It is in a very necessary place



I sometimes wonder if the outsider sees the similarities and the insiders the differences.  The inhabitants of the British Isles may declare their national and regional differences - who will ever bridge that great divide, made permanent by a stretch of water? Can North and South London ever be truly thought of as similar, yet a Spaniard may see what binds them together.  Likewise Spain.  A mess of regions and nations but with customs in common.


All this musing is because today is Christmas Eve, or Nochebuena, of Good Night.  Is it special.  Well, Sincerelyspain have struggled to come up with specifics and fall back on ‘Catholic Past’ and ‘Family Time.’   https://www.sincerelyspain.com/blog/2020/12/15/nochebuena-christmas-eve-in-spain/


Various other sites offer the fact that dinner may be bigger than on Christmas Day - I suppose a hang over from the fact that the Eve is the time for the blow out and Church next day.  Maybe not.  The Kitchen.com offers up much more from the Hispanic World than Spain.  It does say, however, ‘’And finally, in Spain many people attend La Misa del Gallo mass. In terms of food, Nochebuena dishes vary depending on the region. In Galicia, located in the northwestern part of the country on the Atlantic coast, seafood is very common. Elsewhere in Spain you might have roast lamb and sweets like polvorones (Spanish-style Christmas cookies) and turrón (a nougat made with toasted nuts).’





Anyway, we are heading out of town and that means heading up the Rio Iregua and then cutting inland by the Bodegas Ontanon El Templo del Vino.   https://www.ontanon.es/visitas/ The art work is fun and you can encounter the God of Spanish Wine for 30 euros.   Given that it has over 50 reviews and gets a 4.8 average we may think to agree.  A day ago David wrote ‘Different experience from other wineries, dynamic and fun. Highly recommended.













Dipping under the LO-20 we are in the world of industrial estates.  Restaurante La Portalada knows its customers and opens from 6 till 6.  Francisco observed, three days ago, ‘It is in a very necessary place’   Miguel reckoned ‘A great industrial park restaurant to eat. I'm not from the area but I was passing by. Menu with quite a few options, good and abundant food, spacious tables, fast and friendly service, a place to park if it is not packed and a menu for 15 euros. Come on, it does everything, don't expect a tasting menu, it's a classic Spanish roadside restaurant, one of those that if I worked in the area, I would eat here quietly many days for what you pay. All the best’














With that, let us push on towards Christmas.








































































 

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