Spain, Day Three, continued (lunch)

After happily wandering through the monastery, we proceeded to the little town of Scala Dei, which has several wine cellars that offer wine tastings on Sunday (ah, I love post-Franco Spain!), in addition to a very fine restaurant where Dvora had made reservations for us. We sat outside (my favorite way to eat) in a shady spot on one of the little streets, and the owner and his wife greeted us, followed by an invitation to play fetch with a pinecone by their wonderful bird dog Scooby. We again ordered the menu de dias, and again I agonized over so many choices for first, second, and dessert courses. I ordered a first course of potato ‘bateux’ (boats) filled with goat cheese and floating in a creamy sauce, and a traditional Catalunyan second course of white beans and sausages, and finished with my favorite, crema catalunya and coffe with cognac. The owner’s wife said I had an intelligent face! This time we got a ceramic jug of red wine, which I thought was a nice touch, and spent what appears to be the traditional two hours enjoying the breeze and the food and the company. I cannot say what we talked about, but it became increasingly academic and brilliant as the jug went down, I’m sure.   After lunch, we spent some time walking around the very charming little town, which boasts a hostel, a few restaurants, a museum, and a few cellars, in addition to a church and, I assume, some homes.