Purpose

A cat that knows where its next meal is coming from. We had a busy day today. A couple of people had told us about the Christmas fair in Madremanya, a village between here and Girona. For some reason we initially thought that it was going to be a traditional Catalan fair, but as we approached the village and all the signs indicating the fair were in English, we began to revise our opinion. Especially when we remembered that both the people who'd told us about it were British.

It turned out to be exactly the sort of event we would never, ever go to in France. Hordes of British people milling about in the village hall around stands selling handmade arts and crafts, knitted Santas, WI-style cakes, mince pies, second-hand books, and all those British groceries that expats claim to miss. Cup-a-Soup, Bird's custard powder, that kind of thing. A crooner was on stage singing I'm dreaming of a white Christmas, and we left to the sound of Santa arriving and a chorus of kids singing Jingle Bells.

Sniffily we thought we'd have a quick look round out of politeness and then leave. But actually we came away with a laden shopping bag. Some Christmas cards, mince pies, and a surprise Christmas present for Mystère from the Pro-Gat stall -- a Begur-based charity that looks after feral cats. I bought a mint-condition copy of Nigella's Feast for 5 euros, and yet another Spanish cookbook with lots of nice photos for 3.50. A box of Christmas crackers, some suet and porridge oats for essential Christmas cooking, and some small Christmas presents.

The hall was on the outskirts of the village, so after dumping the shopping in the car, we went to explore. Wow -- if I won the lottery and wanted a second home in Catalunya, I think I'd buy one here. It's a gorgeous, relatively unspoilt medieval village. There are no shops and just one restaurant, but it's within very easy reach of Girona. We loved it.

On the way back, we stopped in the next village, Monells. At first glance, it looked quite ordinary, although there were some attractive houses along the riverbank. But as we turned a corner we found ourselves in the most incredible arcaded square. Monells is a stone's, or rather a brick's, throw from La Bisbal d'Emporda, a major ceramics centre, and instead of cobbles, the large square is paved with sweeping curves of tiny pink bricks. I spent ages trying to do justice to them, with the help of this handsome and well-fed tabby who was begging food from the cafe under the arcades. But the square was in shade, so this doesn't really convey the texture and colour. We'll be back.

Feeling peckish by now (it was 2 pm), we stopped in La Bisbal and asked a lady in a ceramic shop for a recommendation for lunch. We'd only wanted a sandwich, but somehow thanks to her suggestion we found ourselves in a restaurant again, scarfing down an 18-euro menu del día.

After that it was back home for a cup of coffee and then into Palafrugell for a film: A Bottle in the Gaza Sea. It's actually a French film, but was dubbed into Spanish, and we managed to understand it pretty well. I need hardly say that it was very topical. Not a masterpiece, but consistently engaging. Especially with the brain exercise needed to understand it :)

I took dozens of photos today, and it was hard to choose just one -- tomorrow I'll put some more up on Flickr.