OMG! Spain's Amazing Delta Oyster
Festival & Salazar's Lunch!

What a day! Delicious food, cava,
gorgeous sunny beach harbor, salsa
dancing, joyful Spanish live music

 

 

Wow! What a day! Delicious food, cava, gorgeous sunny beach harbor, salsa dancing, joyful Spanish live music, straw hats on a perfect Sunday funday! It was Diada De L'Ostra Del Delta ( Delta Oyster Day Festival) and a perfect way for me to celebrate Mother's Day! Yes, we Americans who just bought a home in Spain here on the golden coast, were so excited to discover this impressive festival! This was a delightful surprise element we had not expected & adored it! Spaniards do know how to celebrate life, and enjoy delectable food and dancing! The oysters are special & renown here because of the unique flavor as it combines the mixture of salt water from the Mediterranean Sea and the fresh water of the Ebro River! Afterwards,  we topped it off with the best lunch ever at our favorite restaurant in Costa Dorada & our town, Salazar's Beachfront Bar & Grill!

Our quiet seaside town in Costa Dorada (Costa Daurada) usually only has a handful of people on the beaches even in warm, sunny weather in May. So the crowd was surprising to us and another fun benefit as festival season has just begun.The beach photo above is right next to the plaza with the crowd! It is the same little beach that our daughter Heavenly swam in on Christmas day. So even this little town has the combo of lively crowd and lovely quiet beaches at the same time. The seaside promenade is about 5 miles long, so there is such a lovely variety for a small town. 

These oysters captivate connoisseurs from around Europe because of their unique flavor. Over 4,000 tons of mussels, 800 tons of oysters and 30 tons of clams are harvested every year in this area! In 2013, UNESCO declared the delta area a biosphere reserve as well as the Parc Natural del Delta del Ebre.The industry of harvesting shellfish in Catalonia is an important one & there are famed oyster and mussel farms in the sea here. Boats take tourists from our town to visit them.

At the Diada de l'Ostra del Delta, roughly 2500 kilos (around 5,500 pounds) of oysters are served throughout the day. We loved watching them shuck the oysters and might volunteer for it next year. 

The walk along the sea here is always exciting and beautiful. The flowers are blooming more each day. We've been working hard preparing for our daughter Heavenly's arrival, so it was great to take a whole day off to celebrate!

I love salsa music and dancing so we were in heaven on this beautiful day. Enjoying it like the rest of the crowd of every age from kids to grandparents. 

 

We had not heard the music from our beach home as we are on the other end of town near this main beach.

 

 The level of organization of this festival was so impressive for a town of only 3000 locals. It cost 8 euros for 4 oysters, glass of cava and a hat. 

It is a lovely port and I always enjoy that they have incorporated ancient olive trees to combine with the yachts and fishing boats. 

The main plaza where this event took place on the water in the harbor area has two levels. The upper level where Gar is standing in this photo is also a large area with lots of benches and flowers. There are nearby restaurants and shops on both levels. 

Salazar's Beachfront Bar & Grill

 

 After enjoying this wonderful festival, we headed to Salazar's Beachfront Bar & Grill, the best restaurant here, Our friend George who owns it with his partner, had a special menu for this day. I started with the mussels as I had them before and they are the best I have ever eaten. I ordered them when we ate here on Thanksgiving and have been hooked ever since. 

The wine and bar here is also superb. George has impeccable taste, so it is always a treat to feast here.

 The location is perfect as one can enjoy the beach view when dining on either side of this street near the main beach. It is also wonderful inside with killer sea views and often have live music at night. 

The food is so scrumptious so we fell in love with this place on our first visit and keep coming back. Everything was perfect and the steaks are grass fed. They also have the best hamburgers and Tex Mex food to remind us of home. The owners are from California and have lived here since  2016. The food is a fusion of cuisine from the New World and the Old World.

George is a special person and a renaissance man with so many talents and knowledge on many topics. The food is what first blew our mind about this place, but getting to know George has been inspiring and a gift. He has also been a huge help with information and resources on getting our flat painted and updated. Since he has a beach flat and a country side home here, besides the restaurant, he has learned so much first hand. 

He is brilliant, charming, kind and caring. Who could ask for more? Having one of the best restaurants in Spain  serving foods we love, is clearly icing on the cake!

 

On the walk back to our place, I was reminded of the sea smells I love here. Added to the sea smells are whiffs of pine! I love the forest smells added to the sea smells on my walks.They say that some of the Aleppo pine and olive trees here are thousands of years old.

That night there was a full Scorpio moon out my bedroom window that made me smile and just added to the perfect day. 

We are happy to have our little souvenir hats to remember this special day. Looking forward to many more! Have you been to the Diada De L'Ostra Del Delta? Or is it on your list now?