October is nearly six months past, but it’s still very much worth remembering.  In the interim period, we’ve also been very busy with holidays and relocating – all things I will share with you in future posts.  Meanwhile, back to October 2021, when we welcomed our very first international, overnight guest in 2.5 years and rediscovered Barcelona in ways we never have over the years we have lived here.  

There’s something exciting and fun about welcoming visitors.  You get to show off your town just a little bit and in exchange, you get to experience their delightful discoveries and unique perspectives on sights to which you’ve grown accustomed or possibly never even noticed.  You get to share familiar places and even explore new ones with someone different.  It’s the novelty of that individual living in your space and sharing your life – just for a moment – that really makes the entire experience so precious.  Right?  To me, having a guest is a little like Christmas morning.  I get to savor the process of my family waking to open presents that are a surprise for them but not for me, and I enjoy their pleasure at these discoveries almost as much as they do.  We laugh together, we eat together, we play together, and ultimately, we share a special experience that we will cherish forever.  

Barb arrived around 10am on 12 October 2021.  I took the subway and met her at the airport while the rest of the family slept in and had a late breakfast.  After an excited “OHMYGODITSSOGREATTOSEEYOU!” and a brief discussion about her flight, we made our way back to the apartment to drop off luggage and get this visit properly started!  You really don’t accomplish much on your first day of travel, right?  Particularly when you’ve been traveling for 13+ hours across oceans and continents. We did make it downtown to La Rambla and did a fair amount of walking and riding the subway trains before Barb finally called it a day.  She’s a seasoned traveler so she knew that the best way to deal with jet lag is to force yourself to adapt to the new schedule ASAP.  Thus, we started day 2 with a bang!  We took the train up the mountain, literally hiked through the woods to catch a bus, and schlepped our way to Tibidabo.  Happily, the funicular, which had previously been out of service for repairs and unable for Mom, Allita and I to utilize, was now fully functional.  Yay! For the first time, I was able to finally experience that particular ride down the hillside.  Barb and I then hiked another considerable distance through the city and back to the apartment – stopping only for the occasional photo and, of course, pizza at Crepe Nova (we had to eat lunch, right?).  All-in-all, it was a long day and even though I’ve made that trip previously, I’d never gone that particular route so the whole experience was brand new for me – just like it was for Barb.

Barb stayed for exactly 14 days.  Yes, it was a nice long visit.  With that in mind, I won’t go into horrendous detail about each day of her visit, but suffice it to say, we all enjoyed every single moment.  We toured the neighborhood, shopped at grocery stores, rode the train and various busses, and even revisited a number of places we’d already seen.  This time, however, we got to see them through Barb’s eyes, which made the experience completely different.  Also, on the days when Barb explored the city mostly on her own, she would return to the apartment and regale us with her adventures and beautiful photographs (some of which I have included in this blog post).   

On Friday, Allita and I joined Barb in a tour of Antoni Gaudi’s Casa Mila, locally known as La Pedrera.  We’d seen the outside of this building many times over the last years as we walked Passeig de Gràcia, but we had never entered or toured it.  I’m not entirely sure we even would have if Barb had not expressed a specific interest.  Afterwards, we all enjoyed a quick break at a nearby favorite restaurant (Otto Sylt). 

Later that same evening, Barb and I took the Renfre train from Barcelona to Sitges.  I had never visited Sitges, although I had taken that specific train many times back and forth to Castelldefels.  Why did we go to Sitges?  To see Zombies dance, of course!  Another experience I probably would never have had without Barb to motivate me and another memory I will absolutely treasure.  

On Sunday, all four of us shared a walking tour of the Barcelona city gardens – at Mom’s request, because she’d recently discovered the magnificent water fountains in these gardens were designed by Antoni Gaudi and absolutely worth a visit.  The weather was lovely and perfect for walking so we made our way past the Arc de Triomf and Castel dels tres dracs through the gardens to El Born Centre de Cultura i Memòria, (the first archaeological remains of the city of Barcelona dating back to the Roman era).  After a brief tour through the medieval streets, we wandered through the Gothic neighborhood streets passing some lovely buildings, churches, street lights, and sculptures along the way.  We finished with a walk-by of Casa Calvert, another Gaudi house in town.  Again, this was all brand new to each one of us and we all loved discovering more of Barcelona.  Later, we would be thankful for that day spent walking around the twisted network of narrow, old streets because we had a mental map of the museums (Picasso, Chocolate, Egyptian, etc.) in that area, which Barb would eventually visit.  

One of my very favorite excursions was the day Allita and I spent with Barb in Poble Espanyol (Spanish town), which is literally an outdoor, architectural museum consisting of 100+ buildings designed to represent nearly every single region in Spain and made to appear as one single town all joined together by narrow, winding pathways. The whole place was decorated for Halloween and there were so many activities ongoing at the time that we really got into the spirit.  We even took a moment for a quick break, coffee and a snack, during which time a puppet show in the nearby theater entertained us.  From there, we walked to the Font màgica de Montjuïc (magic fountain of Montjuic) right in front of the Palau Nacional (National Palace) which now houses MNAC – Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya – (National Art Museum of Catalonia), one of Spain’s largest museums.  We enjoyed the ever-evolving water works from the pedestrian bridge spanning Av. de Ruins i Taulet right at the end of the famous Avinguda de la Reina Maria Cristina.  Then we made our way to Mom’s favorite place in Barcelona, Plaça d’Espanya, and eventually back home.  

That wasn’t our only trip to that area either.  Barb toured Montjuic one morning while Mom and I took the bus from Plaça d’Espanya all the way up to the top to meet her.  This was a bus ride I had wanted to take so I was very excited to finally have a reason.  Mom and I kept our eyes glued to the windows, enjoying the views as the bus slowly twisted its way uphill.  We met Barb and immediately made our way back down the hillside on foot, wandering through the Olympic village and stadium, passing the Botanical gardens, and winding through the many pathways in the Jardins de Joan Maragall (formal gardens) and Jardins de Laribal (estate gardens) surrounding MNAC.  Neither Mom nor I had ever explored these gardens in any real detail so this was yet another unique and pleasurable experience for us.  

One morning before school started, Allita and Barb took the subway to the Museu de Cera de Barcelona (Wax museum) on La Rambla and spent some hours exploring the exhibits.  

One Sunday, Allita and I took Barb by bus to our favorite beach in Castelldefels and eventually we all walked back into town to visit the main square, enjoy a savory snack, and take the Renfre home.  

All-in-all, the pleasurable experience of reliving the sights of the city where you live through the eyes of a tourist, who is also a friend, can not be over-valued.  There was so much to see and do that we were busy almost constantly the entire two weeks.  In the end, we were all sad to see Barb leave.  Even Toby had grown accustomed to her presence in the house and looked for her more than once.  It seemed so much quieter, slower-paced and duller without her.  Christmas afternoon – presents opened and gift-wrap debris removed, breakfast devoured and dished washed, phone calls to far-away friends and family made – we settled back into our usual routine – smiling now and then at our new treasures and warm memories.  

P.S. If you want to see more photos from this trip, Barb has a zillion. She is a really talented photographer – she has an eye for what makes a good picture.  In fact, Mom and I both decided that some of Barb’s photos would go into our “Barcelona” album because they were so much better than our photos of the same places.  

I borrowed this image from the website in order to show you the ENTIRE abbey as I have no single photo of all of it.

I know I’ve mentioned previously that in the 1980s, my family lived in Europe.  At that time, my family included my mom, my dad and myself.  In those days, whenever we traveled, my mother was the tour guide, trip planner, navigator and suitcase-packer.  Dad drove, paid for everything and was often the tie breaking vote for key decisions, such as: where to eat lunch or dinner, what kind of music was playing on the radio, etc.  I was a teenager so I got to be moody and difficult or chatty and sing-song or whatever random mood I was experiencing at that particular moment.  We all embraced our roles and enjoyed great adventures.  In fact, we visited Spain more than once in the 1980s and we enjoyed each experience.  It was during the research gathering process for one of those trips that my mother first discovered Montserrat.  Interestingly, somehow, we never managed to make it there, until now.  

