Day 3
Today Laura and I are headed by way of a private tour to Costa Brava and Girona, northeast of Barcelona and home to some of the most beautiful views and beaches in Europe. Our guide Aleix picked us up near our hostel, and we made our way with the rest of our group up the AP-7 (autopista in Spanish is highway) first to Girona.
Girona is a beautiful little city, mostly unmarred by tourism except at the height of the day, and the sight of some famous Game of Thrones vistas. We had a short visit here, but enough to visit the Arab Baths, originally built in 1194 with a Roman structure (not particularly Arab), and see the basilica Cersei apparently failed to blow up. A very pretty little city with cobblestone streets and picturesque greenery.
After Girona, we made our way to Perratallada, an almost perfectly preserved medieval town. Absolutely stunning place, and apparently the reenactments and summer festivals are quite the spectacle. We climbed up a medieval watchtower to get some glorious views of the town and countryside, as well as the keep which is being rehabilitated.
We went to lunch with the group at Sa Torre in Palau-Sator, another nearby and well-preserved village. I ordered a spicy rabbit stew while Laura opted for an exquisitely dressed tuna salad.
Aleix then took us to Mas Oller, a lovely winery with a few different varieties. Most interesting to me was the wine fermented outside! Normally that strikes one as not exactly above board, but the proprietress ensured us for that particular variety it was quite acceptable. For now, I’ll believe her.
From here Aleix took us to Calella de Palafrugell, a small town on the coast of Girona with some rocky but nevertheless lovely beaches. We did a quick change to enjoy some time on the beach, then headed back home in the van. Throughout our trip Aleix was very entertaining, willing to discuss much of the history of the area, his own experiences, and answering many questions about each location we visited. We skipped dinner after such a big lunch, and have nothing planned for tomorrow, but I’m sure we’ll seize the day.
Day 4
Another restful honeymoon day awaits Laura and I. Well, at least one of us. I got up early to push out another 5K while Laura justifiably slept in after two long days. A quick snack was made of a calamari sandwich at the perfectly average Sun Coffee and Bakery.
From there, we meandered over to Mercat de la Boqueria. This is a bustling, vibrant public market renowned for its crazy food selection. And it was quite wild. Olives as far as the eye could see. Oysters on ice, along with every type of meat you could imagine. Jamon iberico tacos! Fried burritos! Some crazy concoctions I’ve not seen anywhere else.
We went for some shopping at Laura’s behest (fear not good reader, I also picked up some underwear), then returned to the room for a siesta before heading to La Lucha for dinner on a whim.
I’ll admit, I was initially skeptical of Laura’s choice, but the place turned out to be absolutely delicious. We started with causa acevichada, a potato cake in yellow lime sauce stuffed with tuna and avocado, finished with ceviche.
I opted for the hamburguesa la lucha, and it was life-changing. Absolutely delicious, cooked before my eyes, perfectly dressed. It wasn’t even hot. The bun fell apart. But none of it mattered. I was smacking my lips in ways I rarely have before. I’ll dream of that cheeseburger. The strong pitcher of sangria beforehand probably didn’t hurt.
Tomorrow we head to Madrid by train. We greatly enjoyed Barcelona, but suspect Madrid may be a little more our speed. Time to find out.
