Jeff: First Week in Spain

The next morning we had planned to do a short walk in the village, which we had wanted to do the day before but it was closed and only open on the weekend. We managed to buy the tickets and start the walk which includes a set of metal bridges along a valley. It was good fun, although not being a fan of heights I did spend the entire time on the bridge clinging on. Once we finished the bridge section we continued the walk around the village, seeing some bunkers and view points before heading back to the stop to continue our journey.

We decided to head out the village and continue our drive down south but we were sadly trapped in the village due to a bike race which was going on. We were trapped until 6pm so we walked down to the next village to watch some of it and killed time walking around the village and planning the next couple of days. At 6 we hot footed it out of there on a long drive (we had planned to drive for a couple of hours, have a stop and then continue the drive but due to the entrapment we now didn’t have time to stop). We finally arrived at out next stop at midnight (having stopped for a take away pizza enroute.

The next morning we got up and cycled from our stop (just outside Figueres) into the town and to the Dali Theatre museum. This is a museum he created and contains not only his work but the work of other important artists and is more than just paintings as its more a theatre. Lots of things are not what they seem, I did catch Rich (and some other people) staring the glass cupboards holding the fire hose, before I told him what it was. We spent a good amount of time here walking around (getting lost) before cycling back to Jeff and driving onto Tamariu beach for a chill and a swim. The water was crystal clear and not too cold (not as cold as Rich’s showers anyway!). After a couple of hours we headed back to the van and off to a stop for the evening.

The next morning we headed to the next beach on our tour south to a beach called plaja de sant pol. We had picked this beach as we knew there were lots of opportunities to paddle board and snorkel. After a short time on the beach (and a lot of rich’s nagging) we jumped on the board and headed out along the cove to see what we could find. We managed to follow some kayak tours so when quickly worked out which bits were great for snorkelling, where all the coves where and how to navigate all the rocks. We both had a go at snorkelling off the paddleboard which was great and the water was warmer than yesterday. After a long paddleboard around all the headlands we headed back to the beach to wash the paddleboard and dry off. After awhile we decided to head back to jeff and onwards to our stop just outside Barcelona.

We had chosen a stop outside of Barcelona as we didn’t want to risk trying to drive Jeff anywhere near the city centre and we had heard lots of stories about break ins on motorhomes all around Barcelona. We had found a stop which was about an hour away from Barcelona on public transport and would be safe for the van. We parked up here and had dinner before packing for the next day. As it was my birthday we had big plans! We (and by we I mean Rich) had booked a ticket for the Sagrada Famillia basilica, a spa experience and a 6 course tasting dinner and had a hotel booked for the night. We did also have some time spare in the day to walk and explore the city which boy did we do. We started by dropping our bags off at the hotel which was in the gothic quarter and then heading to a vegan brunch place for breakfast. Afterwards we decided to go to Park Guell which is a park designed by Gaudi and is full of mosaics and architecture (and great views over Barcelona). It was great but a bit busy for our liking as people were everywhere and there were hawkers trying to sell around every corner (until the police drove by and they all went and hid until it was safe to come out). After a short time here (and when the sheer number of people had got to us) we headed back to the centre and to the basilica. We quickly got in (after going through more security than an airport) and it was beautiful and not like anything else I had seen. The photos wont due it justice but I do recommend you go and see it if you are in Barcelona. Rich had also booked tickets to climb one of the towers (the Nativity one) which gives you views over the city and views of some of the towers. It was good but as they are still working on finishing the basilica (which was started in the 1800s) you couldn’t see as much as you will be able to once it’s all finished. While the way up is in an elevator you then have to climb down a spiral staircase which when you look down the middle will give you vertigo as it goes on forever! However we did eventually get to the solid ground and we continued to explore the basilica before walking back to the hotel (with a stop for some churros).

After enjoying an extra long hot large shower (which while we can have long hot showers in Jeff the shower isn’t that large and we do have to be mindful of the water and power used) we headed to the vegan slow spa booked by Rich. This involved a 30 minute private jacuzzi with a couple of glasses of cava each before a 30 minute couple’s massage which was amazing. We didn’t want to move afterwards as we were so relaxed. However we had a dinner over the road to get to so over we walked and had our 6 course tasting menu with more glasses of cava and beer (and cocktails as it was my birthday).

After feeling full and having had a few drinks we headed back to the hotel for the evening. We managed to hit 30.000 steps so I think all the food we consumed is allowed (plus it was a special occasion and we were loving having all the vegan options for once)

The next morning we checked out of the hotel, found a nice little café for breakfast before heading back to Jeff by public transport and headed onto the next town. All in all I think Rich did very well in planning the day and we had a great time exploring and eating our way around Barcelona.

We had planned to stay in Sitges which is about an hour south of Barcelona but having read lots of reviews of break ins and crime within the area on the camping apps we have decided we aren’t going to and so we have parked up nearby for the night and plan on continuing south without stopping in the town.