We spend more time with Peter and Andrea and their family, including another wonderful dinner at their home. Tonight Peter excelled with his barb-e-que skills, including the most delicious way of serving artichokes. It is just lovely enjoying the beautiful night on their terrace. Later Saul gives us a piano recital on the grand piano, which he performed at a concert the previous night. We also enjoy hearing about family life living in Barcelona.
We have quickly slipped into the way of life of needing a siesta because the evening meal here is much later than at home. We plan it into our schedule now.
Tonight we have a lovely dinner with Jemma and Francesc and their children, Martin 8 and Ada 5, at their apartment. (we feel a little homesick for all our grandchildren). We met at Llafranc last season, and it is wonderful to have time with them again. They very generously offer that we may use their ski cabin for as long as we like next week at Masella up in the Pyrenees. What a wonderful experience to look forward to.
We had many long discussions last year with Francesc and Jemma about their lifestyle here. One of their main points tonight is that it is clear that being Catylans they are taxed discriminately and feel they often pay more to the government than they rceive back.
We spend time on the boat sorting and stowing clothes, files etc so when she goes back in the water we will be ready to leave.
We also have dinner with Mark and Steve who are trying so hard to get the boat finished for us. They both have wonderful and interesting stories to tell, and are great company.
On Saturday night we have dinner with Ramon and Angeles (who we met in Cadiques last year) at port Olympic at a marvelous restaurant, Arola. We particularly enjoyed the Tapis here.
We are having dinner with Ramon and Angees at their home soon to hopefully try to finalize dates when they join us to sail in the Balearics, which will be great fun.
The drive out of Andorra is very dramatic as we take the secondary road to Canillo and then to Ordino. The ascent is extremely steep and scenery is spectacular with the steep snow-capped mountains and two fertile valleys. We have lunch at hotel Barbot enjoying a view of this. The flowers here are gorgeous including roses, iris and lilac.
Iris in full bloom
We have more positive news about the rudder this morning. Steve, in Sydney has been continually conferring with Julian in Barcelona. Steve decides Julian can take off one side of the rudder to inspect what is happening inside. So we go ahead with our plans until we hear the result of this.
We hear a report from Julian that it all looks O.K. to repair inside ie remove the sodden foam and clear the rest of the water, but he needs an assessor´s approval to confirm this. It is all approved and work can go ahead on the rudder, so hopefully Impulsive is back in the water the following weekend.
We leave Masella and take secondary roads up the very steep and rugged ascent to the small towns of Saldes and Gosol.
Driving up to Gosol
Fertile valley near Gosol
Valley high up near Gosol
These 2 towns are 1400m. up, set in river valleys surrounded by enormous and very high mountain peaks, including very barren escarpments.
Walking around the stoned village of Gosol, dating back to C9 gives you a real sense of space and the fresh alpine air is so refreshing.
View looking back towards Gosol
Nearby Church
We then take main roads for the long drive to the Costa Brava, in the Girona region to stay at the small medieval town of Peratallada. This is a lovely town and so we stay here for 3 nights as our base to explore the Costa brava area more fully. The weather is becoming increasingly hotter so it it lovely to be back by the coast.
Peradallata
Picnic in the old moat
The surrounding moat surronding Peratallada is remarkable ,and the town preserves its ancient feudal aspect. It has a fortified castle, a palace and a church. It has also preserved its rural aspect adding to the atmosphere of the town.
Surrounding fertile rural land
We move from staying at Ca lÁliu, an old C18 village home because it is very noisy with church bells chiming and rubbish collections from early in the morning.
Ca l´Aliu (you can see the rut marks in the old road)
El Cau is a small hotel in the centre of the village and is attractive with its interior patio, and very quiet.
Interior courtyard at El Cau
There are many delightful towns nearby. Apparently the coastal areas have been popular with tourism for a long time but these inland areas have only been so for the lat 60 years.
Nearby are:
Sant Feliu de Broada
Sans Feliu de Broada
(Hay has been cut everywhere and adds to the freshness of the country air)
La Biobal dÉmporda _ a larger town and famous for its ceramics
Palau-Sator - a small medieval town
Palau- Sator
Driving through the beautiful and fertile countryside growing fruit and olive trees, grape vines and many rice fields, of Fontclara, Fontanilles and Guelta.
