Last Updated on 29 April 2024 by gerry

Today we are still expecting a bit of changeable weather and we choose to go to the centre of Malgrat de Mar for vermut time, which traditionally starts from about 12pm on Sunday. It is the last day of April and therefore the last day of the 4-month Abonament recurrent free Rodalies train ticket, so we ride the train one last time on these tickets just one stop to Malgrat and find our way along Carrer de Mar to the main squares of the town.

We are aiming for the square unofficially known as Plaça de la Barretina which has 4 different cafes and bars to choose from. We choose the one with most sunshine on its chairs in the square, I think it is simply called Plaça Cafe. We order two vermuts and enjoy the lovely lazy atmosphere. Each of the 4 terraces is bubbling with conversation.

Once we settle our bill (deploying the new local dialect phrase mi cobra, which seems to work fine everywhere we try it), we take a notion to take the lift from the square up to the high ground above in the Castell Parc, where we can seek out La Torreta restaurant for another vermut and maybe some braves. La Torreta is located within Francesc Macià Parc, adjacent to the children’s playgrounds, so it is alive with young families enjoying the Sunday sunshine, even though we suspect a storm is imminent.

There is lovely blossom from the trees floating in the air as we order our food and drinks from the little shed just inside the restaurant complex. We’ve chosen a table in the “self-service” zone in the midst of the park and the blossom. Before too long, raindrops are falling and we are grateful we have a large umbrella at our table as all the playtime in the park comes to an abrupt end.

We go to the loo just before leaving the restaurant and inside there is a fabulous Sunday family dinner atmosphere. Alison grabs an espresso with Baileys to take-away and is blown away with how good it is. The rain has eased off now as we stroll home along a new route, that will likely take us to the road where the Carrefour shops are located. Alison reminds me that we actually made it this far on our first visit to Malgrat – my recollection is rubbish sometimes, but it’s pleasant when my memory is jogged to recollect how we retrace our steps like this in the places we visit.

In the evening we have the first of our anniversary celebration meals. We have booked a table for 8.30pm at the Bamboo restaurant and pool club on the rooftop terrace of the Atzavara Hotel. We scoped out the menu already when we first visited the rooftop terrace and the plan is to have a bottle of Gramona cava and the Arros de verdures (rice with vegetables) for two. It doesn’t pan out that way for a number of reasons, but we make the best of the unexpected circumstances and toast our two years together appropriately with a 2021 red wine from Montsant called Dido “La Universal”.