Actually, we almost didn’t make it to Montserrat this time either.  We decided to save our trip to the monastery in the mountains until my friends from Tucson could join us.  They were scheduled to arrive in late March 2020 during spring break at the University of Arizona.  All of us were SO excited for their visit and we had great plans for all the things we would see and do – including a trip to Montserrat.  Then, before we could blink, the pandemic exploded into being: all flights were cancelled and Spain locked down for over three months.  Following the lockdown, we were so excited to be able to finally leave the house again that we wanted to go the greatest distance we could.  So we drove up the Costa Brava, remember?  Our next trip in 2020 was even further away, taking us into France, Switzerland, Italy and Monaco.  In fact, we didn’t even think about Montserrat again until early 2021 while we were relaxing on the “Chill Out” (Sol i Vi) and taking the time to think about our future now that things were getting back to a more stable routine.  

Ok.  So what is Montserrat?  Well, I called it a monastery and that’s not technically correct.  To be accurate, it’s an abbey of the Order of Saint Benedict and it is located on Montserrat mountain.  The official name is Santa Maria de Montserrat but the locals call it simply “Montserrat”.  Also, to further clarify the previously stated description, Montserrat is at the TOP of a very tall mountain – the tallest, in fact, in the area.  It’s so high up that the locals say, on a clear day, you can see all of Catalonia and sometimes the Balearic island of Mallorca!  You can reach the abbey by road, train (rack rail) or funicular (cable car).  Given mom is not a fan of alternative transportation at altitude (particularly with steep slopes or suspended cable), we opted for the road.  In fact, we splurged and hired a private driver for the round trip.  Oooh La La!

Honestly, I can’t tell you the difference between a monastery and an abbey – although I’m certain there is at least one.  Montserrat includes a basilica, a cloister and a refectory, plus a number of chapels, monuments and statues all around the place.  There are monks who live at Montserrat.  In fact, currently there are around 70 monks onsite tending the gardens and orchards, making jelly, wine and cheese, holding mass, writing and publishing literature, organizing and administering the choir, and doing the thousands of other things monks do in such places.  Montserrat is one of Catalonia’s most important and beloved religious institutions and when we told both our neighbor and our concierge, Antonio, where we were headed that fine, sunny day, they approved whole-heartedly and with considerable delight.  They also suggested we eat some of the food unique to Montserrat.  As if someone needed to tell us to eat – ha!

The Virgin of Montserrat is Catalonia’s favorite saint.  Her statue, La Moreneta, is located in the sanctuary of the Mare de Déu de Montserrat.  In order to see the Black Virgin, we had to purchase tickets in advance.  Because of the still-in-process pandemic and various safety controls, we were required to commit to a specific time for our tour, which was actually quite helpful in herding us along after we arrived.  We were prepared to walk around the abbey grounds, visit what we were allowed to see of the chapel, and perhaps stroll the grounds among the gardens.  Maybe stay a couple hours?  In all honesty, we had not done any real research about Montserrat prior to our visit.  That, as it turns out, was not the best laid plan.  

The Black Virgin and Son

Remember how I said the monks wrote and published literature?  Well, the Publicacions de l’Abadia de Montserrat (abbey publishing house) has one of the oldest, still working printing presses in the world.  According to the information we received, the abbey press published its first book in 1499!  In addition, the Montserrat Boys’ Choir (Escolania) is one of the oldest in Europe, established 1307.  We were able to see the school but not to hear the choir sing, unfortunately.  The place is loaded with ancient and historically relevant artifacts.  It makes sense, because the literature provided during our visit indicated the monastery dates back to 880 when the Virgin of Montserrat was first discovered.  The newest thing about this place is the pipe organ, installed in 2010 as a replacement of the original.  Not everything lasts forever, I suppose.

Inside the church

While we were not able to attend a choir concert during our stay, we were surprised and awestruck by the ringing of the bells.  The bell tower, the tower of Santa Caterina, is octagonal and contains 12 bells in total.  Ten of the bells are for liturgical use and two are for hourly use.  We were wandering along one of the many hiking trails among the lovely and well-used religious monuments and shrines in a forest full of massive trees, bushes, vines and flowers modestly tended when suddenly the most lovely music burst forth from the abbey.  The sounds of the bells echoed off the surrounding rocks and rose into the heavens above us.  We were swept away by the majesty of it all.  The sun shining down upon the abbey in all its glory and the music emanating forth in great waves of sound – if ever there was a moment for reverence and reflection, this was it.  

Before we left Montserrat, we explored the food options (naturally!) and purchased a handful of the tiny pears that are grown in the orchard there.  We also tried some of their infamous cheese, which neither Allita nor I fully appreciated, sadly.  Finally, we took the opportunity to meander through the gardens and gaze out across Cap de Bou and Reserva Natural Parcial de la Muntanya Montserrat.  It was a glorious experience all around and a retreat well made.  

Alhambra   (Ah l’am bra)

A whispered word – an extended exhale – the embodiment of reverence.  The sound is part secret, part power, part history and part awe.  Because that’s precisely what it describes.

An ancient fortress containing a collection of stunning palaces and historical gardens and orchards, Alhambra rises above the medieval city of Granada, Spain like a massive citadel sitting atop two adjacent hills in the base of the Sierra Nevada mountains and surrounded by red-colored walls and towers for which the site is so aptly named.  A remnant from the Nasrid dynasty, the last Islamic kingdom in Western Europe, it is also the only surviving (barely – no thanks to Napoleon!) palatine city from the Golden Age of Islam. 

Historians are unclear of the exact data of the establishment of Alhambra.  Records and archaeological finds indicate that sometime around the 9th century, reference was made to the red castle, “Kalat al hamra” on Sabika hill in Granada.  Over time, a multitude of castles, palaces, great towers and walls (Alcazaba) were constructed on Sabika and Mauror hills.  Eventually, over nearly a thousand years, the Albaicin, Alhambra and Generalife came into existence.  It wasn’t always an Islamic residence.  In 1492, the same year they sent Columbus en route to the Americas, Queen Isabel I and King Ferdinand II successfully attacked and overtook the sultan, Muhammed the 12th, and acquired this phenomenal site in the name of christianity and Spain.  Over the centuries, Spanish royals would continue to stamp christian influence and design onto nearly every space available.  Finally, Napoleon nearly destroyed all of the towers of the Alcazaba and is remembered as childishly shouting “If I can’t have it, nobody can have it!” before his men began detonation.  The locals tell the heroic story a Spanish soldier, José Garcia, who literally ran toward the explosions and, with his hands, disabled the remaining fuses before any more of the towers could be destroyed.  Reconstruction started in the 20th century and is ongoing today.  

For my 50th birthday this year, I wanted only one thing: to see Alhambra.  I dreamed of it.  To walk through the palaces, imagining the emirs and sultans of the past, strolling these same halls, their robes flowing and flapping as they moved among the elegant, ornate passages.  To see the sunlight dancing on the famous gardens of the Generalife – the splendor and diversity of color on display, the ingenuity of irrigation engineering and ancient hydraulic infrastructures, the pools of gentle water offering soothing tranquility or peaceful reflection.  To climb the White Tower and gaze over the city stretching out as far and wide as the eye can see and dotted with monuments, steeples and an endless sea of structures divided only by winding streets and the river Darro.  How lucky was I to be able to make this trip, in my birthday month, and with my only daughter.  It was idyllic and a memory I will cherish for the rest of my life.  

We stayed in the gothic quarter, naturally, on a tiny street inaccessible by our taxi or any other four-wheeled vehicle.  The balcony of our hotel room hung over an outdoor restaurant from which the most amazing scents emanated – keeping us in a perpetual state of hunger.  Because of the pandemic, we saw not a single hotel employee and checked ourselves in using a computer in the lobby, which also issued us an electronic keycard to our room.  It was the ideal combination of modern age technology, gothic architecture and Moorish decor – we loved it.  

Allita and I explored as much of medieval Granada as physically possible on foot in two days and were both exhausted and exhilarated the entire time.  We discovered a wealth of lovely and fascinating places in the city during our brief stay.  We visited the burial site of Queen Isabella I and King Ferdinand II in the Royal Chapel of the massive Catedral de Granada (Cathedral of Granada).  We explored the Albaicín and walked from Plaza Isabel La Catolica (plaza with statue of Isabel and Colombus) along the Carrera del Darro (the street running along the Darro river) to the Puerta de los Tableros (part of the canal/aqueduct system to transport Darro river water up to Alhambra) and paused for a moment at Puente Cabrera (bridge).   We savored some of the most absolutely amazing Mediterranean food and enjoyed a bit of off-time shopping in La Alcaicería, the original main bazaar of Granada, – trying on ridiculous hats and dresses and pretending to be silly tourists as we strolled through the narrow medieval passages adorned from top to bottom with every imaginable ware.  The experience reminded us of our time spent in the outdoor market in Greece in January 2020 (A Greek New Year).  