Pals - a wonderful little hilltop and walled town, with views across to Illes Midas (where we spent 2 nights last year on Impulsive)
Pals
Pals
View across to Illes Midas
Alguablava - a beautiful small cove
Alquabava
Tamariu - another small cove with beautiful waters
Llafranc - a lovely sandy and very attractive beach. We are pleased to spend time here again after our lovely few days here last seson.
The days are becoming noticeably hotter and at all these coastal towns people are swimming , sunbaking and soaking in the sun and the atmosphere.
After a pleasant lunch at Llafranc we walk
Leaving Lafranc on the walk
Capella de Palafrugell
Walk to Cap Roig
Continuing the walk
via Capella de Palafrugell, along the magnificent coastal track to Cap Roig
near Cap Roig
and to the well known Botanic gardens here.This is a 17 acre site with more than 1,000 species of plants, dating back to 1927. It also has a sculpture park, and the most wonderful views.
View from the Botanic gardens
Geranium Avenue
Woman in the garden sculpture
Sculpture in the gardens
Another interesting sculpture
The castle within the gardens
It is the most glorious day to do this with the sun sparkling off the water. There are many yachts and cruisers out enjoying it. We have mixed feelings about seeing these yachts - we are enjoying seeing inland parts of Spain without worrying about the safety of the yacht but we would love to be out on the water again, and living on Impulsive. Hopefully it´s not long now!
Food and wine festival at Peradalla
We leave Peradallada and drive along the very scenic and high coastal road south to Tossa de Mar , which is a town with medieval walls and towers. We have lunch here. We were unable to come ashore here on the dinghy last year because it was a very blustery day and it looked very touristy, so we didn´t pursue it.
Tossa de Mar
Our next garden visit is at Lloret de Mar, to the Santa Clotilde Gardens known as the "gardens between the sky and the earth", which were inspired by the Italian renaissance. These terraced gardens are set up high on the cliff top with stunning views of the sea. The use of the pencil cyprus tends to bring it all together, with the use of evergreen trees and shrubs, sculptures and water features. We were amazed how effective using simple plants can be eg. with ivy demarking the steps, lilies and agapanthas. They are spectacular.
Santa Clotilde Gardens
Santa Clotilde Gardens
Water feature
Mermaid steps
Covered walkway
With our heads swimming with ideas for the garden we venture down to the nearby beach which is so picturesque.
Beach below the gardens
This is a marvelous time to travel in Europe. It is beautiful weather and we seem to be able to be flexible with our bookings out of the main cities. Now we need to find somewhere to stay the night and are looking for something like a small B and B near the beach. There is only 1 small town between here and the next large town so we turn off and see what we can find, It is a lovely and well appointed hotel by the beach, the Santa Marta Hotel. Somehow Ross organized a special package deal including a room with a view of the sea, a session in the new spa and sauna complex and dinner including an aperitif. This is all rather idyllic.
View from our room
Surprise in our room
This is a lovely place to wake up for a birthday, with breakfast on the terrace and an early morning walk on the beach.
We venture off to view another garden just near here, the Pinya de Rosa, another botanical garden which specializes in cacti and succulents. We are not so keen on these plants but find them fascinating. They certainly look impressive in this setting on the coast. All these places have wonderful views looking over the Costa Brava.
Pinya de Rosa - Jardi Botanic
Effective use of the simple geranium
We travel further down the coast to Blanes past many long stretches of beaches. As we could see from Impulsive last year they all seem very touristy. At Blanes we visit another garden, Mar i Mutra, set up as an international centre of research. This covers an area of about 4 acres and is dominated by Mediterannean woodland. Again it is set on the cliffs overlooking the Costa Brava.
