Spanish food experience in Elx and Murcia

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Our journey continued further south along the coast of Spain. The next destination was Murcia via Elx. Some hardcore cyclist could make it in one day but since we were fully loaded we had a break in the middle staying in Elx. How does one pronounce this word? That’s Valencian spelling, however, “Elche” is also accepted and probably more readable to the rest of the world.

Elx

Our WarmShowers host Raul lived with his parents in a lovely country home on a big orchard. It was out of the city but we enjoyed cycling the quiet country road passing all the orchards and farms. While we were thinking positively about the cycling network Spain had, we hit a road block in the middle of nowhere and had to figure a way to carry on between two main highways. We tried to be sneaky and squeeze our bikes through the fence but had to turn back because the construction site looked too dangerous for us.

By early evening we arrived at Raul’s place. His parent couldn’t speak English well but we got along very well. It always surprises us how welcoming the family of the WarmShowers host can be. They treated us like an extended family. Our time was short so we could only stay with them for a night. We still made the most of it. He took us out to see the town and we had pizzas with his friend. Surprisingly we weren’t too tired, because after having a shower, we felt refreshed and energetic.

Tortilla de patatas

We had the famous Spanish omelette several times but never been taught how to make it. Well this time, Raul’s father showed us in the morning how to prepare one. It was loads of fun. We helped peeled the potatoes and he cooked the first omelette. Extra virgin olive oil is used to fry the sliced potatoes, then the cooked potatoes are added to the egg mixture. The omelette takes a fair amount of time to cook on each side as it is very thick. Flipping the omelette requires some skill… and the right sized plate. That was our special takeaway for lunch that day. In addition, they gave us lots of energy food grown from their own backyard so we gladly accepted their big pomegranates, olives and almonds.

Murcia

The morning ride was sunny and crisp, but things changed after lunch as the sky turned grey and depressing. We didn’t want to arrive muddy at our next host so we tried to ride faster and seek shelter at every downpour. We managed alright in the end and got to our host just before she finished work. Luisa and Chechu were friends of Ana and Alberto (who recently hosted us in Benidorm). It was very kind of them to open their home to us. They also had two teenage girls.

Luisa and Chechu aren’t full on tour cyclists themselves but knew a bit from their friends in Benidorm that cycled Spain to China. We knew little about Murcia… it was a stronghold of the Moorish empire (they were the ones that built the Alhambra). On the first evening of our arrival we got the first tour straight away!

The Segura river runs through Murcia. Generally the water level is low and it was a celebrated time when we arrived because it had risen so much. Luisa joked that everyone wanted to leave work and come home to celebrate! We crossed the river and explored the old part of the city. They wanted to show us the local tapas called Marinera. It is potato and tuna salad served on a looped bread stick topped with anchovies. They sure love their seafood in the Mediterranean.

Next stop was the Casino de Murcia – and no we didn’t go to gamble. There is a entrance part that is opened to the public to come in and see, however the remaining rooms were for members only. We could see the members in the room quietly reading the newspaper on a very comfy looking chair. What a setting to be in for a read.

Nearby we visited the Cathedral and there was an event on that evening. The organist would be performing some classical pieces inside the massive hall. We didn’t stay for the full piece because of our busy tour schedule! Next place to visit was a friend’s restaurant Restaurante La Pequeña Taberna. The setup at the front was very homely and inviting. Freshly picked vegetables sitting uniformly in baskets ensuring diners only the best and freshest were served. We got to try some more tapas. When the restaurant owner came over to talk to us, Matt tried to understand his Murciano’s Spanish accent but it was too difficult for him.

The next morning we got out exploring ourselves to see Murcia in daylight. The place we stayed at was very close to Jardín De Floridablanca which is a very old garden. There are trees that had been planted in the 1700s. You can see the extensive base network of roots and the impressively height of the tree. Next we visited the market to have another sneak peek at what’s on offer. We were a bit shocked to see whole skinned rabbits in the cabinet display, shock for us, but normal to them. There were some colourful cheeses that caught our attention. The blue one was lavender infused gouda. We quickly snapped a picture and kept on moving!

Paella

For lunch we met up with Luisa and Chechu again to try something we’ve been looking forward to since we left NZ. Paella in Spain. Of course we’ve made it back home but it’s not same – NZ doesn’t have the Mediterranean climate, sun soaked olives and it’s pressed oil. As you’d have guessed, we were extremely excited for this very moment. We were told the chef at this restaurant had cooked paella for a very long time. While waiting to be seated, we saw her come out to talk to some of the diners. She gave everyone genuine smiles and arranged a table for us. From appearance she is the typical granny that you want to visit often as she is guaranteed feed you. Luisa and Chechu ordered some very exciting looking dishes, unfortunately we couldn’t remember all their names. Murcia being close to the sea meaning a lot of the local dishes have some kind of seafood in them. It takes a while to make paella so it came last. The waitress held up the paella pan asking if we’d like it to be dished up. Chechu nodded and she took it away to serve immediately. There was no time for photos. The best we got was of her… facing away as she served our portions.

We ate so much for lunch the only thing we could do after was return home to have a siesta. Later in the evening we had a home karaoke session with Chechu, singing all sorts of song in Spanish, English and a few in Mandarin. A nice way to end our time in Murcia. Later when we were having dinner (11pm) we heard some singing outside, it was loud and well rehearsed. Some lucky girl from the third floor opposite our window was getting proposed by the boyfriend singing below, accompanied by a group of friends. Neighbours started watching from their windows and balcony – some singing along too. Chechu didn’t miss the opportunity to join in the singing! She said yes.

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