To the Coast and the Costa Brava

Monday 22nd and we prepare the van for travelling with the sun glinting on the snow in the distant mountains – great walking country so worth another visit some time. No-one was interested in our arrival at this site and no-one is around to say goodbye so we post €10 in an envelope and set off for Barcelona over the hills via a dual carriageway which meanders through attractive pine clad hills.

We can always tell when we are approaching a major city as the traffic begins to increase - imperceptibly at first and gradually gaining momentum until suddenly we find ourselves caught up in the a hurtling mass of vehicles. This was true near Paris, Toulouse and Orléans and now we are being swept towards Barcelona and the sea. One motorway after another takes us in, out, over and under the city until we emerge from the whole experience shaken but not stirred and take the coast road to Stiges, about an hour south of the city.

The Med is on our left and a sheer rock face on our right but the after half an hour of switchback along the coast we find our campsite for the next few nights and park up amongst the motor homers of Europe, a couple from Cumbria one side and Dutch and French on the other. The site has restaurant, shop, free wi-fi, an internet room, swimming pool etc. Judging by the number of caravans closely packed over 10+ acres this place will be heaving at busy times but is now a ghost town with probably only a couple of dozen of us enjoying the peace and warm sunshine.

A bus stops outside the gate and will take us to Barcleona and so the next morning, after an evening planning, we set off to see some of Gaudi’s and Picasso’s city. Perfect sightseeing weather greets us as we alight at the La Rambla and begin to stroll around taking in the sights and sounds. To be honest we found La Rambla and the old town a bit disappointing; the high spots were the bustling fresh food market, La Boqueria, the buildings that house the Picasso museum and the Palau de la Musica Catalana. A tour of the Picasso museum gave an excellent insight into the various stages through which the painter went in his long career and the influences on the styles he adopted - the early works were a revelation and showed the skill the artist had from a young age.

Next day, Wednesday, found us in L’Eixample heading up the wide avenue of Passeig de Grȁcia with its multiple styles of architecture to the famous Casa Batilló. Fantastic fun and better in the flesh than any photograph. Next on to the “must see” La Sagrada Familia whose towers peeped at us as we walked between tall buildings. Of course the obvious joke is that it will be great once it is finished – started over 120 years ago and still at least 20 years work to be done – it’s a building site – literally!

Although you may be familiar with its outline, nothing quite prepares you for the experience of walking around this church inside and out – it is stunning for the intricate nativity façade designed by Gaudi, the stark Passion façade by Subirachs, its many towers, tree-like supporting pillars, stained glass windows and painted ceiling. Although not finished and lacking the third, Glory, façade you can already get a real sense of how the finished church will be. Inside, the workforce continue to build high on the many scaffolds with visitors milling around beneath – the chance to see it under construction gives a greater sense of the work involved and makes the idea of constructing these huge buildings in medieval times quite awe inspiring.
We took the opportunity to take the lift up one of the towers which gives spectacular views of the city and also enabled a close up view of the Passion Façade. It was windy and the few steps across the bridge from one tower to the next were quite daunting – I am sure I felt the towers moving. Highly recommended and we will be back to see it completed.

We took the metro to Parc Gűell, high, overlooking the city and another project that Gaudi was unable to complete but where you find great views and can get a sense of the miniature garden city that was planned. A couple of hours rest and recuperation in the sun - a great day and we feel we could return to Barcelona later in the trip and visit some of the other sights.

Thursday and we take a few hours for planning the next stage take a trip to Sitges, walking into town to shop, along the deserted promenade with, after a short shower, afternoon sunshine then back to the van for tea a chat with our neighbours. They will head north for Rosas while we go south towards Valencia before heading inland to Madrid.