Mar i Mutra Gardens - Blanes
Mar I Mutra - Botanic Gardens at Blanes
Use of soft grasses
View of Costa Brava from these gardens
View over to Monserrat from the freeway driving back into Barcelona
I distinguish myself during this drive. We have an unusually large map to manage so I ask Ross to pull over so I can fold it to show the section of our route. All is fine until we come to the next toll, sometime later, and can´t find our local mobile phone. It must have been on my lap and fallen out when I sorted the map. It is now many ks. back so we cut our losses and keep going. Of course this is very inconvenient and we need to replace it.
We have some very tricky navigating to do to find our way to Port Forum to inspect the rudder. The marina here seems full booked like most of the marinas we have seen. Boating is very popular here.
It seems impossible that such a relatively small part of the boat has caused such a problem. I guess all these issues have to be worked through but it seems to have taken such a long time to find the solution that seems will solve the problem.
We decide to do more travel by car. We change our hotel bookings and our guided tour bookings to the Ahlumbra so that we still have our allotted time in the Balearic Islands. We are enjoying our inland touring very much.
With another testing time of navigating we drive mainly in underground tunnels to get through to the north of Barcelona and on our way to the well known Sitges, which is about 55ks. north of Barceona, again on the coast. It is a place full of atmosphere and is very popular for its beaches. The hotel Romantic, de la Renaixenca, where we stay is a delightful 19th. century villa with art works and many nooks and crannies filled with different artifacts, and a courtyard garden dining area.
Hotel de la Renaixenca
Sitges
Narrow street in Sitges
The drive from Sitges to Valencia on the freeway takes about 3 hours. Not as pleasant as sailing!
Arriving in Valencia to find our hotel, Ad Hoc, is another interesting , and frustrating exercise.
The streets are being renamed from spanish language to the valencio/catalan dialect.
We stay in the old Quarter which is the area once surrounded by the city wall. There are still two of the high stone towers with ancient wooden gates. This is known to be one of the finest examples of Gothic military architecture. One of the towers has evidence of Napoleon´s C19 invasion.
Towers at the city gate
After a self guided one and a half walking tour and a three and a half hour guided bike tour we feel orientated in this lively city, which displays historic evidence of Roman, Muslim and Christian architecture . The associated history is fascinating. This includes that of the Water Tribunal:
The farmers of Valencia, on the river Turia on Spain’s east coast, take their rights to water very seriously. For over a thousand years, they have relied on their city’s Water Tribunal to guarantee that water drawn from the Turia is distributed fairly. Although they are not lawyers and do not keep a written record of the verdicts they reach, and although there is no prison for offenders, eight Síndicos or magistrates meet under the Porch of the Apostles of the Cathedral of Valencia and settle verbally the disputes arising between farmers over the right to use water from the channels irrigating the 17,000 hectares of what is known as the “Orchard of Valencia”.
This scene, which has been re-enacted every Thursday at midday since the middle of the tenth century, when Abd-ar-Rahman III was the caliph of Córdoba, makes the “Tribunal de las Aguas de la Vega de Valencia” the oldest law court in Europe.
The eight magistrates, who are dressed in black and are accompanied by a bailiff bearing the tribunal’s emblem, represent each of the “mother channels” which are used for irrigation and for distribution of the water from the Turia. The roughly 1,500 farmers from each of these channel systems elect their own magistrate, who is required to be someone who actually farms the land and is not simply a landowner. The task of these “people’s judges” is to ensure that all the farmers of Valencia are supplied with the water they need through application of the provisions of a decree promulgated by King James I of Aragon in 1238, which is still in force and provides that “Everybody shall be entitled to a share of the water in proportion to the amount of land owned”.
The most common complaints with which the Court has to deal are concerned with the squandering or theft of water at times of drought, the disruption of channels, damage to crops as a result of water overflowing onto adjoining land, and failure to comply with irrigation schedules and to keep the channels clean so that the water can flow along them freely.
Places visited:
We spend time walking, cycling and relaxing in the beautiful and very large Turia riverbed Park.
Turia riverbed Park
Resting in the Park
It is wonderful to see how so many people enjoy using this facility from young children through to the elderly, whether walking, jogging, roller-blading, kicking a soccer ball, doing exercises or just relaxing.There are many attractive orange trees here which brings to mind the famous Valencia oranges, The lilacs are now in full bloom.
