Last Day - Joan Miró Museum and Packing

9/20/2013 - For some reason, I had trouble publishing this post on Sept. 20th so am trying it again today.

Another absolutely beautiful day here in Barcelona. We take a taxi to the Joan Miró museum. It is on Montjuic along with the National Museum of Catalan Art which we went to a couple of days ago. The views of Barcelona from Montjuic are stunning especially with this good weather. I love his art! I love how graphic and colorful it is and how he continued to innovate to the time of his death. There is a good video about his life in the museum. The museum was built specifically to house his work. It is a stark white and is the perfect venue for this purpose. We spend a pleasant couple of hours using the excellent audio guide and have lunch in the little cafe before taking a taxi back to the apartment.

We decide to have a relaxing, free afternoon doing whatever each of us wishes. Kathy walks to the art fair starting today and hopes to do some shopping along the way but comes home empty handed. John walks down to the beach. Dave and I catch up on pictures and get organized for packing. It is very good to have some down time.

We are meeting Linda and Chas for tapas at 6:30. Hoping Don and Jane can join us as they are arriving in Barcelona today. They are going to do the same Catalonia trip we have just finished which starts on Thursday. Don and Jane do join us and we have a good time catching up and comparing notes on trips. Linda and Chas are with us as well. A perfect end to the trip. 

This has been a wonderful trip! Perfect weather certainly helped, but, aside from that, I learned so much about Catalan culture, their contributions to civilization, their pride in their culture, their initiative and confidence, the effect of Franco's suppression of the Catalan culture, and an understanding of the current movement for independence. Did you know that Catalonia had one of the first democracies and was a model for other countries? Of course, the artists from Catalonia are legion - Dalí, Miró, Picasso and Gaudi to mention a few. These artists had enormous impact on art worldwide. 

This was our third trip to Spain and I was once again Impressed by how nice it is, I.e. good roads, nice bathrooms everywhere, nice hotels, good food, friendly people. In particular, Barcelona, in the eyes of a tourist anyway, is a bustling, beautiful city that looks like it is doing well. We saw a lot of construction everywhere. This impression is somewhat of a disconnect with what I know is the deep crisis in Spain that is going on underneath such as a 25% unemployment rate, no jobs for young educated adults who are delaying starting families, a sense of pessimism about the future, an apparently increasingly repressive conservative government and so on. 

Lastly, I think I have gotten my confidence back with cycling. I worked on my attitude, paced myself pretty well and ate right. Mainly, the cycling, though difficult on some days, was manageable. I was pretty discouraged after last year's trip. It's hard to think about not doing these trips anymore. I think I can continue awhile longer. Our group discussed doing a custom trip in the Alsace region of Feance next year and I find myself looking forward to that. Not ready to quit quite yet.

                                    A perfect end to the trip. Drinks and tapas with good friends.

Last Day - Joan Miró Fundació and packing

Another absolutely beautiful day here in Barcelona. We take a taxi to the Joan Miró museum. I love his art! I love how graphic and colorful it is and how he continued to innovate to,the time of his death. The museum was built specifically to house his work and it is the perfect venue for this purpose. We spend a pleasant couple of hours and have lunch in the little cafe before taking a taxi back to the apartment.

We decide to have a relaxing, free afternoon doing whatever each of us wishes. Kathy walks to the art fair starting today and hopes to do some shopping along the way but comes home empty handed. John walks down to the beach. Dave and I catch up on pictures and get organized for packing. It is very good to have some down time.

We are meeting Linda and Chas for tapas at 6:30. Hoping Don and Jane can join us as they are arriving in Barcelona today.

Monserrat

Rain was predicted for today so we took rain gear but it never materialized. We took a taxi to Plaça d'Espagne where we found the train to Monserrat. We had to stop and ask a couple of times but once we were there, a woman at an information desk helped us decide which ticket option we wanted. Then, a man from the railroad took us to the ticket machine and helped us get tickets. As is the case with most ticket machines in Europe, our credit card wouldn't work so we had to use cash. It was 19 euros for a round trip ticket on the train and the cable car to Monserrat. We had a choice of taking the rack train or cable car the rest of the way to Monserrat after getting off the train and we chose the cable car. We were early for the train so got seats. Good thing because it was standing room only by the time it left. Linda and Chas Boss got on, too, so we joined up with them. It is about an hour's ride on the train and then transfer to the cable car for a five minute ride to the top of Monserrat. We immediately went to look for some lunch which we found in a functional cafeteria set up to serve tourists quickly. 

