July 5-9
Hello everyone!
Though the UK has been experiencing a bizarre heatwave,
we’ve decided to leave Blighty’s sun-soaked shores behind and head back to the
continent. Temperatures may have rocketed to 36˚C earlier in the week but where
we were headed was even hotter…
Viva España! Or Catalonia (it’s spelt Catalunya over here).
Where you stand on the issue may be linked to whether you wanted Scotland to
become an independent state about nine months ago, for these two places share
similarities. Strong culture and history. Ruled by a bossy southern neighbour
who has given them extended powers recently but refuses to envision them as
independent in the future. Beautiful coastlines. Perhaps not similar weather
though…
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| The 'Estelada' is the flag expressing a wish for Catalonia to be independent |
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| An 'Estelada' hangs in a Girona street. Right next to a strange puppet sitting in the air... |
The most famous city of the region is Barcelona, which we
will visit later in the week. For now, we rented a car, gave it the ‘suitable’
name of Raquelita, and sped north to the village of Vidreres: base camp for the
week.
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| Nextdoor... |
There really isn’t anything in Vidreres; its remote location
can be summed up by our internet map saying that we were staying on ‘Unnamed road’.
Nevertheless, our rural home was easily found and we were soon dozing in the
evening sunshine.
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| A well-deserved snooze in the evening sun |
Vidreres is in the Girona province of Catalonia, named after
the main town in the vicinity. We took a day trip to the town and explored its
narrow streets, which offered welcome shade on a day that topped 38˚C on the
thermometer.
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| Cases de l'Onyar |
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| You might think that the heat has gotten to me at this point but apparently kissing the rear of this lion means that you will definitely return to Girona. I demonstrated for a nearby tour group. None of them followed me... |
Girona has been a popular place for a while and many people
have wanted to claim it as their own. Indeed, we were informed that it has been
fought over in almost every century since the Roman era. The consequence of
this is a cultural mesh which showcases the town’s Muslim, Jewish and Christian
heritage. Girona’s main attraction is its imposing cathedral, which overlooks
the modern western side of town from a hill across the river.
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| The narrow paths of Girona |
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| Various dates are suggested for when the Cathedral was built - I'll just tell you it is very old |
Part of the Catalan tradition is the menu diari (menu of the day), a cheap lunch option offering you a
three-course meal in the region of €10. Portions are slightly smaller than
ordering individual options but the result is the chance to try many local
dishes, such as local sausage which looked like worms had been squashed
together, for a reasonable price. On a scorching day such as this, the
refreshing melon soup was a gift from a higher power. Sounds strange, tastes
divine.
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| Catalan sausage |
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| Marvellous melon soup: the picture doesn't do it justice. |
It is unfortunate that many visitors to the area fail to
reach Girona, though I can (sort of) understand the reasons. They are golden,
sandy and licked by a tranquil blue sea.
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| Tossa del Mar beach |
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| Aguiablava beach |
The Costa Brava is famous for its beaches, with busloads of
tourists unloading in places such as Lloret del Mar for a week of sun, sea and
sand. It is not the type of holiday I can do – mainly because I can’t sit/lie
still for that long and wilt in the heat like a daffodil being exposed to the
desert for the first time – but I can appreciate that other people enjoy
lolloping on a beach turning brown/pink/lobsterish.
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| Tossa del Mar beach |
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| Aguiablava beach |
That’s not to say that I can’t spend a little bit of time at the beach. Raquelita led us to a variety of
wildly differing beaches on Spain’s eastern seaboard:
Tossa del Mar (spectacular location with a castle
overlooking the beach)
Aguiablava (very busy but a lovely cove)
Llafranc (quite touristy but large enough for one to have
enough space)
Canyelles (beautiful beach and very quiet)
It has been a very relaxing few days, with evenings spent
enjoying paella or barbecuing chorizo at our temporary residence. People have
been very friendly (and patient with my complete lack of knowledge of either
Spanish or Catalan) and we couldn’t have wished for better weather. What
fascinated me is that everything seems to have happened in slow motion; it is a
very different way of life over here.
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| Seafood paella: not strictly Catalan but still delicious! |
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| Head chef in action |
There is a place in Catalonia, however, that may not adhere
to the laidback vibe possessed by the rest of the province. The big city:
Barcelona. I’ll tell you all about that next time. Assuming we can summon the
desire to leave this most sedate little village…
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| Our loveable friend for the week: Chispa |
Love you all
Matt
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