All posts by Kim

Barcelona

Thursday 9th November 2017

Our plan today was to visit one of our favourite cities; Barcelona. We were acutely aware of recent events in the city, who wouldn’t be? Nevertheless, since being in Catalonia, nothing had given us cause to be concerned.

On our trips to major cities, we frequently chose the train to take the strain but we had heard about disruptions and cancellations on the trains in and out of Barcelona, so thought it wise to opt for another mode of transport.

Luckily for us, the Mon Bus runs from our campsite, Vilanova Park, to Barcelona every half hour. What could be more simple!

In hindsight we should have done our homework and caught a much earlier bus. There is just way too much to see and do in Barcelona and we hadn’t allowed ourselves anywhere near enough time to enjoy it all, as we were to discover.

10.15 am and the bus departed for the city, on time. It was a comfy ride, stopping at Vilanova i la Geltrú and arrived in Plaςa d’Espanya, Barcelona, promptly at 11.20 am.

Ray made sure to drop a pin on Google maps to ensure we were able to find our way back to the bus stop! Always helpful 🙂

This was an area of the city we had not visited before and there was plenty to explore. We navigated our way around the busy roundabout in the centre of the Plaça d’Espanya. In the middle stands the monumental fountain, which marks the avenue leading to the grounds of the 1929 International Exhibition.

We headed towards the imposing sight of Las Arenas de Barcelona and the glass elevator, costing €1 each, which takes you to the rooftop viewing platform. A gimmick but what the heck!

The viewpoint can also be reached by a series of escalators in the shopping plaza, for no charge.

The circular rooftop enables you to enjoy panoramic views of the Plaça, including the Parc de Joan Miró, with it’s Woman and Bird Sculpture. (Unfortunately we didn’t get a photo of the sculpture to the left, only the park).

On our list of things to do was to revisit the Sagrada Família. How was the building work coming on? Would it be finished?

Off we set along the Gran via de les Corts Catalans, more commonly referred to as the Gran Via, one of Barcelona’s major avenues.

We passed Casa Golferichs on the Gran Via. Now a cultural and civic centre.

Luckily we did not have to walk the Gran Vias entire length, over 8 miles. Just the hour or so! It was a very busy road but a pleasant walk.

Barcelona Metro Guide: tickets can be purchased for the metro, bus or tram, or all 3 ( T10). It’s worth checking out the options available, depending on how long you are visiting Barcelona.

On reaching Plaça de Tetuan, we headed north east towards the iconic church Sagrada Família, another World Heritage site.

Our intention was not to go into the church or the towers, as we had already experienced this a few years ago and not surprisingly, it is still not finished 🙂 Watch this space in 2026, as this is the year the Basilica is reputed to be finally completed!

If you are thinking of visiting it is definitely worth purchasing tickets on line, to save time, as even in November it was incredibly busy.

Whilst we were snapping away taking photos, we happened to notice the Barcelona City Bus Tour. (Green route, east, stop number 12). We just wished we had noticed the bus stop on the Orange route when we first arrived at Plaça d’Espanya, as we could have made the most of a day ticket. (Note to self for future reference).

The bright red double-decker open-top Barcelona buses offer 2 routes. West route – Orange route or East route – Green route. Each taking approximately 2 hours. (So you can imagine our dilemma).

We paid the daily rate of €29 each, which would have been well worth it, if we had started our tour earlier in the day. Nevertheless the hop on hop off service was excellent and we would highly recommend it. Just make sure you leave plenty of time to take in all the attractions that Barcelona has to offer.

First stop for us was  number 13 and Park Güell. But a word of caution. Be prepared for a 10+ minute walk up some steep paths to the park, as well as plenty of walking around the park too.

We went with the self-guided tour, including a ticket for the monumental zone, after which we were free to access the rest of the park for no charge.

We discovered that you can enjoy the majority of the park for free and even get to see some of the monumental zone if you approach from the south side.

Even on a November day the place was bustling with tourists, who like us wanted to admire the work of Antoni Gaudí, so be prepared.

Once you leave the monumental zone there is no re-entry, so make the most of your time there.

