This trip would take us from Barcelona to Girona, and north, up the Costa Brava to Cadaquès. We'd then turn west and ride along the distant base of the Pyrenees to Figueres, Olot, then head south to Vic, Monbui, and ultimately Barcelona. Click on the link below to view the map:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1azx6d3wrEfFtKur4GlAOXb_dqkXjZFM&usp=sharing
9/17- Flight to Barcelona
It was exciting to fly to Barcelona on our 16th
cycling trip to Europe. We enjoyed our
Spanish Camino trip so much, we decided to venture to eastern coast of Spain,
and test our legs in the Costa Brava.
Lovely flight over, and no snags.
The welcome in Miami on our way to Barcelona was great. We finally got some benefits of my 2 million
miles on American and enjoyed the Flagship club there.
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| A great welcome to AA Flagship lounge in Miami |
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| Very nice buffet in the lounge |
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| Off we go to Barcelona! |
9/18- Barcelona transfer to Girona
Once in Barcelona, our driver finally located us and we shuttled about an hour and
a half to Girona’s historic district, the official start of our trip. We always try to get in a few days early to
build the bike and acclimate. The bike
assembly went smoothly and then it was time to eat lunch and check out Girona.
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| They let us build the bike inside the hotel on beautiful marble floors |
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| Steps to our hotel |
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| Our first lunch was in Plaza Major |
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| We found the food to be an incredible value |
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| Maria's fig salad |
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| My appetizer of smoked salmon, egg, avocado, and tomato |
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| Maria's main course of chicken |
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| My main course, steak sliced very thin "Argentina" style |
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| Pineapple ice cream |
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| Coffee flan |
9/19- Girona ramble
Girona is a cycling mecca. Many of the top professional cyclists live
there. It seemed like there was a bike shop
on every corner, and boy were there tons of cyclists riding high end
bikes. Today was an easy, “let’s wander about and have a
great lunch and ” kind of day. Girona became one of the food capitals of Spain with the number one restaurant in the world in 2015 and 2017, El Celler Can Roca. Maria was on the hunt for some cool Girona cycling jerseys, which we
found!
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| The Onyar river that separates the historic part of town and the main city |
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| Typical street and always cyclists |
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| Our Gaudi jerseys |
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| Before lunch gin. Cool bar. |
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Local gin from a nearby town.
It has over 40 dormant volcanoes |
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| Our restaurant right next door to the bar |
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The restaurant, Mon Mignon.
Only open about 7 weeks but really good. |
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| Tuna tartare. Lots of seafood in this area |
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| Another raw fish appetizer |
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| Very creative and delicious steak tartare |
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| Caesar salad |
9/20- Girona group meeting
Today was the official first day of the trip where we met
the guides and other participants. There were 12 of us in total, plus two guides. It
had rained a little the night before and given the cobblestone streets we didn’t
do the 3 mile “warm up ride” along the river.
Girona has a very famous gastronomic heritage as being one of the top
cities in Spain for food outside of San Sebastian on the northwest coast. Our first
night’s first night group dinner at Nexe did not let us down.
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| The "descent " from our hotel to the restaurant |
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| Nexe. Modern and very cool. |
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| Traditional ham, cheese and brad appetizer |
9/21- Girona to San Feliu
Day one of riding took us southeast to San Feliu. It was a fantastic day of riding with a 7-mile
climb and incredibly spectacular descent to the beachfront hotel in San
Feliu. Great start.
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| Some super cool gravel sections |
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| Always "hamming it up" |
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| Sandwiches made by us from "super mercado" fixings |
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| Nice graded climb on our way to views of the Med |
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| Quick peak of the Med |
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| Our road descending in the far distance |
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| The summit and the view. Sporting our Gaudi jerseys. |
9/22- San Feliu to Peratallada
A real picturesque ride north along the coast from San Feliu. We headed inland to Parafrugel to visit the
cork museum. Very interesting history of
cork in this area. Pushing a bit east to
the medieval town of Pals. A quaint but touristy
spot. Our hotel for two nights was in Peratallada. We experienced an incredible Catalan meal at
a olive oil and winery that night. Memorable.
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| Palamos harbor overlook just north of San Feliu |
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| Pano shot of the harbor |
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| Coffee stop at the beach in Palamos |
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| Market day in Parafrugel |
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| Cool statue in front of the cork museum |
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| Fantastic display of the history of cork in the area |
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| Cork tree cutting tools |
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| Where cork trees are in this region |
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Lunch stop in the medieval town of Pals.