After lunch, we made our way to the Basilica to hear the Choir Boys at 1:00. The place was packed! We could just see the front and a little of the boys. A short service preceded the choir boys who sang for ten minutes. These boys are selected and live and go to school at Monserrat. Monserrat is a Benedictine monastery currently with 30 monks. It has been animportant pilgrimage since the 11th century though the current Basilica was built in the 1850s and the facade only completed in 1968. 

We decide to take the funicular 820 feet up to Sant Joan, a small chapel on the mountain top. The funicular is straight up the mountainside. It is quite warm and uphill to the little chapel. We hike down the mountain on a steep path which is made manageable because the surface is rough concrete with some embedded stones. It takes us about an hour. We reward ourselves with gelato when we get to the bottom. We make our way to the cable car and the start of the trip back. We don't have to wait at all and made a good connection with the train which was crowded. Chas kindly gives me his seat and I am grateful because I am tired. 

We go back to the apartment for a rest before meeting Chas and Linda at 7 Portes for dinner. This restaurant is very close to our apartment. We have a nice meal and visit with them. It has been a very nice day.

                                           Cable car up,to Monserrat

                                                  View from Monserrat

                                                    Monserrat

                                               Basilica and Boys Choir at Monserrat

Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya and Sagrada Familia

9/18/13

The day dawned sunny and clear. We took a taxi to the Catalonian National Museum of Art. It is up on the hill at Montjuic in a beautiful setting. The view of Barcelona is incredible from the terrace of the museum. It is on our ArtTicket pass and turns out to be an absolutely wonderful museum! It has an outstanding collection of medieval art collected from small churches in villages around Catalonia starting in the 1920s. It was collected and saved so that it wasn't sold by art dealers. The process of removing it from the walls of these churches is depicted in a video and is interesting and amazing. The art is displayed beautifully in natural like settings in the museum in the way it would have appeared in the church. There is also a nice collection of Renaissance and Baroque art which I enjoy. The floor with Modern Art is also excellent and illuminating. 

After lunch, we go back to the apartment and rest for awhile. We are using taxis to get around the city and save our legs a bit. With four of us, the cost is about the same as taking the metro plus we don't have to deal with the possible hassles of the metro such as pick pocketing which is endemic in Barcelona. The taxis are readily available, clean and appear to be well regulated. 

We have tickets to the Sagrada Familia, Gaudi's masterpiece at 5:00. We take a taxi there. We have chosen 5:00 hoping the crowds will be a bit thinner then. Our advance tickets get us right in. We have two tickets to go up in the Passion Tower and two to go up in the Nativity Tower. Dave and I go up the Passion tower ( the newer one) and Kathy and John go up the Nativity Tower and supposedly the more exciting one. Dave and I ride up in the elevator and walk down the some 215? steps. There are views out little windows as we descend the steps but there is so much construction going on it is difficult to see much.

The outside of Sagrada Familia is pretty fantastic with the older Nativity Facade looking more traditional and the newer Passion Facade looking cleaner with stark, angular figures not designed by Gaudi but by the current architect of the church, Josep Subirachs. Gaudi died in 1926 after a tram accident. With about 20% of the church finished. Nearly a century after his death, people continue to toil to bring Gaudi's designs to life. "There is something powerful about a community of people with a vision, working on a church that won't be finished in their lifetime - as was standard in the Gothic age." Those are Rick Steves' words and I like that idea. 

The inside is just spectacular, a forest of light and beauty. I've never seen anything like it and think it one of the most beautiful interior spaces I have ever seen. The stained glass windows are modern and gorgeous. With the sun shining behind them, they cast beautiful patterns of light on the floors and walls. The crowds have thinned and we spend considerable time here enjoying this beautiful space.

