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Sparkling wine (cava) was cheap and found everywhere. Some places served it in half bottles or even in splits (one glass) by loosening the cork and shaking vigorously, then ka-powie! This was a kind of café theater that always surprised the patrons.
Having more time in port than expected, some of us rented cars and visited touristy spots and beaches. Sitges, just west of Barcelona, was popular for its beaches, restaurants and nightlife. We drove northwest to Montserrat, a mountain with jagged peaks, befitting its name serrated mountain. A shrine there was home to the grail knights according to medieval legend. Richard Wagner's swan/knight Lohengrin came from Montserrat ("Montsalvat") and he used it as the setting for his final opera Parsifal. We looked around, had lunch and drove back to Barcelona.
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| Ray Tullos aboard ship at Barcelona. Photo from Marty Rombach. |
Los Caracoles ("The Snails") was a favorite Barcelona restaurant. Located down a pedestrian alley off the Ramblas, the specialty was, of course, snails. Not being a fan of escargot or whatever they chose to call them, I settled for seafood. This was my first exposure to paella, made with fish, clams and prawns. Their fish soup, something like boubillaise, was excellent. Wine served in goatskins (probably fake) was popular then. You were supposed to hold the thing up in the air, aim carefully, squeeze it and hope the wine would wind up your mouth and not all over your shirt.
