El mercado

Another beautiful sunny day (21C); we went to Tortosa. First stop, the covered market. I always enjoy visiting markets in new places. You'd think Spanish and French ones would be quite similar, but they aren't. Yes, they both have fruit and veg, butchery, bakery and fish stalls, and usually a stall selling olives and the like. But this type of stall, selling canned, bottled, and preserved food seems to be specific to Spain. There are always colourful cans and jars of anchovies and tuna, canned olives, peppers and chilis, olive oil, spices, dried peppers, ham and salami, and, at this stall, a massive variety of pulses, dried fruit, and nuts -- go large to read the labels. They also had a chiller cabinet (at the bottom of the frame) with pre-cooked chickpeas and beans, and a very tempting array of home-cooked food to take away. Also note the freshly made crisps in bags on the counter.

Spanish markets usually have stalls selling only salt cod too, and this one was no exception, so we bought some. The stallholder listened to S's accent and replied to him in French. It always amuses me when people do that. Although it's a bit annoying -- if I can speak Spanish with a French accent, why can't I speak French with a French accent?

For a more general view of the market, see my spare blip.

Afterwards we visited the cathedral (not that interesting ...) and had a general wander around, and then feeling tired we sat down at a bar for tapas and beer, which revived us sufficiently to go for a drive up the Ebro valley, along a winding mountain road. There were a lot of orange groves -- I hadn't realised they were so widely cultivated here -- and also fruit trees covered in pink blossom, maybe plums or cherries? Then home for a reviving cup of tea.