We spent an entire day exploring Alhambra, the three royal palaces: Mexuar, Serallo, and the Harem, Puerta de la Justicia (main gate), the Torre de la Cautiva (beautiful tower with decorated rooms), the Generalife, the Puerta del Vino (Wine Gate/Door), along Calle Real (Royal Street), the Palacio Comares containing the great Tower of the Ambassadors and Salón de los Embajadores (Hall of the Ambassadors), Palacio de Los Leones (Palace of the Lions) containing the Patio de los Leones (Court of the Lions), Puerta de las Granadas (Gate of Pomegranates), the Alcazaba (the oldest part) and its Torre de la Vela, Palacio Árabe (Arab palace), Patio de los Arrayanes (Court of the Myrtles), Sala de los Abencerrajes (Hall of the Abencerrages) famous for the massacre that occurred in this perfectly square room, Patio del Mexuar (Court of the Council Chamber), the Patio de Daraxa (Court of the Vestibule), the Peinador de la Reina (Queen’s Robing Room), and the Palacio del Partal (Partal Palace).  To name a few.  The entire area we covered was about 35 acres of walking space.  I’m sure we saw more things and likely even photographed them, but I can only remember so many details and then I’m out of RAM.

For my daughter, the artist, Alhambra presented a plethora of stunning art in a variety of forms.  To decorate many of the palace rooms, poems and blessings written in Nasrid cursive script, a form of Arabic calligraphy, are carved into the wood, marble and tiles in the arches, columns, walls, floors, windowsills, and ceilings.  The most common, the motto of the Nasrid dynasty, was “ولا غالب إلا الله” (“Only God is victorious” or “There is no victor but God”).  Tile designs feature heavily in the ornate decorations.  They are remarkable because they feature almost all of the 17 mathematically possible “wallpaper groups” or 2-dimensional tile patterns without overlaps or gaps.  In fact, one of Allita’s favorite artists, M.C. Esher, came to Alhambra in 1922 to study these tile patterns and as a result, created his own “regular divisions of the plane”.  Our tour also took us into a workshop for artisans who are currently attempting to reconstruct the palatial furnishings from the Nasrid dynasty era based on writings and drawings recovered by archeologists and historians.  I’m not sure how to describe the process they are using.  Long thin strips of wood, ivory, onyx, mother of pearl, etc. are fashioned together to create a pattern that is replicated with every cross-section.  The work is very similar to in-laid wood workings I had seen as a child in Germany.  Allita was fascinated by the precision and detail required to create the various patterns and shapes.  

For me, Alhambra was the ideal birthday gift – the trip made possible by my mother, the experience made perfect by my daughter, and the memories we created to be shared and savored forever.  

** With a few obvious exceptions, the photographs were taken by my (then) 12- year-old daughter. More of her photographs can be seen in the Photo Album – Granada. **

Tuesday, April 6, 2021 was our last full day at the Tamarit Beach Resort (“glamping”), and on Wednesday, we began our gradual return to Barcelona.  We weren’t in a terrible hurry to return home right away.  Actually, we had planned to wander through the Penedés (the official cava region), visiting some of the little towns and their wineries as we progressed.  Mom and I had been kicking around the idea of finding some little pension or hotel along the route where we could spend the night.  Little did we realize just how difficult that would be during a pandemic.  

We left a little earlier than the noon checkout time since we were excited to once again “hit the road”.  Our little car was packed full with all our junk and treasures but there was still, barely, enough room for the three of us to cruise along the coastal highway, up the N-340A, through Altafulla, Torredembarra, Creixell, and eventually Vendrell.  We saw so much of the tiny towns dotted along the Balearic Sea as the road literally became “Main Street” and wandered in and out of each village, changing names as we entered one and exited the other.  This is the nature of a blue road, right?  It starts out the simple but popular “Aveniguda de Franscesc Macia” then shifts into “Passeig Marítim” as it wanders toward the sea.  It morphs into “Carrer de Vallespir”, “Carrer del Bergantí”, “Carretera de Tarragona” and finally becomes “Carretera Vendrell” before merging with the N-340 and following (somewhat) in the shadow of the A-7 autoroute.  I prefer the road less traveled.  There’s more to see.  More towns, more people, more traffic, more churches, more shops, more ruins and castles, and just more stuff!  Not to mention, it’s more fun trying to figure out how to navigate through all the little towns and keep up with a road that’s constantly changing names and evolving. Perhaps it takes a little longer to get from Tamarit to Vilafranca del Penedès, but what’s the hurry?  Isn’t this supposed to be a vacation?  

Surprisingly, we arrived in Vilafranca del Penedès around mid-day.  Just in time for a break!  We popped back on to the N-340A so we could wander directly through the center of town (Main Street, remember?).  We were surprised to discover there is basically one main intersection in Vilafranca. And, yes – it has a functioning traffic light.  You can stay on the N-340A and go straight through town, or you can turn left onto BP-2121 and end up at the city auditorium and largest cava winery and hotel “Mastinell”.  The hotel was not open for business at the time we were in Vilafranca.  The winery was, however.  We found a public parking spot downtown and then walked all over the city until we located the famous blue “i” for “INFORMATION” – Mom’s favorite business to visit in new places.  

At the Tourist Information and Welcome Center, we met a lovely local who was delighted to help us (her first tourists this week!) and provided us with a single-page map of the city with a route defined as the “historical tour” as well as a phone number to call for a local bed and breakfast.  Turns out, every single hotel in Vilafranca was either temporarily closed due to Covid or out of business entirely due to Covid.  The tiny, one room B&B was the only place she could find that was available, operational, and not a hostel.   It’s not that we are anti-hostel, but, for this particular trip, sleeping in a large room together with 1-3 other strangers and sharing a public shower wasn’t exactly what we had in mind.  Also, there was the car to think about – public parking overnight is a tad expensive and somewhat risky.  We thanked her for all her amazing assistance and took off on the walking tour of the city – following the historical tour route, obviously.

Basílica de Santa Maria de Vilafranca

Vilafranca is the capital of the Alt Penedès comarca (municipality) and is the largest town between Barcelona and Tarragona.  It’s a relatively big berg, which is what was so surprising about the lack of operating hotels.  There were a number of very large hotels in town, some quite ornate and grandiose, but all with signs indicating they were closed and to please check their website for reopening information.  Until then, we had seen very little physical evidence of the economic destruction of the pandemic.  Now, it was hard to miss.  

Vilafranca del Penedès

The town has a rich history – as many Spanish towns do – including being the site where King Peter the III of Aragon died while staying at the Royal Palace of Vilafranca and being the birthplace of Saint Raymond, Raymond of Penyafort, O.P.  We wandered past the Basílica de Santa Maria de Vilafranca, a formidable gothic church (Santa Maria), the Paleau Reial (Royal Palace), now a massive wine museum (Vinseum, the Museum of Wine Cultures of Catalonia, Palau Balta or Palau del Fraret an impressive gothic manner built in the 1500s by Francesc Babau (it includes both a pool AND a golf course!), the very romanesque Capella de Sant Joan (church of Saint Joan) with it’s circular window and octagonal bell tower (with a well-functioning bell, thank you very much), and a variety of other famous old merchant’s mansions such as: Palau Macià (home to local Barons and knows as “the house of the seven portals”) with its lovely Arabic tiled roof, gothic archways and noble balconies, and the Casal dels Gomà, the manor house of Bishop Josep Torras i Bages that later became the local provincial library.  We also posed for a photograph outside Cal Figarot a.k.a. Casa Via Raventós, home of the world famous Castellers of the Vilafranca (remember them from 2019?). Unfortunately, we ran out of time (and energy) and weren’t able to visit the convent of Sant Francesc before we had to leave.  

