Sagrata Familia and 80s Pop

Our first stop was at the Sagrada Familia. Christianity's impact on  architecture (among other things, of course) is truly remarkable. It seems like the greatest architecture in the world is represented by cathedrals and this  cathedral for the Holy Family is a prime example.

Amazing place.  Flooded with colorful light from stained glass. It is fairly new (compared to most European cathedrals). Construction started about 100 years ago.  Supposedly, it will be finished in 2026. 

Back on the but to tour the rest of the city. They don't build hospitals like they used to.

More cathedrals.

The bus' regular stopping points are disrupted today due to protests. One thing we cannot escape here is the friction between the Catalonia region of Spain (where we have spent the whole trip) and the rest of Spain. Catalonia wants its independence, but Spain strongly disagrees. On every block we see Catalonia flags.

Today is "Spain Day" and groups are taking to the streets (and blocking them) to protest Spain's rule over this region. We were stopped at the main square. Here, a pro Spain bus was playing what I presume is the Spanish national anthem.

(As soon as the anthem was over, they switched to the 80s pop classic "Never Going To Give You Up" by Rick Astley.)

We then dined on the beach. Jo and I had a cheese burger and fries.

Scooter found his store.

Also, Michelle also found her store.

We walked for miles. We found another cathedral.

Here is a strange store. It featured this guy.

They sold t-shirts, doormats, figurines, and many other things featuring the same scene. I chose not to research it further.

We walked the baroque part of town. Scooter and I spent much of our time leaning against ancient street walls as Jo and Michelle shopped. However, when Scooter and I stopped for a beverage, this is what the wall looked like.

No spouses waiting for us to finish our German lagers. They were shopping. I guess we do not have equal relationships.

Jo's routine pose on every corner:

A shower and then tapes. (Don't let anyone fool you, despite the exotic sound to the word, tapes is just a small plate of anything such as macaroni and cheese or Doritos sprinkled with some pretty colored flavoring).  We were on the roof of a fancy hotel. Very nice.

We then went to Casa Batllo, designed by the same guy who designed the Sagrata Familia. But, the only thing missing from this bizarre place was Thing 1 and Thing 2.

We then spent the evening on the roof sipping Cava (Spanish champagne) and listening to live music. Sadly, he covered no AC/DC tunes. 

Then, it was bed time to prepare for another busy day of being tourists.

The Fast Train

Michelle, Scooter, Jo and I were the last of our group still standing in Girona. We walked the ancient wall and toured the cathedral pictured in yesterday's post.

We then took a taxi to the railway station and hopped on the bullet train to Barcelona. It was very smooth and almost as fast as Anna, Ben, Jack and I drove in the BMW at Road America and Brainerd International Raceway.

We took a taxi to our hotel in the heart of Barcelona. We spent the day sampling the city atop a double decker bus. We drove by the Casa Mila which looked as if it was right out of a Dr. Seuss book.

On the way to dinner we stopped at a sidewalk cafe.

Then we were off to yet another tasty dinner.

The End and the Beginning

Today, October 11th, is the day we bid farewell to our friends. The Parallel hiking trip has ended. People are scattering. (Some are complaining of being overserved last night.)

Chad took John and Laurie to the airport on their way to Majorca. Jorgys and and Eric and Betsy are off to rent a car to drive to wine county. Jo, Scooter, Michelle and I take the "fast train" to Barcelona.

This is my last blog entry for our large group of friends. If you want to follow Scooter and Michelle for a couple days, read on. For those of you following me and Jo for the next week, there is more to come.

Walls and Terraces

Everywhere we went were walls and ancient terraces hand built out of mortarless stacked rocks.

They were everywhere on the side of most mountains and hills. They presently seemed to serve no purpose. I don't know the history, but I suspect they once supported olive trees or some other crop. However, it is hard to imagine what could grow in such a dry climate and poor soil.

Saving the Best for Last

This post is published out of order. It is our last day of our hike.

It has gone by way to fast. Today is our final hike. We leave Cala Joncols and head to Roses. Another perfect day. Sixty degrees and sun at 9:30. Adios Hotel Cala Joncols.

Today's hike was along the cliffs overlooking crystal clear Mediterranean waters.

Every once in awhile we would climb downhill to walk a beautiful beach before ascending. At this point in our trip, the beaches have gone from topless to nude (and that is not always a good thing).

The girls were disinclined to join in on the local tradition despite our encouragement.

We reached the beach in Roses. While I have spent my life in front of juries articulating feelings and emotions, I cannot seem to find the words to describe the feeling of floating on our backs in the Mediterranean. Let's just say it was very cool.

We enjoyed cervesas and sangrias at a beach bar before hopping in the vans and heading to Girona.

Girona is a pretty old town. The Romans established the town in 1 B.C. Our hotel was built on a Roman foundation, but our hotel was built much later (in the 8th century). 

For you Game of Thrones fans, this town is King's Landing and this cathedral is where Cersei began her Walk of Shame. (Jo decided to leave her clothes on rather than imitate Cersei's walk.)

Having walked the same streets, we can tell you that the producers of that show did not have to do anything to modify this town. 

Jo and I spent time doing one of my favorite things in any European country. We sat at a sidewalk restaurant and watch the people go by.

It is striking seeing the lack of obesity here. However, ironically, so many people smoke cigarettes. 

We all joined together for a cocktail hour at a wine bar with tapas. 

From there we went to a fantastic restaurant and had such a good time that would neglected to take pictures aside from Jorgy spilling wine all over the floor which was cleaned up by the staff.

There was a great deal of laughter which seemed to go on for hours. Walking back allowed us to see a cathedral at night.

We had great aspirations to head to the rooftop bar on our hotel, but decided to go to bed instead.

Hike from Cadaques to Cala Joncols

A leisurely morning. 

We donned our Parallel uniforms and posed on the terrace.

At about noon, we headed up the mountain and stopped to bid farewell to Cadaques.

Up we climbed up and then down on our way to the very isolated town of Cala Joncols.

Cala Joncols is a one horse town. No bars. No stores. No restaurants (aside from the one in our boutique hotel).

Looking out from our hotel room was a beautiful small bay surrounded by rocky cliffs.

We sat under the olive trees and enjoyed our well-deserved beverages.

Some of us headed to the beach. Others remained under the olive trees.

Cocktail hour was under the olive trees.

Dinner and then early to bed.

Another Day in Paradise

It is October 8th.

We took a day off from hiking. We stayed in Cadaques for the day and everyone went their own way. Some shopped; some went sightseeing on another perfect day.

Jorgy, Scooter and I visited the Salvador Dali museum. He was one odd guy.

Spending the afternoon at a beach tapas bar was relaxing.

Late afternoon we took a boat ride on the Mediterranean.

We had yet another outstanding dinner overlooking the sea.

Tomorrow it is back to hiking. It will be hard to leave this beautiful seaside town.