PHOTOS: Tapas Pub Crawl in Palamos Spain

What are tapas?  Why would someone crawl in order to taste them?

Tapas are bite-sized morsels of food that range from soups to quail eggs to desserts.  They are made to be consumed with wine or beer and are inextricably linked with both the culinary and nightlife scenes in Spain.  World Winder had the fortune of engaging in a tapas themed pub crawl through the town of Palamos on the Costa Brava.  We frequented three tapas restaurants each within easy walking distance of the Mediterranean Sea, the Palamos Fishing Museum, and the Hotel Trias.   While you don’t have to actually crawl to try them you could because there are few rules in tapas consumption.

Patrons at Taverna Urtau duck through an archway to pick their way through dinner.

What is a pub crawl?  Is it a race for babies from one pub to another?

Melissa and I are from the suburbs of New York City.  We are familiar with pub crawls because we have been to several in Manhattan including on the Upper West Side and in Greenwich Village.  During a pub crawl, participants spend some time in multiple bars.  When it is time to move on to the next bar, most pub crawlers finish their drink and move to the next spot.  You do not have to drink alcohol in order to participate in a pub crawl.  If you don’t drink, a pub crawl can still be quite entertaining.  Acceptable behaviors if you are not drinking at a pub crawl include:

1. Playing “give me your car keys” with your friends
2. Drawing on faces (or other appropriate body parts) when someone falls asleep
3. Taking photographs and videos of your mates doing embarrassing things
4. Substituting in darts when your friends forget that they are playing darts

Anyone up for quail eggs?

Why is a tapas tasting pub crawl such a genius idea

During a typical pub crawl in New York City, groups often split apart when several crawlers get hungry.  This can create some serious confusion.  People can become lost or disoriented.  I went to a pub crawl last week in Manhattan.  My friend went for pizza and I still haven’t seen him.  Maybe he went to Italy for pizza.

During the tapas pub crawl in Palamos, Spain things were more orderly and food was available at the pubs.  The night was organized well and we were led by guides who worked for tourism boards and nobody got lost or left behind.  Our whole group ate together, drank cava and gin together, and a few of us even crawled back to the Hotel Trias for a nightcap on our balcony.  Thanks to Taverna El Galeo, Godard Taverna, and Taverna Urtau for a great evening of bites and cheers.

We visited Spain and 13 other countries on our Gap Year.

The owner of Taverna El Galeo pours cava.

Owner of Taverna El Galeo in Palamos- We visited there after stopping at Godard Taverna and Taverna Urtau.

I wore a sea urchin devoured by Dylan Lowe The Traveling Editor.