Castellers of Vilafranca

We were tired of walking, but we didn’t have a place to stop for the night.  We were getting hungry, but we didn’t want to stop at a restaurant (and few were open in any regard).  Most of all, we were still wrapped up in the spirit of adventure and excited to explore more of the area – only by car, instead of by foot.  We weren’t really interested in staying the night in a B&B in Vilafranca and we were optimistic that we would find something closer to Barcelona.  So, we procured some snacks and decided to head up the N-340A, now named “Avinguda de Barcelona”, until we got to an unexpected round-about where our choices were limited to the A-7 autoroute or BV-2127/C-244z.  Since the idea was to “see the sights” and “explore the countryside”, I’m sure you can guess which route we took.  Interestingly, the C-244z becomes the C-243A at some point just outside of town and it was along the lovely C-243A that we journeyed, following the winding road over Riera de Lavernó (the Laverno River) until we happened upon the perfect place for a picnic.  In a bend in the road, we turned left onto a dirt path not available on any map but hosting a brown sign that indicated a nearby chapel.  The tiny chapel was located exactly where the road ended in another secret trail that ventured towards the main winery house or into the vineyard itself.  Naturally, we turned left into the actual vineyard and parked under a tree in the semi-shade so we could enjoy our snack and the lovely weather from the comfort of our little rental car.  No-one bothered us, except a curious black bird and some local butterflies, and we savored our time, nestled among the fields covered with vertically trellised vines just beginning to turn green again after their winter hibernation.

Hotel Sol i Vi

The best discovery we made that day was the Hotel Sol i Vi.  Located literally just around the corner and up the road a ways from where we had picnicked, we were surprised to find the hotel both open and operational.  Furthermore, the hotel boasted a four-star restaurant with a locally famous Catalan chef and a lovely pool and playground area.  Fate intervened!  We were saved!  And, Allita was delighted to discover, they also have excellent wifi.  

Mom and I spent a significant amount of our first evening on “the chill out”, an outdoor garden terrace on the upper floor overlooking the surrounding vineyards and the entire hotel compound.  I say “compound” because this hotel is just that large.  It is family-owned with the three brothers now taking care of an aging mom – all of whom live onsite in their own homes – and includes a large, multi-roomed restaurant, sprawling hotel, convention center, pool, gardens, playground, and a variety of conference rooms/centers available for hosting weddings, birthdays, or other similar social or even business functions.  They even own some of the vineyard you can see growing all around the property and a large solar panel farm located below the bus parking lot.  The hotel sits right on a walking trail, not indicated on any map we owned or googled, but well-known by the locals and wine enthusiasts.  This trail leads from the little town of Lavern to El Pla del Penedés with another branch leading to Sant Sadurní d’Anoia and Sol i Vi at the very center.  It’s a popular way the locals and grape farmers travel from village to village without needing a vehicle.  Further, it’s the best way to access the vineyards in harvest or pruning season because it winds through literally field after field of grapes.  Clearly, this hotel is a location accustomed to large events, traffic and crowds.  That said, we were the only overnight guests in the place that Wednesday.  We were pampered and treated like queens.  Even dinner was an affair for which we all three “dressed” after a refreshing dip in the pool and a short nap, of course.  All-in-all, our stay was absolutely ideal.  Perfect.  We would return to visit Sol i Vi hotel at least one more time before the year was over.  Even then, with the grapes visible on the vines and many more guests demanding their time, the owners still treated us like special, treasured friends.  I would go there again.  Anytime. Today, for example.

Sol i Vi – what else would you name your vineyard/resort hotel/convention center/business complex/home?  If you lived in beautiful sunny Spain near the Catalan coast and surrounded by luscious fields of grapes?  Yeah – Sun and Life sounds perfect.  That’s what it all boils down to, after all.  Sipping a glass of locally grown Cava, sitting in the Catalan sunshine and soaking up the life – La Vida Bonita.  It doesn’t get any better than that.

You might remember from my last post (Glamping in Tamarit) a little talk about the ancient Spanish port city of Tarragona.  Believe it or not, nobody actually knows when Tarragona was established – it’s literally THAT old.  Historians believe the city was likely founded by the Phoenicians who named it Tarchon or Tarraco (citadel) because it is slightly elevated above the sea.  However, the Catalans believe the city was named after Tarraho, the great-grandson of Noah, renown ark-builder extraordinaire.  Regardless of its origins, Tarragona has phenomenal history, much of which has been preserved and/or carefully restored, and is frequently decorated and celebrated by locals and tourists alike.  In fact, the many Roman ruins that fill this city have all been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. When you stand in the citadel and gaze over the massive amphitheater and toward the sparking blue Mediterranean Sea, it is extremely easy to see why the Romans would have named this their capital Iberian city and why, even today, it is the capital of its own province, Tarragona.   At the end of this busy day, I had the same type feeling I have on Thanksgiving afternoon – sated almost to the point of discomfort from gorging on the smorgasbord laid out in front of me. My Tarragona holiday, however, was less gastronomic in nature. It was more of a visual, mental and physical experience; although I did end up rubbing my belly in the warm sunshine. Some things are universal, I guess.  

Our tour of Tarragona started on the most beautiful and sunny day we could ask for in the very early Spanish springtime.  As we are wont to do, without any planning or forethought, we somehow magically discovered a parking garage (PAVAPARK) located immediately underground below the Ajuntament (Town Hall) and in the very center of the medieval Old Town itself.  ¡Perfecto!  From there, we were easily able to explore the entire area, inclusive all the Roman ruins, churches, circus, amphitheater, forum, fountains, and many shops and restaurants, on foot and without any great physical investment (although the trip down to the amphitheater was admittedly easier than the trip back up).

We left Plaça de la Font and headed northwest towards Via de l’Imperi Romà, starting our excursion with the Portal Del Roser, a massive, lavish portal in the medieval walls that provided entrance to the city from the west through the Torre de l’audiencia (gate).  From here, we were clearly able to see the enormous stone Muralles Romanes de Tarragona (Roman walls of Tarragona) that once surrounded the entire area.  Much of these walls remain intact and are visible even today. We frequently would exclaim “There’s MORE of it!” and point to the wall we glimpsed among the buildings as we traveled clockwise around the Old Town area, winding through the narrow old city streets as best we could.  

Plaça de Sant Joan eventually led us past the monastery, Carmelites descalces, the Arquebisbat de Tarragona (Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tarragona), a lovely museum filled with beautiful religious artwork, Museu Diocesà de Tarragona, an impressive neolithic building, Casa dels Canonges, and ultimately, the massive and awesome Catedral de Tarragona (Cathedral of Tarragona).  The Cathedral is an impressive Romanesque and Gothic structure constructed on a well-established religious location. Apparently, this specific location once housed a Roman temple, a Visigoth cathedral and a Moorish mosque.  Amen!

The cathedral itself has an octagonal tower-dome, a large, 230 feet tall bell tower with very loud bells, and an impressive facade with three main portals.  It is surrounded by an expansive and ornate gate with ancient cast iron doors and about 20 (at least) different chapels of varying sizes, shapes and shrines.  The complex also includes a lovely cloister with a beautiful, peaceful courtyard dotted with fountains and well-groomed gardens.  As is true for most Spanish landmarks we have visited, both Arabic and Moorish influence can be seen hidden among the architectural designs in the buildings, gates and gardens, even here, in this obviously Roman place.  

We ambled past Palau de la Cambreria, Casa Canals, and Museu Nacional Arqueològic de Tarragona, until we popped out from behind a wall and suddenly found ourselves standing at the Circ Romà (Roman Circus), one of the most well-preserved of its kind.  This circus is nothing at all like what probably pops into your mind when you hear the word “circus”.  No elephants, jugglers, glittery horses and riders, clowns, or trained, performing dogs to be found here.  This was the place of races.  Kind of like ancient NASCAR actually.  Built in the first century, it is both open-air and underground (similar to the original olympic stadium in Greece) and is a huge oval spanning over 1,000 feet long and nearly 400 feet across with the capacity to seat around 30,000 spectators.  This track was home to all of the area horse and chariot races.  Allita and I closed our eyes and imagined what it would be like to observe a race in this beautiful place, where the blue Mediterranean colors the background and the brilliant sun streams down from the sky warming the stone benches around us.  

The Circ Romà also includes the Praetorium, which is a gigantic building with a tower that once connected the lower city with the forum by way of an indoor staircase and underground passageways.  We were not able to go inside the Praetorium but we could see most of the structure from our vantage point outdoors.  Even as we goggled over the awesomeness of this structure, Allita smirked at the irony of the history of the place.  You see, the Praetorium was once modified into a palace for the Crown of Aragon monarchy, then, in later years, it became a prison.  It’s gone from riches to rags, so to speak.

