We eventually found the coast and followed the roads east and north, wending our way through the drizzle. As we drove out of Barcelona along the coast, we weren’t impressed at first by what we saw. There were relatively small beach communities with nothing really to distinguish them. But as we drove farther, the coast got more rugged, and there were fewer people. It was lovely even in the rain.
Our first stop was a small beach community that was deliberately developed in the 1960s by the Franco regime to bring in tourists. The Costa Brava, as this part of the Spanish coast is called, was the first area of Spain to be developed for tourism.
We stayed at a modern hotel just off the Mediterranean in the town of Platja d’Aro which in Catalan means “golden beach.”
The beach was indeed golden with great vistas and rolling waves on the Mediterranean – especially the first day when the waves were very large from the storm that produced the rain. This photo is of a more placid day. 
The entire town of Platja D’Aro had very few people in it because the end of November is not exactly the time when people go to the beach. (We seem to like to visit places in off-season. In 2007, we went to the ski resorts in the Pyrenees in June. Again, not many people.)
So we virtually had the town and our hotel to ourselves. We opted for the half board plan at our hotel because few restaurants remained open and had some very good food in a lovely dining room. (btw, the dish on the right was Dale's -- Elsa really doesn't like peas.)
The next day we headed for Girona, a charming city with a lovely medieval old town and cathedral. It's existed since Roman times, as has this bridge. The city was important historically because it served as a gateway between Spain and France and was at the confluence of four rivers that provided for commerce. Consequently, it was besieged many times.
The cathedral is gorgeous, and we found the steep climb up to it well worth the effort.
Dale captured the 18th century rose window and immediately was asked to put the camera away. But what a photo!
We walked the narrow streets with a little breeze in our faces and felt the ever increasing touch of fall in the air. We treated ourselves to a little tapa de tortilla (Spanish omelet) in a quaint little restaurant and then made our way back to our hotel for siesta time.
The third day we drove to the town of Cadaqués, an exceptional resort town that was a favorite of Picasso, Salvador Dalí, Matisse, Chagall and other artists in the early 20th century. It's shimmering light and white buildings reminiscent of Greek islands help explain its popularity. The winding road in was a 30-minute drive.
Dalí and his wife had a house nearby, and as we walked the narrow streets, we saw copies of works by Dalí depicting the very scene we were seeing. Quite amazing!
Our hotel, the Rocamar, was one of the biggest and oldest in town and commanded a wonderful view of this beach community nestled on the shore of the Mediterranean. It was accessible only by very winding, narrow roads and presented problems in terms of getting into the area. But we did it and had a great time in this charming setting.
The next day we drove to the very tip of Cap de Creus, the peninsula that marks the furthest point east in Spain. There is a very impressive lighthouse here and a very delightful bar/restaurant.
We had a café con leche to warm ourselves, and then headed further up the coast heading for France.
The roads were very narrow and wound their way around the mountains, and we finally made it to the town of Colliuore, France.
Here we had a delightful lunch on a small bay looking across at what appeared to be Roman ruins. The moules and sardines were fresh and tasty with a small bottle of local red wine. Terrific!
Of course, could we speak any French after over two months in Spain? Heck no -- we could barely manage a s'il vous plaît!
On our final day, we headed back to Barcelona, stopping at Figueres which is the birth place of Salvador Dalí and home to the museum that he helped establish in 1947.
This museum is unlike any you have ever been to and is a sensation in and of itself! It has a huge display of Dalí’s works displayed in interesting, if sometimes, bizarre ways.
Some of the art and displays were astounding, some incredibly artistic, and some just appeared kitschy to us -- but everything was entertaining. Incredible though it seemed, we read that the Dalí Museum is the second most visited museum in Spain after the Prado. Who knew!
There was even a separate space for displaying his fantastical jewelry!
Then it was back on the road to Barcelona with a little of the same drama we had when we returned from Tarragona. This time, in addition to discoving new and unplanned routes we unintentionally got in the carpool toll lane. This photo was taken just before the above-referenced toll booth.
Of course, we had to back up from the gate, as did the cars behind us, all of them honking along the way. But we made it with some luck. Dale calls Elsa the navigator extraordinaire. This time she's not sure the description is apt. In any event, we were back in our apartment by 6:00 p.m. We had experienced a part of Spain that was totally new to us and that is a place we would welcome to visit again in the future.
So we had three lovely trips outside of Barcelona that gave us new impressions of a country we have come to call our own.
Much love,
Dale and Elsa
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