Alcanar port re-visited

After lunch, following a busy morning on pastoral affairs, I drove to Les Cases d'Alcanar, the port and village linked with the mediaeval inland small town of Alcanar. Last time I was here I cycled from the house to Alcanar, and then back by a different route. I coud borrow a bike but am a little cautious about doing so as I need to be mindful of the vulnerability of my back. Since I've been wearing the new sandals I bought before leaving Fuengirola, I've had all sorts of lower back niggles as my legs adjust to shoe soles that aren't worn right down, but it is improving.

I strolled along the beach promenade and photographed yet again the remnants of civil war concrete gun installations overwhelmed by the sea. 

I want to compare them with photos taken last time I was here. I counted two dozen fishing boats out at sea. One was heading closer to shore than others, returning to Puerto d'Alcanar with its catch. 

I drove to the port and watched the unloading of the fish. Boxes of fish were taken straight from the quay into the small new market hall, top left in the picture below.

 

Here they were loaded on to a conveyor belt where they were automatically weighed and priced for dispatching. I understoond that the fish are auctioned, but was unaware of bidding going on. It may have been done electronically, since the price per box appeared on a screen, and a bill of sale automatically printed, and added to the box that was taken off and stacked ready for transport.

As I was returning to the car through a back street, I saw a shop sign which said 'Agrobotiga' and stopped to look. 

The proprietor had just locked up, but when he saw my interest he insisted on opening up and letting me in to look around. It was a grocery treasure house of local products. Bio wines and olive oil, rice from the Deltebre, cheeses, preserves etc. I had to buy something for the priviledge of looking around, and settled on a kilo of Montsia rice. The brand name is that of the beautiful rugged mountains which sit inland behind the Delta on the south side. He gave me two Clementines as I was leaving. I ate them standing on the prom looking out over the port as the sun sank behind the hills. Another lovely outing.