May 1st
May Day is a holiday in Spain as well. People gather in groups to eat and celebrate. I haven’t seen any parades. However, I have noticed a few statements written on bridges and walls in favor of Catalonia’s independence.
Today, we drove through the plains, admiring the Pyrenees in the distance. We made a detour to a small town (Calaf) where we bought sweet pastries to substitute for tippaleipä (drip bread) which we ate with coffee brewed on the roadside. I sure miss sima, but maybe next time.
I participated in the May Day march through the generations. It seems like the weather was fine for the May Day celebrants in Finland. I’m eagerly awaiting news summaries of the day’s speeches.
In the afternoon, we drove towards France, passing south of Andorra. We decided to bypass it – we don’t have to visit every country, after all – even though Catalan is its official language! Our goal was a camper van parking lot in a valley between the mountains somewhere around here. A few kilometers before reaching our destination, we stumbled upon an interesting-looking restaurant by the roadside, bustling with locals having lunch. We positioned ourselves by the counter, waiting for a table to free up. The joyful chatter filled the old restaurant building. The busy waiters did their best to serve the customers. Luckily, we found a gentleman who spoke some English (he had visited Finland before). We ordered a starter salad and anchovy toast. For the main course, meatballs. The only fish dish was sold out! A carafe of wine was included in the lunch deal – as well as a bottle of sparkling water. Today it was proven! So, when you order meatballs, you get meatballs and a basket of bread. No unnecessary potatoes or salad thrown in! There was so much food that we had some leftovers to take away in a doggy bag!
With full stomachs, we drove along the winding but narrow road by the river to the next village, where the camper van park is located. After getting the van into sleeping position, we read the rules and paid via QR code (€6) from the notice board. It’s so easy nowadays. You just need a working phone, and everything is taken care of! How did we travel before smartphones and the internet?
Food and a glass of wine are such a combination for people our age that a nap is almost mandatory afterwards. I used the downtime to write this story.