BBQ ribs, go figure! |
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| Views of the valley outside of Pals |
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Views walking around Pals
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| Medieval street in Pals |
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Group dinner at a winery and olive oil maker
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| The olive oil made here. Darn good. |
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| Love this wine wall with classic wines |
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| Duck cured meat |
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One of eight different appetizers.
This was anchovy and pepper on toast. |
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Main course, a very common in this area;
sausage and beans. Really good. |
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Catalan creme brulee.
Sorry Catalonia, the French version is better. |
9/23- Climb to Sant Marti Veil
A big climb today and real test for the legs. Before the climb we visited a local pottery
designer in La Bisbal D’Emporda, famous for ceramics.. He gave a great presentation
on the creation of his wares. Maria even got to make a bowl! We
had incredible weather and a beautiful climb.
Tons of cyclists riding this route.
From the top you could see 16km to Girona!
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Pottery works master. They provide
product primarily to restaurants |
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| Master in training. Her pot was skillfully crafted |
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| The road to Sant Marti Veil |
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| The view at the top |
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| Our stalwart group of climbers |
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| The angel cross at the top |
9/24- Peratallada to Cadaqués
This was a big day heading back to the coast over the
mountains to Cadaqués, home of Salvador Dali’s summer home. It was hot and there was lots of traffic on
the narrow two-lane road, but the views at the top looking down to Cadaqués
were spectacular. Our hotel was right on
the beach past the main tourist area, perfect!
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| Our trusty steed taking a rest |
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| Lunch stop at a small bar in Castell d'Epuries |
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| Fantastic Spanish taco filled with chicken curry |
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| Start of the climb to Cadaqués |
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| Happy riders in Cadaqués |
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| One of our favorite Spanish gins. The name was appropriate for the setting. |
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| View from our hotel beach |
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| Looking out the window at the end of our hall |
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| Maybe the best restaurant of the entire trip.. Compartir means to share. |
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| Veal carpaccio |
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| Sardines |
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| Tuna |
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| Carrot, melon and egg |
9/25- Rest day Cadaqués
We took the day off today and wandered the city. We walked to the Dali house but unfortunately
it was sold out for a visit. Nothing
like a nice lunch next to the Med!
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| The water in the Med was crystal clear |
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| Looking down on the Dali's summer house |
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Dali's summer house. Not much from the outside.
Unfortunately it was fully booked so we couldn't visit |
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| The walk back from Dali's house. Every turn was a beautiful picture. |
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| Statue in honor of Dali |
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We were so excited about the lunch at this wood fired pizza place. What a bust.
Salad was overdressed and super sweet with balsamic vinegar |
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| Worst gazpacho of the trip, like water. But, the wine was great... |
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| Our tour guide's favorite "gelat" store. |
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| Couldn't resist. Cafe and Cassis. |
9/26- Cadaqués to Figueres
We started the day with a chartered boat ride from Cadaqués
to Roses. It was a nice break being on
the ocean for an hour and a half. Once
in Roses we had a short ride to Figueres.
Figueres was Dali’s birthplace and home to the Dali museum where the
company reserved us tickets with a guide.
We got great insight on Dali. He
was much more than the crazy paintings he is most famous for.
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| Couldn't resist one more photo of this lovely village |
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| Looking back at Cadaqués from our boat |
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Super cool sailing ship took via the coastline to Roses where we
would begin our relatively short ride to Figueres |
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| Cool castle |
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| A welcome beer in Figueres |
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| My lovely salad at Cafe Paris |
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We gave our company hats to this couple on a
motorcycle tour from the north coast |
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| Dali himself |
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Dali's creativity. One view...
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Buy looking at this picture another way
produced a portrait of Abraham Lincoln |
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| The mind of Dali |
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| Some of his famous jewelry designs |
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| Great calamari |
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| Fun little appetizer |
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| Traditional potato soup |
9/27- Figueres to Olot
This was a big day that provided us with lots of rolling
hills that were very taxing, but the countryside was beautiful. No big monuments today. Just great riding.
9/28- Olot to Vic
Once in Olot we headed due south to Vic on our way to
Barcelona. Vic is famous for pork and
sausage making. We visited a small, 6th
generation, family-owned maker the next morning. Lots of
fun and great stuff!!
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| Beautiful riding through hills and valleys |
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| Our lunch stop |
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| More pastorale views |
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Thank you Vic. We waited over a week for a laundromat
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All worth the effort!