Directly across Via Augusta from the Roman circus and Praetorium is the massive Amfiteatre de Tarragona (Roman amphitheater), which interestingly was about half the size of the circus with seating for only about 15,000 people but appeared to be so much more grandiose.  We literally only had to turn ourselves around in order to be able to see it.  This is the place where all the typical non-race Roman entertainment would occur – such as gladiatorial venationes (wild animal fights) or the fiery persecution of Christians.  The amphitheater itself has a history not unlike the circus; after it was no longer used for its original purposes, some of the stones were repurposed to build a basilica to commemorate the martyrs who died there, the place was abandoned, then it became a convent, and eventually a prison, until it was finally “recovered” to it’s current and “almost original” state.  

SIDE NOTE: “Almost original” reminds me of “Almost Free“; a similarly paradoxical phrase we learned in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico some years ago.

El Balcó del Mediterrani (The Balcony of the Mediterranean) is precisely as the name implies.  It is literally a balcony over the sea – a promenade that stretches across the coastline of the city but higher than the shore and offers sweeping views of beach as well as the Parc de l’Amfiteatre and the port.   This is where the pace of our journey slowed significantly (possibly also in part due to having climbed the trail from the amphitheater up to the balcony ledge) and we stopped to savor the experience of modern-day Tarragona.  The lovely little park area included many benches available for just this leisure activity.  Mom had her own specific private bench upon which to enjoy the sunshine and crisp sea breeze.  Actually, many benches were labeled with large red circular stickers indicating those spots were reserved for people older than 65. 

Giving priority to mayores (older people) is not new to Spain as I have mentioned in many previous posts.  I also noticed that while the park was filled with families, youths, businessmen and others, the seniors were, in fact, the only ones sitting on their dedicated benches, which often possessed the best views and most dappled shade. Furthermore, every single person we saw was actively wearing a mask and social distancing.  This should be evident from some of the photos I am including in this post.  

We ventured into an Ale Hop, of course; waiting patiently in the line outside at the front of the store until it was our time to enter.   We made a few purchases, as we frequently do in this particular chain store.  It reminds me of Spencer Gifts – do you remember that store? – once a staple of nearly every mall I ever visited in the U.S.  Allita was highly entertained by the cow statue in this particular locale since she was also wearing a mask.  So they took a socially distanced photo together.  The Ale Hop employee regulating pedestrian traffic at the store entrance was amused by our antics. 

We wandered leisurely down Rambla Nova, the walking mall, which was on Mom’s list of places to visit, and enjoyed a large quantity of window shopping and people watching.  Tarragona is much like any other typical Catalan city.  The old city is really ancient with tiny, narrow streets paved centuries ago in meticulously laid stones that fit perfectly into a patterned design.  At ground level, some of the buildings have what appears to be garages suitable either for a moto (motorcycle or moped) or a Smart (Smart car) as nothing bigger could surely fit!  Others have little shops like bakeries, ice cream parlors, shoe stores, pharmacies, restaurants, or various markets like fruits, veggies, fish or meat.  Most of the old city buildings are multi-leveled structures with residences on the top floors.  Their little balconies filled with furniture, plants and sometimes clothes drying in the sunshine and fresh breeze.  Frequently we could see someone standing outside in the sunshine on their tiny balcony – sometimes talking on the phone, reading a book or just sitting peacefully with their faces lifted to the sunshine, enjoying the peaceful day.  

Eventually, we made our way to the remaining three sites we wanted to visit: Fòrum romà (Roman Forum), Teatre Romà de Tarragona (Roman Theater) and Monument als Castellers (monument to the Castellers).  Along the way we also passed the lovely Fuente del Centenario (fountain).  By now, we were absolutely exhausted and way beyond hungry, since lunchtime was two hours prior, so we trudged back to Plaça de la Font, which was generously lined with a multitude of novel restaurants, making a mental note of the gelato place (Heladeria Tiramisu) just off the main drag.  After some exploration and negotiation, we settled on a good, sunny location outside at Podium29, where we enjoyed fantastic tapas including pimientos de piquillo (cod-stuffed piquillo peppers), patatas bravas (Catalan potato wedges with spicy brava sauce), tires de pollastre (chicken strips), bunyols de bacallà (cod fritters), and, of course, Cava.  It was a most fabulous experience and a trip well made.  Even if my feet hurt.  

We made a u-turn at L’Ampolla and headed back north toward Tarragona and the Costa Dorada (Golden Coast) for the second week of our first trip of 2021.  This route is half of the “Camino Real” (Royal Route) between Valencia and Tarragona constructed in Roman times and utilized still today.  The path contains many, often breath-taking, views of the Spanish coastline and is generally traversed only on foot, much like the Cinque Terra in Italy.  It is a surprising regional secret that includes several interesting facets such as agricultural, civil and religious buildings, monumental trees, unusual places, stately homes, anecdotes and legends.  The coasts are dotted with fabulous beaches and have attracted many visitors to this region over the years.  Tarragona is the Denominación de Origen Protegida for Catalan wines – thus offering yet another reason why a visit there is so important.    

On the way north from L’Ampolla, we stopped for lunch in Miami-Platja (Miami Beach).  How delightful is that?  Yes, we all had a good laugh about having driven so far and long that we suddenly found ourselves in southern Florida.  Ha!  

Miami Beach, Spain is about 30 km south of Tarragona; making it an excellent half-way point for our picnic lunch.  It’s a small town on the Costa Dorada with lovely, sandy beaches spread among rocky coves and cliffs and accessible by winding trails and steep staircases that lead down from the road above.  In some places, this area is not unlike the Costa Brava (Trip to Costa Brava 2020) where the beach is a bit of a hike from your parked car.  You find yourself doing a mental cost-benefit analysis before schlepping back up the hillside for the sunvisor you forgot.  

We spent about an hour enjoying our freshly prepared bocadillos (sandwiches) and quinoa salad in the shade and watching Allita climb the massive rocks and play in the sand of a nearly private sandy cove.  We also drove all around the town and the seaside on our way in and out of the area – it was such a beautiful place and I could easily see myself spending a week-long vacation in one of the many oceanfront condominiums we admired.  I know, I know… I’m not a huge fan of the beach, but this place has a golf course.  Hello!  

Along the way to our next resort campground, we also passed through port city of Tarragona with its complex web of narrow streets winding in and around the ancient Roman structures in the center of the city.  Tarragona was once the most important city on the Iberian peninsula and we all agreed that we would invest at least one full day exploring this lovely ancient area during our stay. 

Camping Tamarit (https://www.tamarit.com), the self-proclaimed “fabulous beach resort” was our destination.  Of course, we had reserved a Safari Lodge tent located in a campground right on the beach for our luxurious glamping adventure.  Why not?  Who knows how many other trips we will be allowed to take this year?  Might as well make the most of it and in the least “mainstream” way possible – as we are inclined to do.  No boring hotel rooms for us.  No sir-ee!  Bring on the large, opulent, canvas tent with built-in kitchen, wooden deck with BBQ and private bathroom and shower!  After all, we had some serious wine-tasting and beach luxuriating to do!  

Now this next statement is probably going to be a bit of a surprise for some of you.   Where I have historically complimented and even recommended some of the places we have resided during our many travels over the last few years, the resort in Tamarit was a disappointment.  Furthermore, I have struggled to find enough positive words to describe our experience there.  In large part, that is why this post has taken so long for me to complete.  

Don’t get me wrong.  The campground was “OK” overall with many amenities.  Perhaps in warmer months or prior years, our experience might have been different? It was understandable that not everything was available because of the pandemic, yet the prices were still very high for off-season (March!), which was not understandable.  Further, the resort staff did not appear to be fully informed about what was happening at any given time.  It was somewhat disorganized and there was a fair amount of miscommunication.  Worst of all, we had considerable technological difficulties that I later discovered were well-known issues at this resort, and had been previously experienced by others (including locals we met during our day trips around the area).  Obviously, I did not do the best job of researching all the pros and cons before we booked our stay.  Shame on me.

In a nutshell, the wifi here was MUCH WORSE than any we have ever experienced.  EVER.  Although advertised otherwise, it was unreliable and weak at the best times.  Attending online school was extraordinarily difficult if not impossible.  Many times over the week, we had to walk to various locations all over the resort just to be able to find a signal sufficient to access the classroom.  I also found it hard to just get the weather report – never mind checking my email.  This was particularly bothersome as I like to keep in touch with property managers and pet sitters when I’m away from home.  You know, in case there is an emergency?!  

