Catalonian Travels
For the last two weeks we’ve been making our way down the Mediterranean coast of Spain, stopping at quite a few places along the way, having a great time exploring. We’ve seen a few lovely days of sunshine and a few very wet, windy and even thunderous days as an amber weather front passed over us.
In L’Escala, we were lucky as the rain held off while we cycled along the coast and to Montgó, up the hill to the Montgó Tower to enjoy the view of the bay below. While it wasn’t exactly warm, it was nice enough to sit outside. Stuart even found an opportunity to put up the hammock and watch the world go by.
It wasn’t to last however, and that evening the rain returned. The next day we had a wet drive slightly inland to visit Peratallada; a small village with a very medieval character. It’s a charming place and definitely worth a visit if you’re ever in the area. As the rain continues, we move on to Girona. We decide to stay in the city Aire as it’s secure and it’s the most central place to stay. In Girona, we walk along the ancient city walls for a view over the city. We wander through the lanes of the old town and visit the biggest fruit and veg market we’ve ever seen!
The rain has been very heavy for a few days now, and an amber weather warning is in force for the area we’re travelling in. Yet somehow we’re lucky, as it’s a red weather warning further south down the coast. Still, the amber weather warning does mean that several roads are flooded, scuppering some of our plans. Our next stop was to be Tossa de Mar, but due to the floods, we can’t get there. So we drive on to Lloret de Mar, but it’s a total wash out and we end up in Blanes where we find a fairly sheltered place to park, angled into the wind so we don’t rock too much in the storm overnight. The forecast is for sun, so we keep our fingers crossed for a day of sunshine to walk into the hills and around the town. We’re not disappointed. We have a beautiful day.
A change of scenery is in order with a visit to the mountains to see the Monestir de Montserrat. As we drive inland, the weather changes again and the higher up we get, it definitely doesn’t get better. Undeterred, we make our way to Montserrat. We park in the lower carpark, where overnight stays are allowed, and we take the train up to the Monestir. When we get there, we’re in the middle of the clouds. Being on a cloud is great! But being in one, is mostly just very grey and a bit damp… We can’t even see the Monestir, even though it should be very large and looming right in front of us. After getting some directions, we follow the sounds of the crowds and soon we can see the vague outline of a large building right in front of us. Once inside, it’s easy to see why this is a special place. The Basilica is beautifully ornate in its decoration, and as it is still an active monastery, there are regular services. Once back outside, the clouds have lifted just enough to enable us to see around us. The Mountain looks like a great place for hikes, but in the current weather it’s not to be for this visit. We go back down on the mountain train for an evening in Rex. The weather keeps things interesting as a big thunderstorm rolls around the hills around us for a few hours.
By now, we’re starting to get worried about getting webbed feet so it’s time to find some sun. Luckily, the forecast is getting slightly better as we head to our next destination back on the coast: Sitges. Here we park up in the official area for motorhomes to start with, but we don’t feel great about it as we’ve read reports of burglaries here and as we arrive, we can see broken glass on the ground from a broken vehicle window… As there are some other campers about, we decide to go for a walk to the seafront and the town. As soon as we get to the seafront, we see several motorhomes parked up. We talk to some of the campers who have been staying there and quickly decide to go and get Rex and get parked up on the seafront as well. As it’s still quite windy, we enjoy watching the surfers play in the sea.
Although not planned, we end up staying in Sitges for 5 days, including our day out in Barcelona. The weather turns lovely for a few days and the town is one of the liveliest we’ve visited so far, with most of the shops open and quite a few people about. We have a great couple of days staying on the seafront, and on Saturday we try to leave. While at the water point to fill up for a few more days, other campers tells us about a fiesta on a campsite. We think this sounds pretty good, so we decide to head there instead. We have a great time and end up staying on the campsite for 2 days before moving on to Tarragona.
Tarragona is a bigger town with a wealth of ancient Roman history. Once named Tarraco, a name you still see all around town, it was one of the most important cities in the Roman Empire. Today it has no less than 13 Unesco listed Roman remains, including an amphitheatre, a Roman Circus which staged chariot races, a large Forum and an Aqueduct just outside the city centre. Apart from all this amazing history, there is a wonderful beach and some great shopping with a beautiful indoor market. The motorhome stop has gorgeous views over the beach and is only about a 10 minute walk away from the town centre.
We enjoy two nights here, watching over the Platja del Miracle, the amphitheatre, the town and harbour, thinking just how lucky we are.
hi guys, such an interesting story of all your travels. We love reading all about your trip and getting quite envious, keep the stories coming and take care on your amazing travels.xx