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9/29- Vic to Montbui
We started the day at the sausage maker in Vic. Lots of fun! We made great time today and arrived at our hotel an hour
before the rest of the group. Perfect
timing for lunch and a G&T! Our hotel and the town is famous for natural hot baths.
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| Suiting up for sausage making in the morning before riding |
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| The queen of sausages in Vic |
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| The retail store |
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| Rare ballon sighting in Vic |
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| Gorgeous road with a ancient castle in the distance |
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| Monbui arrival G&T |
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| "Hamburgesa completa" |
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| Our hotel |
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| Appropriate name for the bar |
9/30- Monbui to Barcelona
We were on the final stretch today. It was a lovely ride via a beautiful greenway
into a very busy Barcelona. We rode
along the beach then up the famous street La Rambla to our hotel. Quite a day!
Barcelona- Post trip
We spent 4 more days in Barcelona to see the sights and enjoy the food and beverages.
THE RESTAURANT SCENE
Barcelona is famous throughout Spain for its top level cuisine. We used the Michelin Guide as a resource for recommendations. They did not let us down.
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| A tiny market selling roasted chickens |
Majide. The casual and less expensive option to the 1-star Koy Shunka. Fantastic experience. We had the 8 course tasting menu. Owner was hands on including holding a customer's baby!
La Boquiera- Fabulous indoor market
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| All kinds of "carne" |
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| Salamis that were everywhere |
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Jamon. This is the Bellota, fed with acorns. The most expensive.
That's 225 euros for 2.2 lbs. |
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| Paella |
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| Lots of oysters |
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| Fresh eggs |
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| Potato chips on a skewer |
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| Loved these hamburger tacos |
THE BAR SCENEBarcelona is famous for its bars. On the top 50 bars of the world list, Barcelona has three in the top ten.
Bobby Gin- I researched gin bars and this one was consistently on the top of the list. What a place. Small, great bartender, and over 70 gins. We thought we had died and gone to gin heaven.
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| Small street, almost an alley entrance |
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| "The perfect gin and tonic does not exist" |
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| Incredible selection of spirits. The second level is all gin |
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| Cooling our "coupes" for the upcoming Vesper |
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| The perfect Vesper |
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| Our esteemed bartender, Roberto. What a pro. |
Tandem Bar- This was a recommendation from Roberto at Bobby Gin. We loved the name and the logo. Absolutely gorgeous bar, but a bit stuffy and a more limited gin selection.
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| Name says it all |
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Gorgeous wood shelves and bar. A bit more
of a whiskey bar than gin |
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| Love the logo on the glasses. We tried to buy some, but no go |
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I had never seen this Beefeater before.
It's their high end. Quite good, but pricey |
Ideal Bar- another bar recommended by Roberto at Bobby Gin. Classy place. A bit of a man's club feel. The bartender was one of the best we have ever seen, dressed in his white coat. He used a technique called "throwing" the cocktail; basically raising the glass overhead, then pouring it into the other vessel. It aerates the cocktail in a way that can't be done by shaking or stirring.
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| Nice selection of spirits |
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| All gins were kept in the freezer |
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| Nice touch with the caviar toasts |
Sips- This was the last recommendation by Roberto. Sips is the #3 bar in the world. Really fun and engaging Italian owner. Great drinks. They made the best martini we have ever had.
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You'd walk right by it if you didn't know
what you were looking for |
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| House freebie with bubbles |
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| "Freda Caldo" |
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The ultimate martini, called a Two Stage. They bring half out ice cold,
then when you have finished, they bring the second half |
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Incredible Venezuelan gin used in the martini.
No vermouth (which they call an "in and out") |
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One of their other crazy drinks; the
glass object and the "hands" as a drinking vessel |
Two Schmucks- This was #7 on the top 50 bars of the world. It was in a former gritty area and they designed the bar to reflect that vibe. Graffiti on the walls and more of a dark feel. They were not too engaging and the cocktails were average at best.
The Monuments- Barcelona is loaded with monuments and things to see. We tried to get to the top spots, but some were completely booked.
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| La Pedrera- Gaudi's house |
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| Inside looking up |
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| The attic- the best part |
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| Model of the entire structure |
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| Some of his furniture creations |
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| The rooftop statues |
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| Looking down onto the street |
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La Sagrada Familia- the most famous site in Barcelona
and it was fully booked to visit |
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| Park Guell built by Gaudi |
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| Water system |
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| View of the La Sagrada Familia |