Whereas the previous week, at Camping L’Ampolla, we had five different wifi options and all were free, at Tamarit Beach Resort, which was considerably more expensive and only a tent instead of a bungalow, we had two options: one free and one “premium”, which required a purchased access code.  Our first day, we were granted access to the “premium” wifi to “test it out”, but regardless of what we tried, we saw no difference in performance between the two signals.  Ultimately, Mom and I found ways to manage and Allita suffered through with dropped Zoom classes and the frequent inability to access servers.  It was only a week after all and the school records each class so Allita played catch up when we got back home.   

We did, in fact, stay in what they called a Safari Lodge (tent).  It is described as the premium of the “glamping” offerings.  It was quite a surprise to go to a colder location and switch from actual walls to canvas panels!  Thankfully the tent came with a lovely heater that was able to keep us satisfactorily warm in the evenings and through the night.  In fact, the only reason we stayed at this particular resort was because of the tent which we fell in love with from the website photos.  How silly is that?  But we don’t often have the opportunity to “glamp” and what’s the point in having an adventure without actually trying something new?

The tent was basically a single room built on a platform.  The side walls were canvas with screened windows covered by flaps of canvas that we were able to roll up in order to get natural light and roll down in order to have privacy and heat.  Inside were two twin bunk beds and a large double bed for sleeping, four chairs and a very small table, a small refrigerator and microwave, a bench, a drying rack, and a single wardrobe (a portion of which was the utility closet with mop, iron, etc.).  The “kitchen” was part indoors and part outdoors and it came complete with cookware and place settings for four.  The stove was gas and it was a camping stove, of course. We were glamping, after all. 

After we arrived and unpacked, I returned to the office on foot to ask if they could please deliver a tank of gas for the outdoor stove so that we could actually warm our dinner.  Our parking space was near the tent but it was tricky to access and I had no interest in attempting it a second time that day.  The tent did have a bathroom with shower and small sink in the rear.  This was the main sink available except for a large dishwashing and laundry area conveniently nearby.  There was also a toilet in another small room in the rear of the tent.  Of course, our tent was located right next door to the bathhouse and showers, so we didn’t really need the private bathroom but it was nice to have, especially in the middle of the night.  The hot water was absolutely boiling and made me long for a bathtub for the first time in years.  Finally, the platform included a covered patio area where the “BBQ” was located along with two lounge chairs and a large table.  We moved 3 chairs outside so we could eat at this table later in the day when it was warmer and we used the fourth chair and the bench inside for breakfast at the tiny table.  It was quite cozy but overall nice and not unlike what I expected “glamping” to be.  

One of the best features of this resort campground is their proximity to Tarragona, Denominació d’Origen Penedès (the cava region of Spain), and, of course, the actual Playa de Altafulla beach.  This particular beach came fully-equipped with a well-preserved medieval castle (Cala Jovera or Castell de Tamarit) as well as two light houses (Far Altafulla-Tamarit and Far de Torredembarra).  The beach here is quite lovely with fine sand dotted with a multitude of flat rocks (they look like river rocks, actually) in multiple colors and sizes.  As you can imagine, Allita spent a fair amount of time perusing the rocks and selecting one or two (hundred) for her growing collection of beach detritus.  

Another good feature of this area is the grocery store, which is nearly full-sized, and has a small take-away restaurant next door that is sometimes open.  The resort has two main restaurants they told us were always open but we didn’t eat at any of them.  The three times we were at any of the restaurants, they were both closed and the employees on site indicated they wouldn’t open until the weekend.  However the take-away place was fantastic and had delicious roasted chicken and medium-sized pizzas, which we did enjoy.  

The final good thing about this resort was the day trip they arranged for us at a local winery.  Of course, we had to drive ourselves to the actual winery, but we were able to pay for our tour in advance and only had to produce our tickets in order to be included.  Further, the tour we joined was offered in English so we were able to understand most of it.  WIN!  

Tarragona was the Roman capital of Spain and the hub of their wine-growing industry.  In fact, Catalan wines were traded with Egyptians by the Phoenicians many hundred years before the Romans even arrived on the Iberian peninsula!  Catalonia is the second largest producer of Spanish wines (after Rioja).  Cava, of course, for which this region is the most famous, is what interested us most.  Bring on the bubbly!!  Interestingly, Spanish Cava wines can be traced back to French Champagne techniques and were at one time called “champán”, but when the EU granted protected geographical status to that region of France, the name was officially changed.  While many Americans call any type of bubbly alcoholic beverage, “champagne”, by international law, only those wines that originate in that specific French region can be considered true Champagne.  So the Spanish have Cava and Frissante and the Italians have Asti Spumante and Lambrusco (for example).  Fun fact!  

Casa Mas Vincenç winery is located in the Tarragona region.  It has been family owned and operated for many generations.  We met the mother and both her sons during our tour and she pointed out that in true Catalan tradition, the winery is also their private home and includes a stable for their animals.  They grow 12 different types of grapes and, as such, have lots of different wines available.  The younger vineyards are about 10 years old, but some of the older ones are 90+ years established and still produce fantastic grapes.  The vineyard is quite large but the winery is small so they only use about 40-50% of their grape harvest to make wine.  They sell the remaining grapes to the local Cooperative.  They also grow olives and make olive oil and vinegar, almonds, hazelnuts, and a variety of other items (honey, seasoned crisps, etc.) which they sell in their little boutique on premises and also through the local Cooperative.  We got to see all the equipment and the underground oak barrel storage area.  The tour guide (the oldest son) explained much of the wine making process to Allita who did a very good job of appearing interested and listening intently.  Mom and I spent our time tasting and enjoying the sunshine.  

It was a lovely outing and we wandered our way back to the resort campground taking the long way along the coast and through almost every little town we could find.  I enjoyed every moment of it but admit that we were all a little hungry and tired by the time we arrived back at the campground.  We stayed a week in Tamarit and enjoyed lovely weather, albeit colder than our week in L’Ampolla, plus a few days of adventure and exploration, which were both fun and fantastic.  Look for a post about our time in Tarragona and tour of Denominació d’Origen Penedès next.  ¡Salut!

When I was a kid, a favorite after-school game in my neighborhood was “Cops and Bad Guys”.  We called it bad guys, because we didn’t limit our pretend felonies to only bank robberies – so not “Robbers”.  Sometimes, we were spies or gangsters and we pretend murdered each other.  Once, as a bad guy, I even pretend kidnapped someone’s younger brother, but the two of us ended up picking and eating wild berries, and playing hide-and-seek instead.  Now that I think about it, I wasn’t selected to be a bad guy very often.  However, we all rotated who got to play Steve.  Steve was the Captain of the police detectives.  You remember him, right?  Captain Steve McGarrett from the famous show, Hawaii 5 0, the longest-running American police drama in TV history.  We would play until the sun started to set and we could hear someone’s mom hollering “DINNER!” from their porch.  Then, right before we split up, “Steve” would say those famous words and we’d dash off into different directions making tough-guy noises and whooping with excitement.  Although the title comes from the fact that Hawaii is the 50th state, the show had such an influence on American culture that even today, the police are referred to as “5 0” in urban slang. Obviously, I wasn’t the only kid in America anxiously waiting to tell my buddies to “Book ‘em,”. 

What brings these memories to mind, you ask?  Well, this is a big year for me.  Actually, this is a milestone year for all of us.  However, for me, this is also the year I turned the big 5-0.  50 years old.  And what better time to sit down and reflect on this year’s milestones then now, in my 50th blog post from lovely Spain.  Hard to believe I’ve written 50 posts over the last two years.  I mean, I know I may occasionally be described as loquacious, and, admittedly, I can be a tad verbose, but that’s a lot of blather, even for me.  So, if you’ve been following me from the beginning, thanks for hanging in there.  If you’ve just joined, maybe you can play catch-up in a binge reading session over the coming weekend?  Good luck.  

This year started off a tad slow but has gradually been picking up a little speed.  More like an old Chevy Nova with three-on-the-tree trying to go uphill at a stoplight on a cold winter morning, and less like a massive boulder being pushed down the side of a steep mountain.  So, heavy emphasis on “little” in that first sentence, right?   

