Floyd's Travels and Thoughts on Life: October 2017

In October 2017 daughter Susan and I went on a self-guided walking tour in Catalonia in NE Spain. The hotel bookings were arranged by Mac's Adventure, a company I have used for 4 other self-guided hiking trips, all in England. The local arrangements, including route instructions and baggage transfers, were done by a local company Catalan Adventures. Both companies did an excellent job, and everything went off without a hitch. After leaving Madison, WI we flew to Charlotte, then to Madrid, and then on to Barcelona. At the Barcelona airport we took the airport train to the main train station in Barcelona and from there took a train north to Figueres Vilafant, where we were met by the Catalan Adventures van. We were then transferred to the village of Sant Pere de Pescador, the start point for our hike. During our 9 day walking holiday we stayed in 5 lovely Catalan villages, each with its own distinctive character. We hiked from L'Escala to Sant Pere de Pescador along the beautiful Bay of Roses, stopping for two hours on the way to explore the ruins of two ancient cities -- one Greek and one Roman -- at Empuries. On the following day we hiked from Sant Pere de Pescador to Castillo d'Empuries, which took us through a nature reserve. Then we hiked from Roses to the beautiful village of Cadaques; during this longest and most scenic of our hikes, over 13 miles, we were following the coastline along the Mediterranean, visiting one secluded cove after another. Another day we hiked from the lighthouse at the Cap de Crues, the Western-most area in Spain where the Pyranees Mountains meet the Mediterranean, back to Cadaques, stopping to visit the studio/home of Salvadore Dali at Port Ligat. Another day we hiked from Cadaque to El Port De La Selva, one of the most important fishing ports in Catalonia. After a rest day there, we then hiked over the mountain to the village of Palau Saverdera, first climbing to the mountain ridge to see ruins of the Castle of Sant Salvador, then spending two hours exploring the impressive monastery of Sant Pere de Roses, before descending the mountain to Palau Saverdera. On our last day we were transferred to the train station to get a train back to Barcelona where we spent several hours, and hiked 5 miles, exploring parts of the city, especially looking at three of the architectural wonders designed by the Catalonian architect, Antoni Gaudi: Casa Mila, Casa Batllo, and his unfinished masterpiece, the Sagrada Familia, the most visited monument in all of Spain. It was a wonderful trip. Perfect weather (70's F everyday) and no rain. Lovely Catalan villages, first-rate hotel accomodations, gorgeous coastal scenery, the turquoise blue of the Mediterranean Sea, nature reserves and natural areas.