I called Alella, a small town about twenty minutes away from Barcelona, home for only 25 days, but it is a place that I will cherish forever. It was my first stop on this trip. It was the first place I went to in Europe. It will simply be impossible to forget. I did many things that many might consider mundane, such as going to the library or going on walks. Some might even consider that a waste of a day, especially when lively Barcelona is so close. But I didn’t travel to Europe to be a tourist. I am traveling to gain experience and culture. I am traveling to see things and meet people. I am traveling to gain knowledge about the world and ultimately, myself.
Living in Alella, I have learned many things. One of them being that I like living in a small town. I like being able to walk to the market to get groceries. I like being able to recognize people on the streets. I like that it is normal to greet others hello while going on my walks. But I have to say, Alella is not just a little town. It is rich with history, known for its wine, and fortunate to be in between the mountains and the beach.
I can’t begin to describe how lucky I felt that I could see the beautiful, rocky peaks right before I walked in the opposite direction towards the beach. I can definitely see myself living like that one day.
Alella is known for its wine despite only having nine registered wineries. Tours of the vineyards are available. One of them is pictured below. Some tours are offered daily while others are only offered on specified days and times. Call ahead to the winery of your choice to make sure they’re open (time was taken off for holiday while I was in town) and make a reservation.
This is the Tourism Centre. I went here my first day in Alella to get maps and brochures. In one booklet, there was a list of events and activities offered in the month of October. Some are free while others list a price. It was in Catalan, but I could understand a few things and used google translate to check. One of the events was a wine workshop offered in the space right in front of the centre. For 7 euros you are given two glasses of wine and two tapas. The workshop is actually given every second Saturday of each month. I was very happy I got a chance to attend.
The woman below was our guide throughout. She gave us instructions on when to start drinking and how to drink.
The guide kept the experience informative but entertaining. There were many comments that kept me laughing. My favorite was when she instructed us to take a bite of the toast tapa and drink the wine at the same time to combine all of the flavors. “Tastes good, huh?” she said. “They say we shouldn’t drink while eating our food…Why do they always prohibit us from doing things we’ll enjoy?”
This was the second tapa which was eaten with the red wine. It was a piece of bread, salted dark chocolate, and half of a green grape.
The first wine, was a white which was enjoyed with foie gras stuffed fresh figs.
Out of the two, I enjoyed the red wine better because it was a bit fizzy. Of the tapas, both were equally delicious, but I have to say the toast with chocolate was absolutely scrumptious, especially when eaten with a swig of the red wine. The explosion of flavours you get when you let the drink soak up the toast in your mouth was incredible.
I had the pleasure of taking a tour of the Alta Alella winery. For 20 euros you can taste six different wines and get the tour. The first four are picked by your guide to give you a sense of what Alta Alella is known for. The last two are picked by you from the selection she gives you.
Seventy-five percent of the wine produced in Alta Alella is Cava, a sparkling Spanish white wine. It is very similar to champagne in taste and how it’s made.
Their wine is special because it is sulphite-free which is difficult to make while ensuring the taste will be as good. They use Saulo soil which is acidic and sandy with a low limestone content, low organic matter and good natural water drainage, according to their site.
For my two optional wines, I picked their dessert wine and a red wine. Of the six wines tasted, I enjoyed the Bruant 2015 and the dessert wine, Dolc Mataro, an organic sweet red wine, the most. The dessert wine satisfied my sweet tooth but mind you, it was too sweet for some of the other tour goers.
Below are a few pictures of where I frequented or went at least once while in Alella: The beach, the produce shop (which had a great range of fresh and dried fruit), the park (where I took some time to revisit my childhood and use the swings), and the church (a little story below for those who don’t follow me on twitter).
I really wanted to attend mass before I left. I was able to go the Monday of the same week I would leave. I arrived five minutes late and sneaked into a pew in the back corner, on the side. I couldn’t see the priest or anything in the front. As expected, the mass was all in Catalan, so I couldn’t understand any of it. Instead of just zoning out, I took the time to thank God for everything and prayed for his continuous support and strength as I continue in life. I prayed for my mom, sister, and friends. I prayed for the people I have met and will meet. I prayed for wisdom and courage.
In the midst of this, I notice the lady next to me is sniffling while reaching for a tissue from her bag. I wasn’t sure if she was crying or if she had allergies. So, I prayed that God would heal her pain or aid her in regaining her health. Then, as the mass was finishing up, everyone stands. I’m thinking it’s time to go, but I was confused that no one was actually moving towards the exit. That’s when I noticed the group of men carrying out the casket down the aisle, followed by what I assume was the family, dressed in all black. As soon as the crowd made it’s way outside, I high-tailed it out of there but not before making direct eye contact with either the mother or widow of the deceased.
I can now say I was in Spain when I attended someone’s memorial…accidentally.