After Valencia, we decided to skip Barcelona altogether, as we were suffering from big-city burnout—a six-week trip will do that to you! That, and the fact that we’ve been there several times before.
Street in Girona.
We decided to scoot up to Girona, near the French border. We fought high winds all through Tarragona and fondly talked about our friend, Wolfe, who we stayed with several years ago and suddenly passed away last year. We wondered what happened to the finca and olive plantation that he loved so dearly.
While driving further north past Barcelona, we were awestruck by the sharp-toothed mountains to the west. After a bit of research, we realized that these were the Montserrat moutains, where the Benedictine Abbey, founded in the 10th century, still functions to this day. We decided to visit another time in warmer weather.
Montserrat Mountains, Spain. Photo from Lonely Planet.
Once we reached Girona, it was difficult to chose where to dine, as there were SO MANY great restaurants in old town. We chose wisely and had some wonderful meals. One evening, we stopped for a nightcap and to finish watching the Chelsea/Barcelona soccer match. Had a great conversation with a couple of local guys who surprised us by buying our drinks! We promised to root for Barça from now on (even though we really like Madrid too!)
- Theo’s impression of Sitting Bull in a bar with decor of American Indian stuff and Bruce Springsteen!
On our way to Carcassonne, we stopped at the must-see Dalí museum in his hometown of Figueres, Spain. We both admit that it was a surreal experience (pun intended) and are a bit confused by what was going on his mind, but thoroughly enjoyed the visit and were glad we went.
The weather turned bitterly cold, so we decided to cut the last few days from our trip and head home. Our last stop ended up being Carcassonne, a medieval citadel, which is one of the best preserved in the world. It’s claim to fame is the 3 kilometer long (1.9 miles) double fortress wall, interspersed with 52 towers. With over 2,500 years of history, the preservation of the fortress was begun in the late 19th century, and was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. Really great to stumble around here, despite all the tacky tourist shops. And thanks to the Michelin Restaurant Guide, we hit upon some great eateries too (and dodged the awful tourist food!)