Sweet little onions

  Altafulla, Catalonia, Spain
Sunday, April 20, 2008

Just a week and a half into my new marketing job, Andy and I were invited to a company party in Altafulla, about an hour from Barcelona. It is an annual tradition that they have an afternoon football (soccer) match and then go to a restaurant for the calçotada, a Catalonian festivity that involves grilled sweet onions and yummy sauces.

Football match

So on April 19 at about 10:00 a.m., one of my coworkers picked us up and we drove to meet up with the rest of the group at Plaza Espana. From there, our brigade of cars set out on the highway and met up again at the seaside. All of the guys went off to play football while the girls went for a walk into the hills and along the beach. It was funny because Andy wasn't planning to play football but then he decided to give it a go. The only problem was he was wearing a dress shirt and trousers that looked like his 'Sunday best'. But somehow he managed not to get dirty or rip anything. He even managed to score 3 goals. My boss and one of my coworkers sprained their ankles during the game though.

Castle near Altafulla

The walk along the coast was beautiful. We wandered by a castle that is now used for weddings and special events. We also stopped for a drink at a cafe near a campground with nice little cabins. I'm thinking that we might come back here in September with my parents, as it is so quaint and not at all touristy.

After the football match, we all met up at the house of one of the partners of the company. It is such a lovely place right near the water. We relaxed there for about an hour and some of the guys had a swim.

Claire eating a calcot

With healthy appetites after our walk/football match, we made our our way to the restaurant in Altafulla. We gathered around three tables outside and all of a sudden plates with mounds of grilled calçots (large spring onions) arrived in front of us. They smelled amazing and tasted even better. Luckily we got cloth bibs to wear as the combination of peeling the onions, dipping them in sauce and then hovering them over your mouth can be very messy. Plus we were drinking wine out of a wonderful decanter that was a bit hard to aim. It was a lot of fun to experience the tradition and everyone was giving me great advice about the art of peeling the calçots. It was messy but delicious. The best part for me is the sauce. It is a blend of tomato, garlic and other sweet and spicy flavours.

After the calçots, we went into the restaurant and continued with an amazing meal. As the newest employee, I had to give a speech which was embarrassing but fun. Everyone I work with is really friendly and I like the fact that there is a blend of foreigners and locals so we can all share our cultures with each other. After the meal, we moved into the bar and a few of my musically talented coworkers played guitar and sang tunes while we sang along and tried not to move too much with our full bellies.

After an action packed day, we headed back to the big city. It was a great outing and I was so glad to be able to explore a bit of the coast and experience a cool Catalonian tradition. I would highly recommend a calçotada to anyone staying in Barcelona or elsewhere in Catalonia. It is an amazing culinary experience!

The next day (Sunday), Andy and I were lazy and the weather was a bit grey, but it was our two year wedding anniversary so we wanted to do something fun. We decided to go to a movie and dinner (a predictable but fun date none-the-less). So we walked to the Gracia-Casablanca cinema to watch The Darjeeling Ltd. Really good movie! I like Wes Anderson's movies so it was totally my cup of tea. Andy found it really amusing too. After the movie we found a little Japanese buffet where all the plates pass by on a conveyor belt. Of course we ate too much, but it was a special occasion!

So it was back to work for me on Monday but I'm really enjoying my marketing job and the English classes I have. I only have two months of the busy schedule then I plan on making the most of the free time I'll get in the summer with the break from teaching.

I'll continue to post our upcoming photos and stories as we continue to be weekend tourists in and around Barcelona!