We work our way back home eating dinner once again at Cheese Me in a little square near our apartment. We sit outside on this pleasant evening. There are several types of performers as we eat. They aren't necessarily authorized and they go around to the tables asking for money which I find intrusive. Guess it is better they are doing something for money instead of just picking pockets.

                              View from terrace of theMuseu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya

                                           Medieval art in National Museum

                    Renaissance art

                                  A Picasso in the National Museum of Art

                              Small part of the Passion facade of the Sagrada Familia

           Light and color in the Sagrada Familia

                Light and color in the Sagrada Familia

                                      Chandelier in Sagrada Familia

Palau de la Mùsica Catalana, Barcelona Cathedral and Casa Míla

 We all enjoyed a good sleep and not setting an alarm. I felt quite tired from the trip. There is always a let down after these trips. The day was overcast and rain was predicted so we took prepared for rain as we set out. We went to the Palau de la Música Catalana and got tickets for the noon English tour. We had an hour and a half to kill so went to the nearby Barcelona Cathedral. It had started raining so this was a good inside thing to do. This cathedral I would not call a must see though it is worth a visit. After a coffee in the Palau cafe, we enjoyed an excellent tour of the music theater. Our guide was very knowledgable and well spoken plus we got to sit down for most of the tour. The theater is of Art Noveau design designed by Tapies. Our guide explained that Art Noiveau was a response to the ugliness of industrialization. It emphasizes nature and movement in its designs creating beautiful places for people to get away from the ugliness of industrialization. There are many flowers and wavy lines in Art Nouveau. The theater was initially owned by amateur choir societies. It was the first to feature coed choirs. The theater is truly beautiful! We listened to the organ play Bach's Fugue and Toccata in D Minor. 

We got some lunch after the tour and then started walking toward Casa Míla, one of Gaidi's houses. Of course, we had to make a stop at the huge Apple Store here in Barcelona. We were lucky that the line at Casa Milà was not long. With an audio guide, we toured the roof, the attic and the apartment and learned a lot about Gaudi. We started walking toward home looking for some gelato to sustain us the rest of the way. 

We enjoyed a rest at the apartment before finding a hip, modern restaurant in El Born, Morial. Truly a well spent day!

                      Barcelona Cathedral

                                        Palau de la Música Catalana

                                    Inside the Palau de la Música

                   Rooftop of Casa Míla

                  Rooftop of Casa Míla

                                                 Dave at the guess where??

Day 12 - End of Bike Trip in Barcelona

We get together for breakfast, the final official event of the bike trip. We know everyone in this group so well and are planning a trip together next year so saying goodbye is easier. We are talking about doing the Experience Plus! Alsace trip but extending it by two or three days. Philipp is working with us and says extending the trip into Germany would be easy. Everyone is on board to do this so we would have enough people.

Philipp is not leaving until the evening so he suggests the group meet at 1:00 to go to a "Cava" tapas bar, a well known one. We walk to the apartment to pick up the keys while the maid is there and walk back to the hotel to go lunch. The Cava tapas place has no name on it, looks like a hole in the wall. I have read about these places. It is packed with people. One has to buy a bottle of champagne and then can order little plates of tapas. You just have to push your way up to the bar and ask for what you want. Philipp does the ordering for us and passes the plates back. I am glad he is there to show us how to negotiate a place like this. The bar tender keeps a tab for everyone. They designate Philipp's as "blond boy." Isn't that funny?  What a fun cultural experience this is!! 

Philipp walks back to the hotel with everyone. Kathy, Dave and I retrieve our luggage from the hotel storeroom and get a taxi to the apartment. John walks with Philipp to the apartment. We all arrive about the same time. The owner of the apartment arrives to collect the rest of his rent money from us. When he leaves, Philipp expresses displeasure that people like this guy want money in cash so,they don't have to pay taxes. It was the same in Florence last year. It is a cultural attitude that undermines the health of the country's economy. He nevertheless agrees that we have a lovely place to stay. I will be more aware of this issue in the future.

