Carmelita wanted to eat paella during our Spanish holiday, but it wasn't on the menu at the restaurant last night. So we bought the seafood and other ingredients at the local supermarket, and I said I'd make some home-made paella today. Apart from the fact that we didn't have a paellera (a large flat paella pan) and I had to use a wok instead, we were pleased with the result and felt it tasted just as authentic as restaurant-made paella. After our Spanish-style lunch and a couple of afternoon dips in the sea, it was time to meet up with our new-found French friends for the short drive to the nearby town of Port de la Selva. It's a small place and so it didn't take us long to walk around it. Then, on the way home again, we drove five miles up twisty mountain roads (with stunning views over the bay) to the old monastery of Sant Pere de Roda, which is more than a thousand years old. Once our exploring was over, we said goodbye to our French friends - who also told us about a bonfire and fireworks on the main beach this weekend for the celebration of St John's day. Then, back home again, I used up our leftover fish and prawns to make a Spanish sopa de mariscos (seafood soup.) This turned out to be another successful culinary experiment, and a fitting end to a fun day.
El Port de la Selva and Sant Pere de Roda. Click to enlarge.
