Two Weeks in Spain

In August I travelled to Spain with my family for the first time in five years. It was a whirlwind of activities and experiences. I revisited old favorites-cafes, restaurants, shops-and discovered new ones. We took a side trip to Vienna for a few days, a gift to my son who is interested in the history of this country.

We arrived at Adolfo Saurez airport from Montreal on Canadian airline Air Transat. As a wheelchair user, I was nervous about what the airlines and airport special need services would provide to me.The Air Transat staff and the airport authorities responsible for caring for special needs passengers were well-trained, respectful. I did not encounter problems.

Cala de Villajoyosa

The first part of the vacation was in Cala Villajoyosa to visit my father-in-law and one of my sister-in-laws, whose family purchased a two-bedroom, two-bath apartment near to her father. A small beach town, it has a variety of restaurants and bars, but without the crowds, and noise of the better-known nearby Benidorm.

Las Sevillanas-El Tapeito-August 19

An old favorite of my son, we had a relaxed lunch on the outdoor terrace. The view of the Mediterranean was magnificent. My son enjoyed his tiger mussels and we shared chopitos and other tapas.

Peter Restaurant, Thursday, August 24

Peter is a popular restaurant on the beachfront known for its paella. My sister-in-law had to reserve our table a week in advance and specify our paella order. Simply decorated, it was full of diners at the time when we ate, 2pm.

Unfortunately, my sister-in-law had ordered the wrong type of paella. A type I had never ate before, called arroz caldoso. Not good. Nobody enjoyed it. My son barely touched his, which is saying something. My sister-in-law looked downcast realizing that she made an error due to miscommunication. It was served in a bowl-shaped paella pot rather than the flat pan many associate with a paella dish. This was fitting as it was soupy rather than the dry paella we have enjoyed in the past. One of my Instagram followers, the owner of a Montreal restaurant specialising in rice dishes wrote “I love it. It is the result of using a pot instead of a paella. They are very appreciated preparations on cold days and especially in winter, because of how comforting it is to eat what we call “comer de cuchara” (eaten with a spoon rather than fork).

The saving grace was an excellent french toast topped with a rich custard and ice cream.

Av. de la Marina Baixa, 6, 03509 Cala De, Alicante,

BarBus restaurant, Denia, Friday, August 23

Another day, another meal. BarBus restaurant @barbusdenia is in Denia, a city on the Mediterranean coast in the province of Alicante. Enjoying time with my Spanish in-laws, I tried to understand their rapid-fire Spanish conversation.The interior decor has a seaside vibe with carved fish-shaped wall hangings and and blue pendant lamps.

This carved wood wall is original to the site.

I ordered ternera con patatas fritas y guarnicion. Steak with french fries and side dishes.

Can’t forget dessert. Coulant de chocolate con helado, or lava cake with ice cream. My son ordered it as well. He devoured his. And what was left on my plate!

Pl. Arxiduc Carles, 4, 03700 Dénia, Alicante

Carpe Diem Restaurant, Sunday August 25

A long time favourite of my family, Carpe Diem’s owner is the redoubtable Juan. We visited this restaurant three times over the course of our twelve days. As usual, the food did not disappoint.

Whereas most places offer diners a menu del dia of two courses, a starter and a main, this restaurant offers three dishes for the same price, 18 euros. Diners can opt out of the first course in which case the price is 15 euros. A bargain. Bread, choice of wine, beer, juice, or coke. I twice chose as my first dish salmorejo, a traditional creamy soup originating from Andalusia. I ordered paella all three times for my second course. This is one of the dishes that this restaurant does well. My third dish on two occasions was escalope, like wiener schnitzel. I looked forward to our upcoming trip to Vienna, the home of the wiener schnitzel. I order entrecot on another visit.

Finally, mousse dessert twice, chocolate once and lemon once.

Av. Rosa dels Vents, s/n, 03570, Alicante

Madrid

Hijo de Epigmenio, Saturday, August 31

Hijo de Epigmenio is a gift store that sells artisanal ceramic, glass, textile, and other items from across Spain. Spain fo Design has featured it in several articles over the years.  I recall  my first visit years ago and the generosity of the owner, Juan Manuel Gil, who shared his motivation for the opening the shop and his travels across the country to find the best of Spain’s artisanal works.

Striped napkins from Basque country, a community in the north of Spain. Made from 100% cotton, these colorful striped patterns are typical of traditional Basque table linen. I bought a green and red-striped one for my cousin and the same for myself as well as a red striped one.

I spotted this jar.

To lean more about this shop, read Hijo de Epigmenio: For the Love of Spanish Crafts.

Calle Puebla, 13 Madrid

La Hermosita, Saturday, August 31

As we were hungry, I asked Juan for a recommendation for somewhere nearby where we could have pastry. He recommended La Hermosita a delightful shop around the corner where you can purchase freshly baked goods and delicious pastries, and cakes as well as coffees, salads, sandwiches, artisanal ice cream, and other meals. Forgoing the traditional pastry offered by most shops, visitors can buy such pastry as lemon tarts, a favourite sweet treat of mine.

A lemon curd tart topped with cream. I added ice cream, cookie flavour. Delicious!

All images by Spain for Design unless otherwise indicated.