We had grand visions at the end of 2020.  We saw the vaccine for Covid-19 rolling out in the fall and had a good overall feeling about our vision of early 2021.  Unfortunately, the plans we made to spend all of January in Alicante, exploring Valencia and that entire region, turned into wishful dreams when Catalonia and Valencia both decided to leave all borders closed and required residents to remain within their region of residence until nearly the end of June!  The uncontrolled spread of coronavirus was still a major concern in Spain for most of the first half of 2021.  The country entered their third “lockdown” around the end of 2020.  Even with the vaccine slowly being introduced and restrictions on movement, face masks, social distancing, and socializing, Spain didn’t feel good about the effectiveness of their infection control measures until well into the summer, and the country borders didn’t reopen until July 1, 2021.   Fortunately, after considerable effort on our part and bureaucracy on the part of the government, we managed to finally be officially entered into the Cat-Salut system and get ourselves vaccinated.   All three of us.

Also, this time around, the confinement measures didn’t require us to stay within our homes (1st confinement) or within the city of Barcelona (2nd confinement).  So, we were able to explore some of southern Catalonia, including the Ebro river Delta (Down on the Delta), Tarragona, Villafranca, and the Cava wine region just south of Barcelona. 

With the weather so mild and lovely for most of the spring and summer months, we also spent a fair amount of time exploring our own backyard.  We walked to Casa Vincens and Bellesguard – both relatively close proximity to our apartment.

We spent a couple days at Sol i Vi Hotel. Twice. It’s a lovely place and absolutely worth visiting more than once.

Additionally, we finally hired a car and rode to Santa Maria de Montserrat Abbey to see the Black Virgin and hike through the lovely gardens and trails. 

One sunny Sunday, we discovered a dragon statue at the Barcelona Sants train station as well as a massive park with a lovely water feature (where was THAT hiding?!?).  We also toured the Museum of Music in Barcelona, saw the Design Museum, the “Bullet” tower (Torre Glòries), and spent a long afternoon exploring the outdoor flea market with a mirrored roof, Market dels Encants, crammed with clothes, shoes, handbags, linens, books, collectibles, furniture, and a variety of other bric-a-brac and hubris all at “bargain” prices! We even saw a completely unexpected but beautiful bull ring (Monumental) in Poblenou, that we knew absolutely nothing about!  SURPRISE!!  

We spent one entire day walking around the harbor at the Port of Barcelona, called Port Vell.  The day started out overcast and chilly, but soon the rain clouds blew away and the sun came out to sparkle and shine on the water.  This wharf is normally teaming with tourists streaming out of tour busses and pouring off cruise ships, hardworking locals, cops, mariners moving sailboats in or out of dock, street vendors, and pickpockets.  That day, the place was largely vacant.  Something I suppose it hasn’t been since the day it was constructed nearly 20 years ago.  We had lunch outdoors at a very posh tapas restaurant for which I am certain we would have normally needed advance reservations. Afterwards, of course, we went shopping for hours in the massive mall, Maremagnum.  Allita even got her ears pierced (for the first time ever) at the jewelry store while Mom waited outside in the sunshine.   It was idyllic. 

The big trip for me this year was my birthday present from my mother.  In June, Allita and I went to Granada to see Alhambra in its entirety.  We spent three days there so we also saw the cathedral, walked the riverwalk, toured the old town and market district, and ate plenty of fabulous Moroccan-influenced and Mediterranean foods (sometimes even sitting on pillows around a table and eating with our hands).  It was an amazing way to celebrate my milestone birthday and I highly recommend it, if you have the chance.  We stayed at a tiny hotel right in the middle of the main tapas restaurants and flamenco bars.  We even caught sight of a gypsy flamenco dancer, although we didn’t make it to the caves for an actual live performance. 

In July, we booked an Air B&B for a week at Allita’s favorite beach, Casteldefels.  We celebrated Allita’s 13th birthday in a 3rd floor walk-up located just off the main street near the boardwalk.  A big milestone birthday for her – finally becoming an actual teenager.  It was also Allita’s first time shopping for knock-off designer fashion (handbags, wallets, etc.) from Africa.  Ha!  Of course, we collected lots of seashells, built sandcastles, and spent many hours riding the waves.  Allita even talked me into ordering duck from the local Chinese food restaurant as a special take-away dinner.  

In August, we ended our second year of living in Barcelona with a big decision.  We have loved our time here, and we would absolutely repeat the same move, if we had to do it all again.  Granted, we would hopefully be a bit more organized, bring less stuff, and arrive before August (universal vacation month) – hindsight being 20/20 after all.  The pandemic did throw a spanner into the works, but we are adapting to the “new normal”, which is admittedly a bit unpredictable.   The only real assurance we have is that the authorities will not hesitate to confine us again, should they believe that measure is warranted.  Which means, part of our “new normal” is changing the way we think about things – including how and what we plan for the future.  

Thus, we’ve decided to move – yet again!  We feel good about our time in Catalonia.  We have also toured Aragon, Navarra, La Rioja, the Basque country, and Madrid.  But, we still want to spend time in Andalusia, Murcia, and Valencia.  These regions of Spain are rich with history and culture, and we have a number of places we would like to visit while we still live abroad.  Proximity does matter, so our best bet is relocate to the south, where we stand a better chance of being able to visit these other areas during the breaks between lockdowns.  Allita already has full-time, online education with a flexible, year-round schedule that affords us plenty of freedom.  Our major concern is the cat and finding accommodations where he can be accepted, if not welcomed.  Allita also started clarinet lessons this year, so wherever we stay needs to be private enough that practice of said woodwind doesn’t disturb the Peace.   Well, at least not the entire neighborhood, even if the appearance of that little black case has the same effect as the vacuum cleaner on Toby.   

As we begin the end of 2021 and the start of our third year living abroad, we find ourselves once again cleaning out, downsizing, and packing up to move.  Our destination is Almería, a lovely town along the Andalusian coast.  If everything goes as planned, we will spend at least 5 months there, living on the coast, and exploring the rest of Spain.  We are all excited about this next adventure.  So, you can expect to see more details in the near future about all of our 2021 adventures as well as our future 2022 destination. 

In the meantime, “Aloha, suckers!”.

Every time I think of the Delta, I think of Helen Reddy and how everyone in our car used to sing out loud to her song whenever it came on the radio.  My mom, dad, aunt, cousins, and even my school friends all knew and loved this particular melody.  We would belt out the tune in our off-keyed harmony, often making up lyrics on the fly, as we cruised down the highway on any one of many childhood road trips in Mom’s orange wood-paneled Buick Vista Cruiser.  My mother’s tenor would lead us since Dad and I couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket.  Such fantastic memories!  And here we were, yet again, just like Dawn, headed downtown with a suitcase in our hands, looking for a dark-haired stranger.  Only our guy was actually employed by Avis and would provide us with the rental car we needed to whisk ourselves away on our next trip! 

For our week in the Delta and our first trip of 2021, we procured a rental bungalow at the lovely Camping Ampolla Playa (https://www.campingampolla.es) in the tiny village of L’Ampolla on the Costa Dorada.  Mom wanted to see some wild flamingos and Allita was excited to play in the sand and surf.  I was hoping to wander through a rice field for the first time in my life.  Possibly even do some fishing?  Who knows what adventure we might discover?  The possibilities were endless and we had been long awaiting this opportunity to venture forth and explore; now that the government felt the pandemic was under better control and had loosened the restrictions on travel.  Although we had planned to visit Alicante and Valencia for a month, both those areas were not open to us at that time, so we were getting as close as we possibly could while still making the most of our experience by visiting a lovely and very important area within our travel boundary (Catalonia).    

Here is what we did on our this leg of our trip:

We spent quality time on the lovely sandy beach very near our bungalow at the campground.

We collected shells, rocks and sea glass. 

We built Sandcastles.

We played at the playground and exercise/activity area and explored the pool (not yet open), restaurant, and grocery market.

On Friday, we spent the entire day exploring the actual Delta of the Ebro river.  (More on this day in another post which is dedicated entirely to Parque Natural del Delta del Ebro)

Finally, on Saturday, we headed out on foot, because the sun was shining and the weather was warmer, although it was still quite windy and brisk.  We planned a nice quick walk to L’Ampolla along the boardwalk to the marina and that’s exactly what we got. 

Although it was not really a quick walk.  All-in-all, we walked for just over 3 hours, exploring a small section of the little town near the yacht club and just below the actual port.  There were some beaches but all were gravel and rock and none as beautiful as ours just around the bay.  One did have some tide pools, which Allita found exciting and decided to explore even though I prophetically predicated she would get her still-shod feet wet. 