 Philipp spends the rest of the afternoon showing us possible routes for the Alsace trip. It is so nice to have this time to visit with him. Linda will contact Experience Plus! with our request for this trip and Philipp will do so as well. We will get the ball rolling for next year. 

We went across the street for dinner at one of the many places lining the street to the beach. 

                                                           Cava tapas

                                        Kathy, Philipp and Me at the Cava tapas bar

Day 11 - Cycling to Barcelona

This is our last day of cycling! It doesn't seem possible the trip is almost over. We all gather in the courtyard of the hotel in a jovial mood as we get ready to go. It looks a little like rain, but it will be an easy ride. We ride a short distance before getting on a beautiful bike path that goes all the way into Barcelona. It has marked lanes with a grassy area off to the side where people can play ball or run their dogs. We all meet up at 34 km at a bar on the beach. We will ride in to Barcelona together. The beach is empty today because of the weather. We ride along the coastline through 1992 Olympic venues going right past our apartment. It is the easiest ride in to a big city we have ever done. We ride up the Ramblas to our hotel near Placa Catalunya. We turn in our bikes and congratulate each other on our safe trip. We have ridden 43 km today.

We meet at 6:30 to take a walk to our restaurant stopping along the way for historical commentary by Philipp about what we are seeing. He has such good knowledge of history. We have our own room upstairs at the restaurant. The meal is delicious but there is to much food. 

Philipp says a few words as do each of the guides. It has been a really wonderful trip! We have ridden a total of 550 km.

I will add some pictures when I get some.

Day 10 - Cycle Sant Julia de Vilatorta via Vic and then to Caldes de Montbul

We have a lovely breakfast at our hotel before setting out to Vic where we will have a tour of an artisan sausage "factory." It isn't really a factory but rather a small family run business that is in the hands of sixth generation family members. Many different types of sausages typify this region. The one we will make today is called butifarra. A young man meets us, takes us upstairs where the sausage is made and asks us to don plastic raincoat type garments and cover our hair with a shower type cap. This place where they make the sausage is above the busy store and restaurant below. Everything is handmade, very labor intensive. We go to one end of the room where there is a big vat of ground pork seasoned with nothing but salt and pepper. The cleaned intestines from the pig are used for the casing. We are shown how to thread the casing onto a post thing. A large receptacle on this machine is filled with the pork. You press with your knee and hold the casing with one hand while guiding the stream of ground pork with just the right amount of pressure into the casing. Most of us try this and do a pretty good job. (See pictures below.)

A town of ancient Roman and Iberian origin, Vic is a busy market town which retains a medieval flavor. It preserves one of the few Plaza Mayor's that is still dirt but booths from a huge market cover the plaza so we can't really see it. Our cycling from Vic goes from one valley to the next, up and down but with no major hills, and many beautiful vistas, as we make our way toward Barcelona. We can still see the mountains in the distance. We leave the foothills of the Pyrenees as we pedal down to Caldes de Montbul, an ancient Roman hot springs. I feel tired today. My legs are tired and I am tired, probably from the accumulation of hard cycling the past two days and a less than satisfactory sleep last night. I am slow and sluggish. We stop for lunch at 28 km and the food helps to energize me some. Eventually, we reach the top of the climb and it is a nice downhill from there to the hotel. The last mile or so is on very bumpy cobblestones which shake our teeth and rattle our brains. We have ridden 58 km today. This is our second to last day of riding. Doesn't seem possible the trip is almost over.

This hotel is a spa and we have an appointment at 5:00 to enjoy the services of the spa. We are given a robe and slippers and taken to an area that has a choice of spas with different water temperatures. I didn't bring a swimsuit but I borrow Kathy's shorts and a tank top which makes a fine suit. The whirlpools feel wonderful on our tired muscles. 

We walk to dinner and have a delicious meal of tapas including razor clams and other clams which I discover I really like. The main course is hake, a kind of fish, or duck. I have enjoyed having fish quite frequently on this trip. On our way back to the hotel, we come upon a square where people are doing the "sardana," a Catalan dance performed in a circle. It is one of those dances that anyone can join in. The steps look fairly simple. The sardana was banned during Franco's time.

