Southward Bound

If the last two and some years taught us anything it was to value the lives we live, to savour every day. One of our biggest realisations was that the love of my life needed to not go back to commuting every month. We have always worked together, well in the same house at least and we rub along quite nicely so being together 24/7 didn’t phase us one bit, in fact if anything we enjoyed it more. Obviously, we missed family and friends but we did start to assess what we should do with ourselves once it was getting back to normal. First decision, semi-retirement, so still keeping a hand in but moving the business completely online. Big tick and within a few months done!!

Next, sell the house we are in, which was always bought as an investment, although it has been a fabulous place to live it is rather big for just the two of us and I, particularly, hanker to be closer to the coast and Darren to the countryside. Here we are then house hunting and looking at our next adventure.

Rather than just look in our own region, we thought we might go a little further south. In March Darren did a trip down to meet a colleague in Murcia and stopped off in the Tarragona region for a few days. So, last week saw us taking a week in a villa on the Deltebre and do some touring of the region and viewing different properties. Our first port of call, literally, was L’Ampolla, which is where we based ourselves and the weather played nice not too sunny and hot but pleasantly warm, even cloudy some days, perfect for touring round with the roof down.

I was prepared for it to be hotter and perhaps not as lush and green as the Girona region and it is true it is both but there is a different kind of green to it. Instead of fields of maize and sunflowers, barley and wheat, apple orchards it is olive groves, the fruit trees are peaches, cherries, apricots, there are carob trees and almonds. The mountains are pine clad and the landscape is dotted with Fincas many of which are off grid. The great river Ebre flows down through the mountains so we took a trip up to Miravet to sample the cherries and the honey and take in the majestic views.

Down river the Ebre delta is a wonderland of peace and tranquility with every sea bird you can imagine and we saw flamingoes! It ends with a spit of sand that goes on for miles and attracts kiters, fishers, families and sunners. It culminates in the lighthouse but I didn’t get that far.

I did find time to explore off the beaten track just a couple of guys lifting their boat out of the water and then there was just us and the sea and this rickety pier, I can see myself coming here to wild paint, I can imagine it is wild in the winter months, perhaps we shall see.

Off grid now there is a thought to contemplate, free electricty and free water, what’s not to like? A crop to harvest and sell, a tractor to run up and down your land on, chickens maybe a few goats to keep the scrub under control. Our three cats would be in paradise! The reality is not quite as romantic and we have talked to a lot of folk about it. Solar power is great until the sun doesnt shine much and your batteries run down, in the heat of the summer batteries only hold so much power the rest cannot be contained so there are limits. This requires you to be vigilant with your usage, in an ideal world that is achievable but would it affect our ability to work? The ideal would be to be connected to the grid so when there is excess you can sell it up to them and when there is a shortage you can buy it back and the rest of the time you are self sufficient. However, if there is no grid connection you need a generator, well to be honest you’d probably be better with a generator anyway just in case. One chap had rigged his so his generator switch was in his kitchen and if power was low he just flicked the switch and he didn’t have to hoik across his land to the shed where it was located. There are always solutions.

One place we visited was stunningly beautiful, it stole my heart, if I could have plucked my ideal place out of my head into the real world this would have been it. It had internet but not very reliable or very fast but no mobile signal and as we both work from home we could not find a work around and sadly with deep regret we had to let that one go. No it’s not the one above that was out on the delta one of the many little houses, unoccupied, just there for those that tend the rice paddy fields and care for the park to shelter.

I need people so we would like somewhere in the country no more than 20 to 30 mins from the coast and civilisation ie shops, supermarkets, health services etc and have our own private accommodation and space for us to let out to discerning tourists. Already I am planning self catering accommodation for escapists, the area is awash with national parkland, the huge Ebro river, the mountains, there is horseriding, cycling, walking, twitching in the delta and, of course, all the usual coastal activities from boat hire and trips to watersports and just plain toasting on one of the long sandy beaches in front of the shallow azure sea. The resorts come in all shapes and sizes from the huge yet pretty Cambrills to the family friendly L’Ampolla, all types of foodies are catered for from cheap and cheerful to fine dining.

I believe I can promote the art cafe culture down there too and the area has a special kind of light that will be really inspiring, or holistic therapies, writers retreats, photography, cuisine. The ideas are endless.

So, my catch up wouldn’t be complete without a nod to the food, it’s always about the food. I stocked up on fresh honeycomb and honey products, rice to bring back. No holiday for me is complete without the basics, rolls with Laughing Cow cheese spread and fresh juicy tomatoes, a  big bag of olive oil crisps, which actually lasted me all week! Plus my cuppa, that goes with me wherever I am!

While there we feasted on the best tapas, sea food at the coast, fresh carpaccio of baccalla, steamed mussels, xipirones and patatas bravas

Plates of meats and cheeses with fresh catalan pa amb tomat with cool beer clara’s in tankards.

Goyozas stuffed with chicken, Catalan’s love Japanese food and have taken their fillings used in croquettes and put them into these crispy fried pastries rather than steamed like the Japanese and Chinese do.

Last evening we took ourselves to Miami Platja which is exactly what it says on the tin, long soft white beach, with bars lining the promenade and all the beautiful people sipping cocktails. We sought out a little restaurant that gets top views on TripAdvisor, Enrique’s, on a side street. Hosted by Henry (Enrique) and his partner chef Ben we feasted on gorgonzola and pear salad, escalivada with goats cheese balls covered in nuts and fruit, a chicken Massaman curry, Lebanese lamb with spiced couscous and I finished with another Lebanese dish made of biscuit soaked in coffee topped with sharp tart yoghurt and berries.  Perfect end to a good week.

The search for the right place continues, what we are looking for perhaps doesn’t exist, I’ve kissed a lot of frogs to find my prince of a property! You will just have to watch this space.