The Hypostyle is made up of 86  columns; the outer most ones  slope inwards. It’s worth reading up on this construction and how it was used to collect rainwater.

On passing through an original iron gate, we reached the gardens of the former farmhouse, the Casa Larrard and a portico backing onto the retaining wall of the upper roadway. It is made from  rough stone and resembles a huge wave.

Next we headed to the Plaça de la Natura, (Nature Square or originally The Greek Theatre).

It  was undergoing some major improvement work, but we were still able to take in the views over Barcelona and the undulating bench seating decorated with tile-shard mosaic,  planned by Josep M. Jujol.

The rest of our visit continued through the remainder of the park, which was just as spectacular.

Throughout the park we came across a number of musicians performing in these wonderful structures, as the acoustics were fantastic.

A combination of viaducts, paths, steps and roadways connect the many areas of the park and allow you to explore the trees and Mediterranean plants.

Within the area of the park called the Austria Garden are two houses which were built while Park Güell was a residential estate.

Back on the Barcelona hop on hop off bus, we continued on the green route passing the Rotunda and the stop for Tribidabo and the funicular railway.

By now the weather had turned incredibly chilly and we reverted to sitting downstairs under cover, which somewhat limited our view of the attractions along the route.

Heading towards the centre of the city we passed the UNESCO Casa Milà or La Pedrera and Casa Batlló, both works of art by Gaudí.

At stop 16 on the green route we hopped off the bus and onto the orange route, stop 19 to enable us to get back to Plaça d’Espanya our starting point.

Cold and hungry we made our way to the rooftop of Las Arenas and into La Lola. Tapas, paella and a fruity white Verdejo, all served by polite and cheerful waiters, keen to practise their English skills. Top marks Nur 🙂

Feeling refreshed and a lot warmer, we made the short distance to our bus stop and didn’t have to wait long for our bus to arrive, on time, to take us back to camp.

We will be back to savour more of Catalonia’s vibrant city and the many cultural attractions and breathtaking architecture. Think it’s going to take more than one more visit though.

Cunit on the Costa Dorada

Tuesday 7th November 2017

A lovely day, so we decided to take a drive down to one of the local beaches nearest to our campsite, Cunit on the Costa Dorada.

The short drive took us to the coastal town in the province of Tarragona.

Our approach in didn’t offer many views of the town itself, only the local train station. (Handy if you want to make the trip into Barcelona).

We parked up opposite the seafront, where a number of motorhomes were also enjoying the benefit of a camping aire.

The area was somewhat scruffy; uneven, dry and dusty earth, but excellent for easy access to the beach.

We headed towards the wide promenade and the sea. The waters were calm and the sandy beach looked so inviting. The place seemed deserted, which was just how we liked it 🙂

The beach was clean and a pleasure to walk along. It is separated by seven stone breakwaters along its’ length, four in the form of islands. These were apparently added in 1980’s due to beach erosion.

It’s 2.5 km length meant plenty of space for the many tourists who must flock here in the height of the season.

The promenade was lined with palm trees and plenty of seating. Along it’s length were a variety of residential dwellings, holiday apartments, shops and restaurants.

Our walk continued up to the sea port Puerto Segur de Calafell, a modern looking marina.

After a quick nose around the boats we paused for dos cervezas in one of the open restaurant/cafes and sat outside to enjoy the sun.

Refreshed we began our walk back to the car. We will be back though to investigate how far the promenade goes.

Our last day in Languedoc-Roussillon (Occitanie)

Sunday 5th November 2017

The weather was definitely beginning to show signs of change and the swallows around us too were becoming restless.

The daylight hours had got shorter and the temperature was beginning to fall, rather more rapidly than we had hoped.

Time to move on and follow that late summer warmth further south.

Having made the decision to head towards Spain, we decided to take a last trip out in the car to visit a few of the surrounding villages of Languedoc-Roussillon.

One of the places was a small village on the Canal du Midi, Le Somail.

We would have loved to cycle there, but 27 kms and an estimated 1hr 17 mins there and the same back, didn’t sound quite so appealing 🙂

Our drive from the campsite took us along the main D11/D5 road; one which had become very familiar to us and was a delight to use.