                                                  Market at Vic

                                             Sausages typical of this region

                                      Donning our protective "raingear" 

                                            Dave making Butifarra sausage

                                            Philipp making sausage

                                           Our finished Butifarra sausage

                                        Riding in the foothills of the Pyrenees

                                    We are riding in them thar hills!

                                        Finally to the top!!

Day 9 - Cycle from Olot to Sant De Vilatorta (near Vic)

We start the day with the Pyrenees looming in front of us. We have wide expansive views as we cycle along with the mountains always in front of us. We have more major climbing today though the climb is gradual. It just goes on for a long time. We head down the Val d'en Bas before climbing up and over towards the headwaters of the River Ter, one of the larger rivers in Catalonia. We ride 66 km today with the climb in the middle which I like. The temperature is perfect for cycling and the roads are smooth.

 We stop for lunch at a lovely new restaurant Philipp has noticed when he was marking this morning. They seem glad to have our business. It is lovely sitting outside. The menu is all in Catalan and the proprietress translates the whole thing. Several of us get the strawberry salad which has goat cheese and blackberries, too. We get a delicious dessert as part of the fixed price menu. This has been one of our most pleasant lunches in my opinion.

We are not staying in Vic tonight as the itinerary calls for because there is a jazz festival there and everything was booked. We stay outside of Vic in a town called Sant De Vilatoria. The last 6 km of riding to this hotel has several short steep uphills which are not appreciated at the end of this day where we have already done a lot of climbing.

Out leader Alex does a half hour stretching session on the law of the hotel. He has a degree inPhysical Education and hopes to find a job teaching PE in the government system. Competition is fierce though and though he has done well on the exam, there were ndly 40 or 50 openings so,he doesn't feel his chances are very good.

At 7:00 we have a sing-a-long with Jim who plays the ukelele. He has an extensive website with music and lessons on playing the ukelele. Doctorukee.com

We enjoy a delicious dinner at the hotel. 

                                        Getting ready for the day's ride

                                         We made it to,the top!!

                                         Many old buildings seen along the route

                                            Having a delicious lunch

                   Dr. Uke and our sing-along

Day 8 - Cycle to Olot

Our route today takes us to the foothills of the Pyrenees which means rolling hills and a big climb at the end of the day. The landscape changes as we ride along. No more cornfields and agriculture but green rolling hills with the Pyrenees in the front of us. This is a unique region which was carved out by ancient lava flows from the four volcanoes that border the valley. Everything is very green and we ride through the woods on pretty shaded roads. The weather is perfect for riding which certainly helps and the roads in Spain are really nice. Even the secondary roads are smooth and nicely paved. We stop for lunch by a scenic lake (Estany de Banyoles). We keep moving today because of the climbing and distance so don't spend too much time at lunch. There is another large bike group at the restaurant with Bike Adventures. The ride is uphill all day but is broken up by some nice downhills. I am quite proud of myself for doing this kind of riding. I do fine and really appreciate the low gears on my bike, but I am ready for the top! Philipp meets us at the top with the van and some chocolate. The ride down from the top is really fun! We have ridden 78 km by the end of the day. A delivery truck is parked over the arrows pointing to the hotel so Dave and I ride past a kilometer or two but then realize that we must have passed the hotel so ride back. By now, Rick has asked the truck driver to move forward a little so we can see the arrows.

Our hotel tonight is a restored manor house just outside of Olot. Our hotels have been really nice with nice bathrooms and showers that work. The public bathrooms have also been very nice.

We have talked quite a bit with our leaders about the serious crisis going on in Spain. It is interesting and enlightening to find out more about what is going on. Spain has really suffered with the crash of the European economy and the end to easy money which became available when they joined the European Union. The unemployment rate is somewhere around 25% and young people like our leader Alex cannot find good jobs. Young adults like him are delaying starting families and having a sense of despair about the future. Many are moving back home with their families. It is apparently getting worse because of the conservative government which was voted into power a couple of years ago by voters who thought this government would bring needed reforms and change. Instead they are taking control and making laws which are restrictive and in some cases repressive. People are quite disillusioned with the government. As tourists on the outside, we have noticed little effect of the crisis but hearing about it from our leaders really personalizes it. 

