As a group, we checked out of our Barcelona hotel at 10am and headed into the city centre for a little guided tour. We started with some Gaudi architecture and went past Caso Battlo – Gaudis house and then another Gaudi building with less colour but where the stone and flowing lines clearly show the distinct architectural style.
Gaudi’s house in Barcelona
We then moved on to walk through La Catedral, a church built for the poorer members of the community in the middle of the gothic quarter. When we went in it had a service on so could only see a small part. The best part was the geese! They just hang out and live in the cloisters.
SERIOUSLY! GEESE IN A CHURCH!
GEESE!!!
From here we wandered back up Las Ramblas and then back to the hotel where luggage was collected and it was onwards to the regional train station. Then a 2hr train trip to Ribes de Freser in the Pyrenees. Percy was feeling motion sick so needed a cuddle on the train. Okay maybe that was me…
i love you percy
I tried a three prong approach to battle the motion sickness this time since I’m determined not to take travacalm and turn into a drooling zombie.
1. Sit near a window and watch the horizon the whole time
2. Eat candy (something to suck on) as it was what I used to do when I was little and it really helped
3. No reading ANYTHING on the train, including signs or maps
Overall success? It all worked well until I ran out of candy. Candy seems to be the key! Definitely not feeling as bad this time around though.
On arrival in Ribes de Freser we walked 10 mins down the road to the Hotel Catalanya, which is a very small hotel run by two ladies (mother and daughter, I think). The room is small but lovely and finally – we have a double bed! Haha no more jumping from one bed to the other like small children…damn. There was some mild worry when in the conversation about our room we picked up “matrimono?” with an affirmative from our tour leader but it turns out that word is part of the phrase for double bed.
We had an hour of relaxation time (I really needed a shower…stiiiiinky) and then it was off for our first group dinner in this tiny little town.
yep, its a mountain village….and thats not even the mountain!
the local river…also where they wash their clothes
Dinner was at a local bar and was AMAZING. I had chicken broqette and B had the traditional local Catalan sausage.
catalana sausage (pork)
For dessert we both had the Creme Catalana which the area is also known for. Delicious! The total for two mains, tapas (not pictured) of potatos, 2 desserts and 4 drinks was 32€. Not bad after coping with Barcelona prices for the last week.
creme catalana…so much deliciousness
That plus 2 beers for B and 2 wines for me has been enough to ensure a good nights rest with a full belly tonight 🙂
Steps today: 20914
Kilometres today: 14.6kms
Tomorrow: MOUNTAIN GOAT MEL! We shall see if I actually give in to peer pressure and climb up the damn mountain peak….
Mel
P.S. Every single person in our tour group has an osprey brand backpack or wheeled bag. I was very reassured by the older couple who told me that although they had what we had (a wheeled bag with straps to convert to a backpack) they hadn’t used the backpack straps once in 5 years. Excellent. B has also been very excited to talk to the same couple about their multiple South America trips as that is next on his list.
P.P.S. We have wifi here (which surprised me) but it is very slow. Argh 25 mins to upload this post! First world problems 🙂
After some ocean swimming and sunbathing. It was time for shore tours! Our first shore tour was guided snorkelling. The tour idea itself was quite good but unfortunately we got stuck with a selfish family of 24 who refused to be split. So instead of the usual 12, our group had 28 in it! Kinda ruined the fun. I did convince the manager to give us a partial refund despite their “no refunds” policy. The wrecks themselves were amazing, it was just the repeatedly getting kicked in the face that got old fast.
Mel's Travel Blog 