Lazy tourist day in Arcos de la Frontera

November 23, 2021

We didn't do much today. We had a very nice breakfast at our hotel, walked around the old town, took some photos, relaxed in the sun, ate some more, relaxed in our room, and I took a few more photos. We had hoped to go into one or two of the churches and maybe even climb San Pedro’s tower, but they were all closed today, it seemed. So yes, this entry is a bit of a photo dump.

But first let me describe last night's dinner. We went to a place that describes itself as a “gastrobar,” whatever that is. It was, we think, recommended by our host and had good online reviews so why not?

I was hoping for a dinner salad but none of the choices on the menu appealed to me. They generally included tuna or anchovies as a main component and I don’t care for either. Al suggested sharing the remaining option, a tomato and shrimp salad and getting a main course each.

We were both surprised when our server presented a dish containing a single large tomato in wedges, with sliced pickled onion, and buried in tiny (1-2 cm) whole shrimp. No, I didn’t get a photo. They were crunchy and tasted strongly of shrimp, but I think I’ll avoid them in future.

For our main courses, we had each order pork (different cuts), accompanied by potatoes and vegetables. The plates, when delivered, looked identical: thinly sliced meat, sautéed, with fries and a small scoop of coleslaw. It was tasty, but not what we expected from a “gastrobar” following that salad.

We shared a dessert that included ice cream and a custard sauce that was very good.

Back to today. We were hanging around in our room when the rain started just after sundown--that wasn't forecast!