisa. I shot a lot of video during the second half of the trip. If I can get some of the others to share a few stills, I might be able to put together a pretty nice video about Catalonian cooking and wine.

      More than that, though, would have just appreciated your humor and comments along the way. ;)

  7. WHAT??? I cannot believe the pic of your luxury villa! I hate you! Actually, I almost don’t even believe you! If you make someone jealous who’s living in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, you know you’ve got it good! :)

    1. Mwuahahaha! Keep up with me on Twitter, G+, and Pinterest to see a bunch of pics from the other bloggers on the trip. The places we stayed at were all gorgeous and I’d love for you to see it from some other perspectives. Srsly.

      ps: when you coming to Rome? Not sure how long we’ll be here.

  8. Travel blogs need more comedy alt text tags ;) That pool looks amazing!

    1. Aww, thanks for noticing, Laurence. I try to get several into every post. Many of the HTML link have ’em, too. They can sometimes be my favorite part of a post, lol.

  9. I’m pretty sure my friends won’t actually recognize me when I return to Madrid as I’ve eaten and drunk my weight in (amazing) food and wine. And I’m not going to lie – I’ve loved every last bite and sip :).

    1. Yeah, probably the week before the trip was not the best time to re-start my exercise regime… However, NOW is a GREAT time to do it! :P

  10. Richard sounds like a generous host – how do I get an introduction? :) I’d really enjoy a tour of Dali’s house if I could tear myself away from the eating and drinking. Glad you and my fellow bloggers are enjoying yourselves. Looking forward to more posts and pics!

    1. I’d be happy to introduce you, Cathy. Drop me an email next week when I’ll have regular internet again and I’ll send appropriate messages to both parties. :)

  11. I’m going to try making that paella myself when I get home!

    1. Did you get more details on the cooking? I was so busy being enamored of my video camera and trying to get good shots that I think I missed the part about how you actually put the whole thing together. I’d love it if you’d post a recipe. :D

      1. Here’s a lose paella recipe from a good friend of mine in Madrid. It’s seriously amazing (and one of the best I’ve ever had). http://www.latortugaviajera.com/recipes/paella/

        1. Thank you, Erin! I’ll try to convince Dario’s family to give it a whirl. :D

  12. That looks like heaven!! I love Spanish food. I bet you’re having a blast!

    1. I’m quite enjoying it, yes. Poor Dario, however, seems to have gone on system overload and had to skip a day of activity, most especially food. …oh, well — more food for the rest of us! ;)

  13. Haha, great caption! I have an aversion to shellfish for precisely this reason. Looks like an amazing place to stay though. :)

    1. Because they look like they’re in a 1940’s musical? Yes, I can see how that would put you off your dinner.

      Seriously, though, seafood in the US tends to be served in a much less, ah, “natural” state. It’s easier to devour something with which you haven’t had to make eye contact. ;)

  14. I’m jealous!

    The paella looks like my Granny’s. It was so delicious that no one in my family eats paella from a restaurant. Unfortunately, no one asked her for the recipe either and now that she’s gone, we’re left *paella-less*. (My heritage is part Catalonian)

    To answer your question, I’m exploring our new neighbourhood!

    1. Oh,Anna! Life without paella is such a tragedy! We learned today that everyone makes it differently, so maybe you could go out and have some that would… um, be like what your grandma’s neighbor might make? Anything to avoid being paella-less! ;)

  15. I’m in a huge sulk because I was supposed to be whining and dining with you on this trip! It looks absolutely wonderful; so glad you’re having a great time.

    1. I heard about that, Jen. When Jade mentioned that you had planned to be here, I was mightily disappointed that we didn’t get to meet. I rather suspect there will be more opportunities in the future. We must plan a meetup sometime soon! :D

  16. Wonderful post of your experiences so far..and your pics on this article as well as Twitter and Pinterest are amazing. I am living your journey vicariously through all that you share. Keep up the amazing work!!

    1. Aww, thanks, Jeff. You’re such a bright light in the world. Hope I am doin’ ya proud. :)

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