Let's go to Catalonia

After Easter, we set off for Spain, or rather Catalonia, in the rain and wind. Actually, we didn't plan to visit the Costa Brava much, but a few weeks before our departure, we saw a great travel report that made us curious. After a long search, we found a nice little campsite near Palafrugell/Palamos (Camping International). In summer, it's probably a nightmare, but at that time there were only two other campers on the site, just to our liking 😬 We even had a bit of a sea view, although we were a bit of a walk away from the sea.

The next day, we walked a short stretch on the Cami Ronda, a long-distance hiking trail that leads from France to Blanes in Catalonia, mostly along the coast. It's about 230 km in total, but you can also walk smaller sections. We started at 'our' beach and walked about 3 coves further. It took us about 2 hours round trip. After just 5 minutes of walking, we were treated to breathtakingly beautiful scenery! Gorgeous turquoise coves nestled between rugged cliffs, all lushly green. Here and there, a few small fishing huts. Truly beautiful and a great change from the hotel castles and residences you usually see around the coves.

The next day, we actually wanted to look for a parking space at another cove near the small mountain village of Begur. But as usual, we dawdled in the morning and missed the check-out at the campsite.... we were 10 minutes late - reception closed.... 🙈 So we had to wait until 4pm, after siesta. In the meantime, we went to refuel, do some shopping, and scout out a suitable spot for the night near Begur. But it was quite steep up and down, our Miss Molly had to suffer a lot, and the brakes were smelling quite bad..... So we decided, since we had to go back to the campsite anyway to pay, to stay there for another night and leave early the next morning to visit Begur first and then hike a bit on the Cami Ronda from a flatter spot. And that's what we did, Begur was beautiful, with a great panoramic view from the top. And our hike on the Cami Ronda was great again, although this time much more strenuous. We got lost a few times, so it took us about 4.5 hours instead of the planned 3. It was really up and down stairs, over rocks and stones, steeply up and down the mountain (20% gradient!). My kneecaps even complained going downhill.... But all the effort was worth it, because we found a beautiful little cove thanks to getting lost. There we took a break on a cliff edge, surrounded by cliffs, and we were all alone.

After the hike, we continued on, completely exhausted, because we really wanted to go to Barcelona. In the app Park4Night, we found a parking space about 20 minutes before Barcelona and looked for a spot there. Just a simple place in the suburbs, but everything was super clean and with free Wi-Fi, and only 5 minutes from the sea. Of course, we went back to the sea for the sunset with a beer 😉

The next day, Barcelona was on the program, of course! Again, a bit later than planned, we took the train (the station was also only 5 minutes from the parking space) into the city. We even initially got the wrong ticket and wasted 20 euros.... 🙈 And when we arrived at Plaza Catalunya in Barcelona, we couldn't get out of the train station because the ticket validation didn't work..... luckily there was a nice lady who helped us. First, we walked along the Rambla, but it was too touristy and crowded, so we went to the market, La Boqueria. Of course, it was also crowded, but it was very interesting with its various stands, stalls, and an abundance of everything you could desire. We had a beer and some food there. Somehow, Oliver's sunglasses were stolen 😕 We don't know if they were taken directly from his head or from the table. It's annoying, but there are worse things.....

After that, we just let ourselves wander, first through the Gothic Quarter, then through El Born. We particularly liked El Born, with its little shops, small bars, and cafes, great atmosphere, not so crowded. But in general, the city wasn't as crowded as we had feared for a Saturday. But we couldn't get spontaneous tickets for the Sagrada Familia or Park Guell for the weekend. That's what happens when you don't plan anything.... We passed by the square in front of the cathedral in the early evening and wondered where the music was coming from. There was a huge orchestra sitting in front of the cathedral, playing typical Catalan music, and on the square, there were dance groups dancing to the music. Some were professionals, some were people who spontaneously joined a group. It was really exciting and just beautiful to watch.

We ended the evening in the Born district with delicious food and later a glass of wine in a bodega. Originally, we planned to go back to the city on Sunday to at least see the Sagrada Familia from the outside. But sometimes spontaneous and amazing encounters happen, and everything turns out differently. Next to us, there were two Koreans with their van. We started talking and they told us that they had been traveling for 1 year and actually traveled from South Korea to Europe via Mongolia, Russia, and Finland. Now they were stranded here because they were attacked and robbed while sleeping at a service station in France - while they were asleep!!! Since they now need new passports, have to organize this and that, and also have to fly home to extend their visas, they are stranded here. (more details on YouTube under campingcarjoa) Besides this horror story, they had so much incredible stories to tell that we couldn't break away and spent the whole day chatting. It's encounters like these that make van life so interesting.