This was the last full week of work in 2020. Our office is still open on Monday the 21st and Tuesday the 22nd, but most people start their holiday at close of business on Friday. So the week was marked by celebrations, of course with the necessary Covid adjustments.
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I cycled to Agost on Sunday, enjoying the beautiful landscape in the company of other people on two wheels:
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On the square in Agost, a family was posing for a photo. The girl holding the dog noticed that I was taking advantage of the situation from the bench where I was taking a break:
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On Monday we had our office Christmas party. In normal years, we have a lunch at one of the nearby restaurants, but the idea of gathering 50 people for a meal is of course not feasible right now. So this year, we held the event online. But the organiser, Stephanie, had arranged for Secret Santa to leave presents for everyone in their cubby holes (price limit 5 Euro which not everyone respected), and also a quiz, a virtual drink, and generally as much fun as one can have in such circumstances:
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This is Stephanie, the main instigator, getting ready:
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Tamara, who shares a two-person office with Stephanie:
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The pseudo party gets going on Microsoft Teams:
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Taking pictures at an online party is a real challenge. I faced the tradeoff between participating (which required me to stay at my desk) and documenting (which required me to move around the office). I tried my best. Here is Alexandra:
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Blanca, one of the few people I know who is fluent in all 5 working languages of our office (English, Spanish, French, German and Italian):
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Two of our lovely trainees took it upon themselves to spread some joy and Glühwein:
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We also sang some Christmassy songs, which is quite a challenge on MS Teams, to put it mildly. We then opened our Secret Santa presents, and I walked around a bit to photograph that part. Ben got some kitchen utensils:
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Stephanie got some high-end pork rinds (yes, there is such a thing) and a local craft beer:
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I got some artisanal marmalade, which I photographed at home with my Danish advent candle:
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Secret Santa brought Carolina a face mask:
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I took Tuesday off and spent part of the day on my bicycle in the familiar mountains around here; the light was particularly nice that day:
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A cut down tree near Aigües, painted blue by some local artists:
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Later in the day, I went to our local Consum supermarket to buy some fish for dinner. In the vestibule I met this little fierce creature:
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That evening’s dinner was a variation on chicken piccata, one of our favourites. Since Monica does not eat meat, we decided to experiment by substituting fish for the chicken. So I used some nice thick hake fillets, and it worked quite well:
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One day I took a short walk in the neighbourhood to look at the modest Christmas decorations in our “village within the city”. This is our street:
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A local restaurant:
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On Friday, my little team of 6 people went for lunch at Moments, our usual restaurant on the beach near the office. This is our trainee Alejandra:
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We followed the usual formula when we have lunch at Moments by ordering a couple of cocas (the local cousin of a pizza) to share as appetiser:
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Followed by everyone’s choice of main dish; in my case grilled bass, which was excellent:
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We ate outside, and one of the advantages of that (besides the main safety consideration) is that one can watch the human traffic on the promenade. Quite nice to see such sights in mid-December:
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On Saturday morning I stopped at the fishing harbour in El Campello on my way home from the bike ride. I happened upon one of the boats unloading its catch (already boxed at sea) for further distribution:
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I stayed for a few minutes and watched the men at work. As an economist, I enjoy watching the real-life distribution system at work and marvel over its efficiency–the journey from catch to plate is managed incredibly well:
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Meanwhile, the nets were being taken care of:
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And activity was beginning on the recreation side of the harbour:
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On Saturday afternoon I went to Media Markt for a spot of Christmas shopping, and photographed this little girl among big humans:
