Collioure...just across the border into France

Ahhhhh...Collioure.  This trip just keeps getting better.

From the moment we stepped off the train, we knew this was some place very special.  We walked into town (5 minutes) to see a row of restaurants on one side of an inlet and the chateau on the other side.  Beaches stretched on either side of the chateau.  Five minutes later, we were at our apartment.                                   

     

   

An overview of this sun-drenched, romantic village

One of 4 beaches and the “chateau”

The blue door (#44 Rue de Soleil) is our place.  

The lovely British owner of our studio apt. sitting out front having a glass of wine with us.

   

Interior of apt.

There are very few cars in the village due to narrow winding streets and no place to park.  Collioure has about 3,000 people, lots of little shops to explore, bi-weekly markets of fresh produce, olives, cheeses, breads, and more...and a little tourist train that takes you into the countryside that is filled with vineyards.  Is anyone willing to go with us on a little place here?  It truly is heaven!

 

 

Lots of original art

On to Tamariu

Tamariu is one of 3 coastal towns in northeastern Spain.  It is situated about 70 miles south of the border with France in a quiet and secluded bay of the Costa Brava.  Its name comes from the presence of many tamarisk trees along the promenade (our Kayenta friends will know what they look like).  It has about 150 permanent residents and about a bazillion tourists in August.  That said, it is the quietest of the 3 coastal towns in the region.  We  chose wisely.

The small village of Tamariu

Tamariu Beach

We travelled from Barcelona to Palafrugell by bus...just a couple of hours.  We arrived in time for a quick lunch.  Then we boarded the open-air “tourist” bus to Tamariu.  The bus runs only in tourist season and hits the 3 coastal towns near Palafrugell in a lazy loop.   Tamariu was the last stop.  We rolled our luggage uphill to our little apartment where we were met by our host (who lived downstairs).  The apartment was perfect.  It had a living-dining area with windows overlooking the village, a kitchen (with a tiny dishwasher), 2 bedrooms and a bath, and (most happily) a clothes washer.  It had everything we needed, except WiFi!  I know we tease our grandkids about being tied to their screens, but when our screens were suddenly useless, we reacted just like they do.  We whined!  But we did survive.

We had planned to do a lot of hiking along the coast while in Tamariu.  Our maps showed good trails between the 3 coastal towns and even into Palafrugell and nearby Begur, with do-able times of 1 to 1-½ hours.  In fact, the coastal trail is supposed to run from the French border all the way to Portugal (called the GR92).  Well, maps are flat and show trails where there aren’t any.  And these coastal towns are separated by steep hillsides and cliffs.  

Our first foray to the neighboring town of Llafranc was supposed to take an hour.  We started early and were excited to be on a hike.  Unfortunately, the “clearly marked’ trail was not clearly marked.  We found ourselves climbing up steep hillsides (somebody thoughtfully hung ropes to help with the ups) and across rocky outcrops.  We got to the top of a cliff and found a steep zigzag path down to a little rocky beach (shown below).  We then climbed out of the beach and up another hill (with trails going every which way).  We stopped for a swim at the little beach, to catch our breath at the top of the second hill (again, someone had thoughtfully placed a metal table and chair for that purpose) and then we got lost.  One path led us inland toward a rural area and perhaps an actual road.  We found a kind man heading home for lunch (many hours had passed as we walked).  He pointed us in the direction of Llafranc, involving yet another steep ascent and finally we arrived at a lighthouse overlooking the town.  Half an hour later, descending on a steep road with no shoulder for walkers/bikers, we found ourselves in Llafranc.  Whew!  These Spaniards have strong legs for the ups and downs they trek on a daily basis.  

We had lunch there and enjoyed the beach and swimmers (about 25% topless, according to Roger who pays attention to such things) and then we started home.  Unfortunately, we couldn’t find the bus stop, so we trekked over the 3 hills back to Tamariu.  This time, we found a better trail.  Need I say that we were tuckered out when we arrived home?

“Trail” from Tamariu to Llafranc 

Stunning views from the “trail

A cove along the trail—perfect for a swim 

A metal table and chair with a perfect ocean view  

A view down from the “trail”

Finally, Llafranc and Calella in distance

On another day, we did find a good (stone) trail between Llafranc and Calella.  In order to avoid the “trail” from Tamariu to Llafranc, we took the tourist bus into Llafranc and walked two miles or so to the end of the paved portion at El Golfet, a little beach with a higher percentage of topless swimmers.  That was a good day.

The area hosts a series of concerts every summer at Cap Roig (with international talent such as Sting, Kate Melua0, just beyond El Golfet.  We rode the tourist bus to Cap Roig and explored the venue, which is located on a beautiful estate and botanical garden.  

Cap Roig venue

Cap Roig is also a beautiful estate and gardens

Most days, we eat at home.  When you are traveling as long as we are, you cannot afford to eat out everyday, plus it detracts from the fun of eating out to do it too often.  Some days, we just read at the beach.  We rose early to get a good spot—because the French and the Spanish visitors staked out places on the beach early in the morning and then went off for coffee and a croissant.  We had to get there before them to get a front row position (thus avoiding rocky areas and masses of sunbathers).  The Mediterranean water was lovely.  I’m kind of a wimp when it comes to cold water.  But the outside temperatures (low 80s) and humidity made the water feel refreshing.  It is said to be very clean.

Our son, Peter, was in Europe for business while we were in Tamariu.  So he arranged to visit us for 4 days in the middle of our stay.  It was so fun to have him join us.  We sat at the beach one day, went tasting at a local winery on another, read a lot, took a hike to Cala Pedrosa...and of course, ate wonderful food together.  Such a treat having him join us.

Tamariu is a special place.  We certainly recommend it.

Montserrat - Just Outside of Barcelona

One of our days in Barcelona, we decided to take a day-trip to Montserrat, a Benedictine Abbey tucked high on the side of a range of serrated mountains (hence the name).  We began the trip with a one hour train ride from the city into the mountains.  What Kathy didn’t realize was that Roger’s primary purpose in making the journey was to hike in the mountains, not to see the world famous abbey.  So hike we did...but only after a hair-raising funicular ride further up the side of the mountain.  After lunch on the trail and our return to the Abbey, we took a brief look around and headed back to the train.  We met a wonderful woman on our journey.  She was traveling alone through Spain and had just completed a walk to Santiago de Compostela.  We will keep in touch.  A kindred spirit.

 

 

Then,

Barcelona (2)

On Sunday, we took a guided tour of Park Güell and La Sagrada Familia, two of Antoni Gaudi’s architectural works of art, both heavily influenced by his devotion to religion and to nature.  We met our guide at the entrance to the Park, initially intended to be a 60-home development for Barcelona’s elite.  After 3 homes were built, WWI started and construction stopped.  However, Gaudi had already built much of the infrastructure for the development and that is what we came to see.  I’ve inserted pictures to give you an idea of his talent.           

  

A wall of one of the buildings

   

Top of the guard house at entry to Park

A road supported by tree-like stone.

The roof above the pillared market channeled water for the development.

Roger and Kathy on whimsical bench overlooking the city.

After touring the Park, our small group was bused to La Sagrada Familia, Gaudi’s famous cathedral started in the early 1900s and still unfinished.  One can see this huge building from nearly everywhere in Barcelona.  It simply dominates the landscape.  The 4 exterior faces of the building depict various scenes from Christ’s life.  However, when you step into the cathedral, you feel nature all around you: the posts holding the roof are trees with branches at the top; the stained glass windows bring splashes of cool colors and warm colors, representing spring and autumn.  It was simply a serene, peaceful place that illustrated how Gaudi felt that in nature one finds religion.  These pictures do not do it justice. 

 

Another day, we walked around the Eixemple district of Barcelona to view more of Gaudi’s work  and other modernists of his time.  They all tried to out-do one another. 

 

 

  Barcelona is such a fantastic city!

Barcelona (1)

We have had no internet access for the past 2 weeks, so forgive the pause in our travelogue.  We will try to recap our adventures, starting with our week in Barcelona.

On August 1, we moved from laid-back Tavira (southern Portugal) to Barcelona (northeastern Spain). From the airport, we took a bus to Plaza Espana where we caught the metro to within 2 blocks of our apartment.  The apartment was on the 4th floor with a lot of narrow stairs, but fortunately there was a tiny elevator (2’ x 2’).  With some careful maneuvering, we both managed to squeeze in with our luggage.  Getting out was equally difficult since the elevator door struck the opposing wall upon opening.  But we spilled out eventually.

Barcelona has a fantastic metro system

Roger in tiny elevator

The apartment itself was nice.  It had a narrow balcony where we could eat breakfast, a comfortable bed tucked into a nook (so one of us had to climb over the other to get in), a well-equipped kitchen and strange furniture.  The sofa, for instance, dipped in the center so there was nowhere to sit comfortably without being on a slant.  The chairs were equally uncomfortable.  But we were there to see the sites and not sit in the apartment.  The location was superb and it was quiet at night.  That made up for anything lacking in the furniture.

Rick Steves suggests that newcomers walk along La Rambla, a wide, largely pedestrian street running about 20 blocks through the center of historic Barcelona.  So, that’s what we did.  Here are some pictures of what we saw.

La Rambla

The market about halfway down La Rambla 

Olive oils, nuts 

 One of hundreds of stalls in the market.

Beautifully displayed produce 

The egg lady 

A tiny square off La Rambla—perfect for a beer under a shady umbrella 

Beautiful architecture

The next day we took the funicular right by our apartment to Montjuic, a hill on the south side of town.  There was a fort at the top (we learned a lot about Catalunya’s independence struggles) with beautiful views of the city below.  One the way back down, we viewed the park and botanical gardens, a playground for kids and we stopped for lunch (a great paella) overlooking the harbor at Terraza Martinez.