22 March Doughnut Festival

When in Spain you just have to go to all the festivals going. And a doughnut festival sounded like an ideal one to check out!

The festival was held in La Rambla and surrounding streets of Figueres.

There were huge queues to buy regional brunyols or small ring doughnuts by the kilogram. We couldn't quite bring ourselves to buying that amount even though they smelt delicious.

There were about ten different varieties which were baked by different bakeries in the region.

It seemed rude not to try them out when offered. This one had a sort of lemon hint to it.

The other stalls were selling everything from this huge selection of healthy snacks to crafts, candy floss, cheeses, meats and clothing.

There was even a baker making dough and cooking it in his portable oven (behind him).

There were huge olives on sale (about twice the size of the ones we normally get), along with freshly pressed olive oil and even olive oil chocolate. Unfortunately no tasters at this stall so I couldn't tell you what it tasted like. 

Olive oil over here is a totally different beast to what you get at home. A very different flavour which you can drizzle on everything. Dipping bread in olive oil is quite normal and tastes delicious, especially with fresh baguettes.

We settled for some mini chocolate chip doughnuts to have with our morning coffee.

There was a band playing in the square where we were sitting. The locals just dumped their coats and bags in the middle of their circle and took up dancing Catalonian style. It was similar to Greek dancing but without the handkerchiefs, involving lots of small repetitive steps and a shuffle to the right after a bit of stomping and a leg flung forward. I reckon if I was brave enough I could've joined in after watching the dance performed a few times. The Catalonians are a very sociable sort as I couldn't imagine people just stopping their shopping and joining in a dance along Maidstone High Street.

After enjoying our pleasant morning in the sunshine we ventured home via Leroy Merlin, the local B&Q type of shop, to buy lights for the main bedroom, bathroom and kitchen. 

Then it was back through the rain, that seemed to come out of nowhere, after we'd stopped to fill up the car with €1.28/litre diesel (approx £1.10). With no more drives anticipated before we head back we thought we'd make sure we had a full tank of cheap fuel for our journey home.

Within about half an hour of returning to the apartment the sun was out and we could make out snow on the mountains in the distance.

This afternoon Ian started work on replacing the bedside lights. They're now more modern, replacing the original wooden ones from the 1990s!

He's also been upgrading the bathroom lighting. Dragging ourselves into the 21st century with the upgrade in light fittings!!

Anyway, this evening we'll be trying out some new wine we came across in Mercadona. We thought we'd try it out to see if it's worth bringing some back with us in our duty free allowance 🥂.