What made the road lovely were avenues of old plane trees as well as an abundance of vines, in a variety of autumnal hues.

Taking the D607 south after the village of Cabezac, led us to Le Somail. What a charming sight it was.

Once parked up we walked towards the stone bridge and the old chapel. It was just as the tourist information had described. Picture postcard!

As we walked over the bridge we paused to read a plaque about Thomas Jefferson and his links with France.

We imagined that during the summer season this little port would be a vibrant hive of activity. There were several restaurants and boat hire companies along the cobbled banks, as well as a delightful hotel, closed for the season, overlooking the canal. (Other hotels are available).

Luckily for us, we were able to enjoy the serenity and peacefulness of this little port, almost entirely on our own!

Another major attraction is a world renowned antique bookshop , Le Trouvre tout du livre located in Le Somail. Well worth a visit when open 🙂

Back in the car we retraced our journey back as far as Capestang. Then turning south we headed towards Poilhes

Poilhes is in the Hérault department in the Occitanie region.

Next we drove back towards Colombiers to enjoy the views from the hill of  Ensérune, of  L’Étang  de Montady.

On our Google Maps we could quite clearly make out a pattern resembling rays of sun but containing water.

It is described as a masterpiece of hydro-agricultural engineering designed in the Middle Ages. Quite spectacular 🙂

Finally we took the opportunity to walk down to the Malpas Tunnel.

It was excavated in 1679 under the hill d’Ensérune, allowing the passage of the Canal du Midi. It is 165 kms long and Europe’s first navigable canal tunnel.

Situated on the south side of the canal is L’Office de Tourisme de La Domitienne La Maison du Malpas. Well worth a visit if time allows.

Happy memories of our time spent in Colombiers.

City of Carcassonne

Thursday 2nd November 2017

On our list of places to visit had always been Carcassonne. Yet again another UNESCO World Heritage site. We had read that it had taken over 1000 years to complete!

In 1849 the city of Carcassonne was nearly demolished.  It was struck off the roster of official fortifications under Napoleon and the Restoration. This caused such uproar from the local citizens that a campaign was organised to to preserve it. The architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc was commissioned to renovate the entire city.

We parked close to the city walls in what turned out to be a very expensive car park! So be warned, check out the prices before you make your decision.

We followed the signs for the citadel, known as La Cité, but our target was not hard to spot. It stands proud on the top a hill and it’s sheer scale is absolutely immense!

Our walk up to the city walls was a steep one and the closer we got to the outer walls, the more gargantuan this medieval fortress appeared.

We entered Carcassonne on the west side but there are better ways to make the most of your visit. (We wish we had read the website above in hindsight).

Carcassonne is apparently the 2nd most popular visitor attraction in France, after the Eiffel Tower and that soon became very apparent as we made our way around the citadel. (Heaven knows what the place must be like in the height of the tourist season!!!!)

Unfortunately our view  and enjoyment of the amazing architecture within the city was masked by the vast amount of restaurants, peddling cassoulet, a local dish, and tacky tourist shops selling anything and everything!

We were surprised to find out that there are many permanent residences as well as a few hotels within the walls.

We both concurred that this resembled a ‘Petworth meets Disneyworld’. Such a disappointment. Even our efforts to join the lengthy queue to visit the Château and ramparts were thwarted. We gave up and walked away before we lost the will to live.

Feeling a little deflated we headed off to the Pont Vieux  over the River Aude and crossed over to the modern city. From the top of the bridge we were able to admire the citadel in peace and quiet from a distance.

A gentle walk along the river and back over a smaller bridge led to the car park and home.

We would re-visit given the chance. Out of season, if there is one, and taking in the ramparts and the ‘Lists‘ the gap between the two sets of walls.

Fonsérannes Locks on the Canal du Midi

Wednesday 1st November 2017

Today, as we discovered, was Las Toussaints or All Saint’s Day. It is a public holiday across France. We decided to visit Beziers and the Fonsérannes Locks on the Canal du Midi.

During our travels we had been aware of many shops and florists displaying large potted chrysanthemums in their windows and on the pavements . Now we know why.

Chrysanthemums are the traditional flowers placed on the graves of loved ones, during this time of remembrance.

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