Catalonia is different

On Sunday, we drove through an impressive mountain landscape from Morella towards the sea, towards Catalonia. In Alcanar, we enjoyed fish, shellfish, and Fideua on the promenade by the sea.

We will spend 10 days near the Ebro Delta, in the southeast of Catalonia.

This region has been making headlines since the beginning of October, since the start of our journey:

On October 27, 2017, the Catalan Parliament voted for a unilateral declaration of independence; on the same day, the Spanish government dismissed the Catalan regional government and announced new elections to the regional parliament for December 21, 2017. Now, preparations for the elections are underway. Candidates are promoting their ideas on posters. The topic is omnipresent on television. There are rallies and various performances.

We live in El Perellò, opposite the church, whose bells ring every 15 minutes. In terms of gastronomy, the excellent honey of the region and the well-known olive oil of Catalonia should be mentioned.

Romy and José have been living on their 'pura vida' finca with olive and almond trees in Camarles for 3 years. We were introduced to them by a colleague in Thun (thank you Roger!). Romy and José give us an insight into their work, and we not only watch but also lend a hand and feel how exhausting it is to harvest olives and prune trees.

José, Elsbeth, and Neira

We have spent many hours shaking, collecting, and sorting olives.

José showed us where he delivers the olives. At the collection point, the olives are emptied into a chute. From there, they are transported up the conveyor belt and separated from soil and leaves. Our harvest resulted in a net weight of 240 kilograms.

We were interested in the value of the delivered olives. Unfortunately, the boss was sick and the staff couldn't provide the daily price. José will have to go again.

We enjoy exciting conversations with Romy and José over a beer or a delicious lunch.

Cheesecake and Spanish beer

We will remember the walk on the wide beach of Els Eucaliptus as well as the drive through the seemingly endless rice fields in the Delta del Ebro.

José, Elsbeth, Romy, and Neira

Elsbeth