I will talk about the Catalonian independence issue in another blog post. 

                                           The view as we ride along today

                                      We see lots of very o,d buildings

                     We see beautiful vistas as we climb in the foothills of the Pyrenees 

                                      We have finally come to the top of our climb!!

Day 7 - Bicycle to Figueres

What a busy, exciting day this has been! We were up and about early - 8:00 for breakfast, bags down by 8:30 and on bikes ready to cycle to the dock where a boat will come to take us around the Cap de Creus to Roses where we will continue cycling. The weather is overcast and drizzling. We watch as our boat pulls in. It is a restored sailboat that was made in 1925 and which has seen service in several wars and has been used for several purposes. The boat anchors off the dock a ways and a dingy makes several trips loaded with our bikes to the boat before picking us up and taking us to the boat. There isn't any indoor space other than a very small cabin so we are outdoors seated wherever we can find space. It is quite windy and cold so we are bundled up as best we can, but we are still cold. One of the shipmates brings coffee and later offers us some blankets. It is about a two hour ride to Roses. The water is choppy but not too rough and it doesn't rain other than water occasionally splashing up over the side all over us. What a great adventure!

We dock in Roses around 11:00 and make a beeline for the closest coffee shop where we enjoy the warmth and a cup of cafe con leche. We start cycling again still bundled up against the cold. However, we gradually warm up and take off our rain jackets. We are in the area where we started up the mountain two days ago. We have taken the boat so we don't have to cycle over the mountain again. It is quite windy, too, but the riding is enjoyable along good, mostly quiet, roads. There are mountains in the background. At Mollet de Peragada at 25 km, we stop for lunch at a nice restaurant. Today is a special holiday in Catalonia, the Day of Independence. Towns are quiet and many stores are closed because of the holiday. People are dressed in yellow shirts and carry or wrap themselves in the Catalonian flag of independence. Whole families are dressed this way.

We are to arrive at our hotel in Figueres by 3:00 p.m. because the streets are being closed and people are assembling for the human chain which will take place at 17:14 (5:14 p.m.). The chain is 400 meters long  and will come through Figueres. We do indeed see people lining up for the chain as we arrive at our hotel.

We gather at 3:50 to go to the Dali Museum where we have a one hour tour of some of Dali's works. He is a fascinating artist. He lived from 1904-1989. "Things are never as they seem" is his motto. He designed this museum and it has been left the way he wanted it. 

At 5:00 we go out to the street to see the human chain. Whole families are gathered to be part of the chain. People are laid back and having a good time. There is some kind of announcement and a dance, which we can't really see, commences. It involves black and orange umbrellas. It is interesting and fun to see and be involved in this special day in Catalonia. People are friendly and are fine sit us taking their pictures. They cheer when we gather for a group photo holding the Catalonian flag. 

We have dinner at the Antaviana Restaurant. Rick says this the hot restaurant in Figueres right now. They have had a hard time getting in. It is modern in style and displays the "Slow Food" sign. We have many delicious tapas and then a choice of entree. I have hake, a type of fish. Everything is delicious but there is a bit to much food and the 2 1/2 hour meal is a little long for me. 

              Our transportation around Cap de Creus; getting the bikes to the boat!

                                              Getting US to the boat

                       It was cold so when the captain offers blankets, we accepted!

                          Our leaders Rick, Philipp and Alex with the Catalonian flag

                     The human chain

                                     A family taking part in the human chain

Day 6 - Rest Day in Cadaqués

The dining room of our hotel, Hotel Rocamar, has a beautiful view from its windows. We have a lovely breakfast there. Dave and I decide to forego the morning wine tasting arranged for us and use the time to relax and walk to town. We sit on a bench just off the beach and watch people arriving at the beach and setting up their spaces for the day. It is a uphill walk back to the hotel. 