The city of the Arts and Sciences
The "City of Arts and Sciences" designed by Santiago Calatrava. This displays the most exciting architecture, and a wonderful use of mosaics. The only issue with this complex is that it cost an enormous amount of money to build but apparently the debts are overwhelming and the payments seem impossible. The Spanish economics are suffering from the global economic problems and they suffering a 20% unemployment rate. The evening we arrived we witnessed a large protest in the Plaza de la Reina. This wasn´t aggressive but you could feel the tension amongst these government employees. The government is cutting their wages by 5% and freezing the pensions.
The protest
The Cathedral with its layers of historic architecture i. e. Romanesque,Gothic, Baroque and Renaissance. In the Chapel the "Holy Grail" chalice is on view, which Christ is supposed to have used for his last supper. (we find the audio guides in Spain are excellent)
Statue of Neptune in front of the Cathedral
Bike tour-outside Roman door
The Holy Grail Chalice
Little girl dressed in local costume
The post office with its beautiful led-lighted glass dome.
Interior of the Post Office
The Commodity Exchange, or Longa
The Longa
C15 century palacio del Marques at the " joining of the two rivers" .
The Music Hall, which is along the riverbed parkland.Classical music is played outside here every Friday and Saturday evening between 8 and 10 p.m. It is a lovely experience on a balmy night with the soft lighting and water features.
The Music Hall
There are areas where shops sell middle eastern jewelry and clothes, And tea houses with Hookahs to enjoy
Examples of the local architecture
The market
Mansion House with ceramics exhibtion
Bars and Restaurants:
Finnegan´s, a lively Irish pub on Plaza dela Reina
El Rall (between Longa-Exchange Building and Pz. Negrito) Our young guide from the bike tour recommended this and it certainly was a marvelous example of the famous night life here. It was easy to dine and wine and soak in the atmosphere for several hours until we leave to catch our train to Granada.
Restaurant/bar - Lobitas & Sibaritas - Caballeros 10, near Plaza la Virgen. A delicious seafood rice lunch. This is one of our favourite meals in Spain. Paella was first cooked in Valencia.
The restaurant at our hotel, Ad Hoc. They use all fresh and organic produce. the manager says this idea of cooking is very slow to take off in Spain. They cooked a lovely dinner.
Some cooking tips the manager gave us:
Base for Paella: rice
garlic
tomatoes
saffron (this is very expensive and most use a sustitute
Gaspacho: use vegetables or fruit in season:
e.g. peas
tomatoes
watermelon and tomatoes
With pea gaspacho:-
Place a small sardine on a thinly sliced piece of toast, surround with the soup and place garnish on the sardine.
A local cod fish (sometimes salted ) is a popular dish here.
Another favourite is the famous tomato bread. You rub fresh garlic and tomato into the bread or toast
We discover the drive from Valencia to Granada is 550 ks. so decide to travel there and back by train. We board the train at 1am. so then we can sleep most of the way. We book a day trip back so we can take in the scenery.
Valencia Station - another famous architectural building here
Arriving at 8.30am we go directly to our hotel and then have a full day ahead of us exploring. The Parador hotel at the Alhambra is a real treat especially as we are upgraded (the same as we were at the Neri in Barcelona).We don´t usually experience this luck!
Ross guiding!
We set off on a self guided walking tour in Granada and later did the same of our hotel and its surrounds. This used to be the Monastery de Granada on top of Sabika Hill. The Ahlambra was built on top of earlier Arab and Roman structures. It was built by a Nasrid monarch during C14 as an independent palace city. Subsequently it was used as a monastery, barracks for Napoleon´s army, an artillery warehouse, housing for the extreme poor, a hospital during the Civil War and later as a painter´s residence. In 1945 it became the hotel it is today, and the area is now a World Heritage site.
Parador Granada
Typical mosaics in the paving of the area using white pebbles and slate
The inner courtyard
Parador Gardens
Water feature in the courtyard
View across to the Generalife
The three and a half hour tour with Manuel through the Ahlambra and its gardens, is a wonderful experience. His knowledge is incredible and he exudes his passion for his subject. We are fortunate gardens are one of his specialities and loves. We so delight in the whole experience.