It was a lovely excursion.  The small section of L’Ampolla we explored was so much like any other small coastal mediterranean town that we could easily have been in Italy or Greece, meandering the streets and back alleyways, and poking into every possible shop we could find.  Yes, we also made a variety of purchases, mostly apparel.  That was quite fun indeed.

Most of our time in lovely L’Ampolla was spent relaxing and enjoying the beach and the campground.  We rented paddle ball equipment and played for 1 1/2 hours during which time we also simultaneously explored the nearby creek bed and flora.  As Allita observed, those little balls can really travel! We had only one period of cold overcast weather and we spent that morning inside playing games, reading, and generally relaxing, but were able to enjoy some dappled sunshine and beach walking later that afternoon.  After a full, fun-filled week down on the Delta, we washed our clothes and packed up the rental car again to head north to Tarragona for a week of Cava and glamping!

The Ebro River Delta is home to Parque Natural del Delta del Ebro, which includes around 20,000 acres (30 square miles) of protected wetlands, beaches, marshes, salt pans and estuaries that are a winter stopping point for over 300 different species of migratory animals (particularly birds).  The Ebro itself is the longest river entirely in Spain flowing through at least 20 different cities.  In fact, it is the third largest river to drain into the Mediterranean after the Rhône and the Nile.  We have crossed the Ebro river a few times during our previously road trips (Logroño).  However, this was our first time visiting the famous Delta region in Tarragona, one of the largest Mediterranean wetlands, and what Allita refers to as the “Delta Biome” (Minecraft reference).  

We explored the Delta on a rainy, overcast Friday, which was also quite chilly, so spending the day mostly in the car was not a great difficulty.  We saw Greater Flamingos, Mallards, Heron, various Tern, some coot (mostly the avian variety but we did see a few, older, homo sapiens as well), Gulls, and a plethora of other fauna all living among the rice fields, reedy marshes, lagoons, and cat-tailed wetlands spread all over the Ebro River Delta region.  We darefully drove our little rental vehicle from the campgrounds along roads that don’t exist on any map we owned and were just vague grey lines even at max zoom on Google’s version.  I’m quite surprised at how much detail that app. has for where we were, considering that on multiple occasions we were literally driving ON THE BEACH and within a few meters of the actual surf.  While, other times, it felt like we were probably rolling casually down someone’s driveway at best or a well-traveled animal corridor at worst.  This was the type of adventuring I have not experienced since our road trip through Utah in 2016.  Another nostalgic feature of this journey was the sand dunes all along the beach area.  I have not seen such a quality dune system at the beach since I was a child exploring the coastal Carolinas.  

We wandered these “roads” for many hours and rarely encountered other travelers, even locals.  We passed through Deltebre, Sant Jaume d’Enveja, and finally ended up in Eucaliptus.  In fact, we picked up the very best of the marshland and bird-watching at la Tancada on our way to Poble Nou del Delta. 

We ended our day excursion passing l’encanylssada lagoon with it’s lovely homes, Sant Carles de la Capita and stopping in Amposta to explore the Lidl and stretch our legs.  We got a glimpse of L’Aldea and Camarles on our way back to L’Ampolla to the campground but since we were traveling the N-340 at the time, it wasn’t much more than a quick look.   All-in-all, we were extraordinarily lucky that we arrived only a week before all these tiny paths wandering through the region would be closed off for 6 months as part of ecological preservation and rice cultivating activities that happen in this area every year.  Otherwise, our entire visit would have been nothing much more than a quick glimpse from the distant highway.

I don’t have the vocabulary in my repertoire to do justice to the beauty of all we witnessed on the Delta and sadly, my photography skills are even more lacking.  To say that it is absolutely a place worth visiting is a massive understatement, but you would get no argument from the multitude of fowl that flock to this area every year.  Parque Natural del Delta del Ebro is a hidden marvel of wonders – a biological gem – a place where man and nature live and labor in harmony and balance, season after season.   It is easy to understand why the Spanish strive so hard to preserve this lovely area.  

My father was an enthusiastic fan of the vino.  Perhaps, he was not precisely a connoisseur, but he certainly was the family pundit when it came to selecting the appropriate wine to pair with a meal or to celebrate an occasion.  He collected wines from all over the world, and frequently visited wineries and toured vineyards.  More than once he took a class to learn from an expert gourmet or sommelier – sometimes even while on a cruise!  Such was the depth of his passion and enthusiasm for the grape.  One of his very favorite wines, was Marqués de Cáceres, produced in La Rioja, Spain for over five generations.  I can recall many moments spent discussing the great virtues of the tempranillo grape and how much he appreciated the smell, feel and taste of this particular red wine.  

My father died in 2015.  It feels like yesterday and sometimes I still expect him to simply appear.  He is part of our lives even today.  You know, it’s not at all unusual for one of us to remark, “Dad would really have enjoyed this”, or to recall a memory involving him and something related to our current circumstances.  Whether we are adventuring or just living our normal routine, his spirit seems to always be with us.  So, when at last we finally found our way to Logroño, the capital of La Rioja, and the home of Dad’s favorite wine, I suppose it was only natural that memories of my father would play predominately in my mind. 

Logroño is a small city with around 150,000 inhabitants.  Coming from Bilbao, which is easily twice that size, and Barcelona, which is almost 10 times that size, we found this city quaint and easily traversed.  It is also located right on the Ebro river so there were tons of bridges – those beautiful Spanish architectural constructs – available for us to view as we traveled and explored.  Along the route, we drove past three large, white, metal bridges that were surprisingly stunning in design.  We saw the Puenta de Práxedes Mateo Sagasta, the newest and most modern of the bridges we had seen thus far, at the Parque de la Isla (park at the riverbank) when we first arrived in town.  We saw the bridge from the distance and decided to stop for a moment to take in the view.  Then we turned around and drove back into the city center towards El Cubo de Revellín (the tower) and the great Revellín wall, which are part of the remains of the city’s original fortifications.  

I eventually parked the car and we left Mom to relax while Allita and I trekked through the Parque del Ebro (city park) area and got a fantastic view of Casa de las Ciencias (House of the Sciences) and the absolutely gorgeous Puente de Hierro (Iron Bridge), which is also the oldest of the bridges crossing the Ebro River in Logroño.  Also, this is my favorite of the bridges we saw or visited in La Rioja. From the same area, we were able to view the Puente de Piedra, another famous bridge that is mostly remarkable because it is featured in the city shield and is the place where the Camino de Santiago enters the city.   At this point, I should note that I had ignorantly and innocently parked the car illegally, so when Allita and I returned, we were surprised to discovered Mom entertaining a Spanish police officer from her passenger-side seat.  Thankfully, he was extremely understanding and forgiving (and probably also amused).  We all agreed it was best to locate our hotel, which included a private parking garage, and continue the rest of our journey on foot.  We spent the rest of our time walking in Logroño.  Considering our main destination was La Laurel, that was probably a good decision.  

Calle del Laurel (Laurel Street), locally and affectionately known as “La Laurel”, is the main and most famous street in the taperías quarter.  In fact, there are well over 50 different tapas or pinxto (pincho) bars/restaurants in this four-block area.  Wow! Not to mention all the bodegas offering samples at their stand-up tables. Hello! Welcome! Every establishment served a variety of tapas or media ración (half or small portions) and, of course, the famous Rioja D.O. wine.  Each place had their own particular flavors and speciality dishes, which they paired perfectly with a local wine. 

In my humble opinion, the very best way to experience La Laurel is the way we did it – start at one end and wander slowly through the street, stopping as you like to share tapas and taste wine, until you are either too full or too inebriated to go any further.  I recommend you also have a functional GPS on your fully charged phone or a good map of the city so that it’s easier for someone in your party to locate your hotel for a post-tapas siesta.  In fact, we used this as an opportunity for Allita to practice her map-reading and navigational skills.  Ha! The locals call this little neighborhood “la senda de los elefantes” (the path of the elephants) because you exit with your trunk down and on all fours!  Clearly it’s fairly common for visitors to stumble their way along this route and, we found ourselves sharing the narrow passageways with an unexpectedly large number of locals and guests.  Thankfully it was all outdoors, the weather was perfect, and, for the most part, people were observing all the safety rules.  The food was delicious, unusual and fun and the wine was definitely worth savoring.  More than anything else I can think of, Dad really would have really enjoyed this part of our trip.