Simply Spain

With rucksacks packed, passports checked and re-checked, and farewell hugs to family, the time of our departure from Brisbane finally arrived. After an eight hour flight to  Singapore, followed by a wait of four hours for our connecting flight, then another fourteen hour flight it was a relief to hear the words  "Welcome to Barcelona.  We hope you have had a pleasant journey and enjoy your stay".

 

 

 

We looked at each other with nervous anticipation and so began our long planned for adventure. Negotiating airport and trains to our first hosts at Girona, an hour and a half north of Barcelona, proved to be quite simple, especially with the help of several friendly people.

At Girona, we were met by Quim and Carolina, people we had been in contact with for a long time via the internet, so it was a pleasure to meet them at last. Their warmth and friendliness made it a perfect place to readjust our bodies to a different time zone and to absorb the culture and landscape of Spain. We have not found it difficult to get over jet lag and have been able to quite quickly absorb all that is new.

 

The first section of this white building is 'our' house at Girona.

 

First impressions of Spain include the high density of population, with the majority of people in towns and cities living in apartments; a landscape that is just experiencing the first taste of spring, with most trees still bare but the first signs of leaf and blossom evident; the mix of old and new with the 'old town' or medieval villages right alongside the shops and services of today. Girona (and Barcelona too) is within an area known as Catalonia, a province with its own language and customs. The people of Catalonia are currently pressing the Spanish government for their independence as a nation and a common sight is the Catalonian flag hanging from walls and balconies.

 

On Sunday, Quim and Carolina took us to a town called Torroella, where we walked up to the top of a stony mountain to view the remains of a 13^th century castle at Montgri. Actually, the castle was never completed because of changed political circumstances and the inhospitable environment. Evidence of past times is never far away in this part of the world.

 

 

After the walk we went to a nearby rural restaurant with friends of theirs, and a meal of seafood paella – most tasty and made us appreciate ancient regional cuisine in the modern world.  

We also visited two medieval villages complete with narrow, unpredictable streets and always an ancient church at the very top of the hill. All inevitably built 100% of stone. These villages are strikingly similar to those we’d previously seen in the south of France and in Italy. It would be a fascinating experience to stay a few days in one, renting rooms and eating out ... it’s nice to dream.

  

 

  

 Eating out is very common here, with the whole society is geared for it – not as something you do just as a treat when no-one wants to do the cooking, but as a frequent part of family and social life. We’re very impressed!

So far, we’ve had mild sunny days and cool nights to help our tourist travels be very enjoyable. We’ll need more once we start our ‘Camino’ – our adventurous and arduous walk from town to town 1,200 km across Spain, That all starts on Saturday 15^th, so until then we’re actively appreciating the life of indolent tourists.