The Parador
Generalife Gardens
Generalife Gardens
Generalife gardens
Generalife- Friezeof the Courtyard of the Myrtles
Details of the facade of the Comares Quarter Generalife
Example of the Cupola
Courtyard in the Nazaries Palace
The gardens of the Generalife where the four wives and the concubines lived have fountains and tranquil pools, and are lush green.
Seeing over the fortress and palace is a wonderful monument of Moorish architecture and gives an understanding of the lifestyles then. One great feature is the original irrigation system the Moors installed all those years ago and is still in use. They use the abundant water supply from the snow capped Siena Nevada mountains nearby.
Reading Washington Irving´s Tales of Ahlambra gives us further insight into "a dash of that Arabian spice which pervades everything in Spain" as he writes about the life and tales founded on popular traditions.
Manuel explains he is not happy to have to pay two taxes, one to the province and one to the Madrid government. He claims there are five government employees for every job where one would do! He is also very disappointed to have his salary reduced by 5%. He is obviously very dissatisfied with the politics here at present.
Places visited:
Albaysin is on the hill opposite the Alhambra, across the Darro valley. From the Alhambra you see across to its many white mansions and smaller houses. When there, you walk over cobbled and narrow streets which are usually too narrow for a car to pass through.
Shops selling middle-eastern wares
The view back across to the Alhambra from here is stunning, both during the day and in the evening when all the lights come on.
View across to the Ahlambra
View in the evening
Snow capped mountains in the background
This area has been the old Muslim quarter and later it housed the Jewish quarter.
The Gothic royal chapel here holds the marble monuments to the Catholic monarchs, Isabel and Fernando. There is a small Flemish art collection and Boticelli´s "Prayer in the garden ofOlives", which are part of Isabel´s personal collection.
The Chapel where Isobel and Ferdinand are buried
There are areas where shops sell middle eastern jewelry and clothes, and tea houses with Hookahs to enjoy
We didn´t see the gypsies or see them dancing in their caves which would be an experience.
Restaurants/ bars visited:
Estrellas de San Nicolas - Mirador de San Nichlas - It is positioned high up in the Albaysin area with magnificent views over the Alhambra
Delicious scallop dish
Calamari
View from Estralles de Sans Nicolas
The Parador - A drink on the terrace first is very pleasant with views over the Generalife.
View across to Albaysin area
Unfortunately it is a cool evening and we have to eat inside the restaurant which isn´t so atmospheric. It is lovely walking around this area in the cool of the evening and when there is no one about.
Falafel for lunch in the centre of Granada. It is fun people watching here.
Via Colon bar/restaurant
Via Colon at Gran Via e Colon 13. A very atmospheric small Bar/restaurant. Just near here is an excellent bookstore where Ross bought a copy of Washington Irving´s "Tales of the Alhambra".
Washington Irving´s statue on the path leading up to the Ahlambra
Mirador de Morayma. This was suggested by Manuel and is a wonderful old mansion turned into a restaurant high in the Albaysin area , and with a lovely view over the Ahlambra.
In Granada you are still served a free tapas with your drink, which is typical of thee very friendly and welcoming people.
Typical views from the train
Many farmlands growing olives, fruit trees and vines
We return to Valencia just for the night We take this opportunity to hire bikes again to ride through the Turia parklands again, and continue on to see Port America´s Cup where we would have been if we sailed here on Impulsive. It is a very large modern area but we saw it with no atmosphere. There are very few boats here and we would have felt isolated from the action. We did see a large party boarding a boat to celebrate a wedding . Weddings are always happy occasions to watch.
After another bike ride we head off in the car the following lunch time for Barcelona. The rudder is due for its final assessor inspection and we feel we should be closer at hand. Thank goodness for excellent email and phone connections where we have been traveling as it means we can be away and do some of the traveling we planned to do from the boat.
A favourite meal in Barcelona is at Cafe Mut. The tapis is so well presented.
A tuna tapis dish at Bar Mut
Port Olympic
The Fish as seen from Port Olympic - built for the olympic games
At Tapioles 53 with Scott and Jeanette
View across to port Olympic