We have a lovely lunch at the cafe associated with the hotel which is outdoors and overlooks the water. It rains a little while we are sitting there. I enjoy watching it on the water and hearing it on the canopy above us. Back at the room, Dave prepares to go on a bike rode with several others from the group to Cap De Creus, the easternmost point of Spain. It is quite a tough ride, lots of steep ups and downs, though only 12 km each way. I opt to walk to meet Frank and Jeannie and Jeanne and Bob in town and walk with them to Salvador Dali's house at Port Llat. We are supposed to,have tickets reserved for us there by Experience Plus!

It is a lovely walk, though quite a steep uphill, to the home. We were supposed to have tickets for a tour of the house but Rick, our leader has made a mistake on the day. He has gotten tickets for Thursday instead of today. We walk back through town. It rains off and on, then the sun comes out and it is humid. I take a nap when I get back as I am tired from all the uphill walking and all the stairs I have climbed today.

 We meet at 6:30 with the group for a wine tasting comparing the "cheap" wine Kathy bought yesterday with more expensive wine bought today at the wine tasting. Briefing for tomorrow is done at 7:00 by Rick. We must be ready to go by 8:30. We will go by boat to the town of Roses to resume biking. Tomorrow is September 11th, a special Catalan holiday marking their defeat in 1714 by the Spanish King Phillip thereby losing their independence which they have been trying to get back ever since. A special event will mark the day. A human chain will be formed for thousands of people across the country to publicize their desire for independence. We are not sure how this will impact our riding.

It is dinner on our own tonight. We walk with Sari and Jim and Kathy and John to a restaurant near the water called Els Pescadors. Dali apparently hung out here with other artists. It turns out to be a delicious meal! It appears to us that there are a lot of locals here. 

                   Salvador Dali Museum, the one we didn't get to see

                            Fishing boats near the Salvador Dali house

                                                   View of Cadaqués 

                                      Boats "lit up" in the harbor after the storm

Day 5 - Peratallada to Cadaqués

Today dawned bright and beautiful after our rain of yesterday afternoon. It doesn't get light in this part of the world until about 7:30. We get going a little after 9:00. Initially, we ride through more cornfields, apple orchards and large stands of some kind of palm trees. We stop for coffee after 20 km or so and have fun meeting a couple of older men on bikes from Great Britain. The one, maybe both, live in Spain. They are funny and fun (see picture) and interested in where we are going. We have seen many, many cyclists on  our trip. 

At 26 km, we stop to see some extensive Greek and Roman ruins at Empuries. We are once again at the Mediterranean. It is right in front of us. Literature says only 25% of these ruins have been excavated. The Greek ruins are from around the 4th, 3rd, 2nd and 1st centuries BC. The interaction of the Greeks with the indigenous people and the influence of their culture gave birth to the Iberian culture. Romans started coming around the 2nd century AD. 

The landscape is changing and we can see the Pyrenees ahead of us. We will be riding over the Pyrenees this afternoon. We stop for lunch at a place that has barrels of all kinds of wine, sherry, port, etc. in big barrels with spigots from which you can dispense wine into a 2 liter plastic bottle for something like 3.6 euros. Kathy actually buys a 2 liter bottle and fills it with wine which John carries on his bike. We don't finish lunch until 2:00. I am anxious to get going because we have mountain in front of us to climb. At 50 km, we start going up in earnest. It is about 8 km to the top and actually isn't too bad. It is a long, gradual climb with some parts that flatten out a bit to give one a little respite. i actually am not even down in my lowest gear very often. This climb is sort of like Del Valle only longer. There is lots of traffic and no shoulder but I can't worry about the cars. I just have to pay attention to what I am doing and have faith that the cars will be patient and give me room. The views at the top are spectacular! Once you are to the top, you are done climbing. The downhill is very fun as the road is good and smooth. We coast down into Cadaqués, a beautiful seaside community that Salvador Dali painted many times. Our hotel is at the far side of town just up from the beach. We have a nice view from our room. We have cycled 76 km today.

Though dinner is on our own tonight, Philipp has offered to arrange for dinner at the hotel which we will then each pay for. We have a delicious mango salad followed by sliced pork tenderloin and a delicious dessert the contents of which I'm not sure.

                                         Not sure what Dave is doing here...

                                             Dave and the British riders

                                                   Greek ruins at Empuries

                                         Almost at the top of our climb over the Pyrenees