Castles, Castelleres, & Culinary Delights of Catalunya [Season 1, Episode 20]

Full Show Script [Friendly] EVO The  Salt Stealing Pirates from Africa we mentioned on last week's show (http://en.costabrava.org/) ) just a few centuries ago. Fortifications to defend against attacks were built along almost literally every turn of the coastline. Amazingly, many are still visible today, in various states of ruin. SHE: A few weeks ago, we took a half-day boat tour out of Blanes, Spain with a company called Charter Lloret. It was just us and six other TBEX attendees, as well as the captain and his assistant, on a leisurely boat tour up the Costa Brava shoreline. As we boated along the beach of LLoret de Mar, Evo asked about the story behind the oddly well maintained, almost brand new looking castle right on the edge of a cliff. [pre made] SHE How disappointing. A "fake" castle, decades, not centuries old, built just to give tourists something to take photos of. EVO: But the other guests on the boat hadn't even noticed the fake castle, let alone Marcos' explanation. My turn... [castle story] SHE: Taking a boat tour of the coastline was a great way to see more of Costa Brava. Great views, a great guide, and great folks to chat with, and this surprise:  [20 minutes on a boat] SHE: Drinks? Snacks? This was shaping up to be a most excellent cruse.  EVO: Unlike the poor souls we saw on that other tour boat. Clearly, they didn't have Captain Marcos at the helm, or even seem to like the people they were traveling with, as Nate from Winter Wonderlust pointed out. [not as much fun on a boat]  EVO: 20 minutes is apparently a relative term in the Mediterranean. And I thought that was just an English thing. [two minutes five minutes ago] SHE: Attending TBEX gave us lots of exposure to Catalonian, or Catalunyan, culture. During the awesome opening event on the grounds of the Hotel Santa Marta just to the west of Lloret de Mar, a troupe showed up to create human towers.  [castelles] EVO: They were part of a colles castellere, and building these human pyramids is, well... what they do. With the sounds of the Toc de Castells urging them on, the dozens of stocky men (usually) grasp arms shoulder to shoulder, and a slightly smaller number of slightly less-stocky men and women climb on top of them, also grasping arms at shoulder height. And then another layer is added. And then another. Until, at some point, a pre-teen wearing a safety helmet -- the only member of the troop to sport one, scampers up this living ladder until she reaches the top, just as the band reaches their crescendo. SHE: It's an impressive sight, with lots of appreciative oohs and ahhs from the crowd. And it's a lot safer than the running of the bulls, for both the tower builders themselves and spectators alike. EVO: The food in southern Spain is outstanding, but the seafood really can't be beat. If muscles and oysters are your thing, it's worth the train ride down to San Carlos de la Rápita. From there, you'll take a water taxi or charter a boat out to The Musclarium, an amazing restaurant sitting on top of the mussel beds. SHE: Apparently, the combination of warm water and nutrients from the river make the most amazing combination for these filter-feeding tasty critters. [mussels and oysters] SHE: I'm not so sure I've ever seen a ""beautiful"" oyster, but he had us intrigued with the claim of the best tasting in the whole world. EVO: These oysters are rumored to fetch between $5 and $10 each -- per oyster -- so it's not surprising they're all over them in Paris.  [eat them] EVO: Ha! I knew I'd find a way to work a ""that's what he said"" line in the show. Except I though it would be that's what she said, and I thought i'd be the one to say it. Thanks for staling my thunder, Gabi! SHE: You're such a child. Coming up next, scenes from next week's show. But first... EVO: This is out 20th show. I know. 20 shows. That's kind of a big deal. As you've heard, if you've been listening since the beginning, we've changed things up a...