On the Move Again

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After not being able to travel anywhere last May because of work, I’m finally back on track to take a two week vacation in May. This time, keeping it pretty simple with countries already visited but still new sites to see. The plan was to fly into Vienna by connecting in London but the flight was cancelled several hours before heading to the airport. After some phone calls, they finally rebooked us through Zurich instead and only arriving a couple of hours later than anticipated. It could have been way worse as the airline wanted to rebook us on the flight the next day instead. The flight was then delayed in Zurich but only after we were on the plane. We were taxing to the runway when they announced there was a problem with one of the computers and we would need to have a technician come reboot it. Finally we were on our way through the clouds and on the way to Vienna.

We arrived in Vienna a little later than expected but the city is always easy to figure out. We made our way to the hotel and ran out quickly for dinner at 9:30 PM. Good thing the sausage stands are always open. We had perfect weather today when we went to a new park out in the suburbs. And, of course, after we saw some of the usual sights in the center of the city.

L’Escala, Spain

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We have been staying in L’Escala, Spain which is on the Mediterranean Sea on the Costa Brava. The town is very cute and charming. There are a number of beaches that one can enjoy swimming in the sea from. It is a little harder to enjoy a day at the beach when you don’t have a chair or towel to go to the beach with. I think most people visit here and stay here their entire vacation. The people running the hotel are very nice and would highly recommend staying here. You can walk for hours in each direction from the town along the sea. This has been a great place to stay to end the trip. Not looking forward to the 13 hour flight back but am looking forward to cooler, less humid weather.

Last Full Day Costa Brava

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Today is our last full day in Costa Brava and we did a couple of trips close to the town we are staying in. We first drove a little north to see Salvador Dali’s Theater and Museum. The museum holds the largest collection of his work. For those that don’t know his work, you do have to use your imagination some to see what he would see. Occasionally you just need to look at it from a different perspective. For example, there is one picture in the main theater area that looks like a naked woman but if you look at it through your camera or stare at it long enough, it is then Abraham Lincoln. I have two pictures of it so you might be able to see the difference. Then there is the room with the large sofa lips that turns into a women’s face (it’s supposed to be Mae West) when you climb some stairs to put it all together.

From the museum, we then drove about an hour south to a botanical garden. I can’t turn down going to a botanical garden even if it is the end of the season for the plants. Located on the Mediterranean Sea, it really is hard to beat the location of the garden.

Carcassonne, France

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We did a day trip to France today. It was a two hour drive to a town called Carcassonne. Carcassonne is located almost halfway between the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Carcassonne is unique in that there is a fortress on top of the hill and then there is a small city inside the fortress where you can eat, shop or stay. The fortress has a lot of historical significance especially in architecture. It is still in good condition today and you can still walk parts of the ramparts, and we did.

Cadaqués, Spain

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We drove about an hour north to another small coastal town called Cadaqués. It was a charming town that is very busy with tourists. We heard that we just missed the end of summer rush which ended on Monday so I really can’t imagine what these towns were like with all of the summer tourists. There are also a lot of French tourists here since we are so close to France.

Cadaqués used to be seen a small, sleepy fishing village. Now it is more of an artsy town with cute restaurants along the water. I can see why people enjoy swimming in the sea here as the water is so clear I can see the fish. It has also still been pretty warm and the water looks very refreshing.

Empúries

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We made the almost 5 hour drive from Espot to L’Escala. It was finally raining when we left Espot so it was nice to feel a little cooler weather. It has been so hot and humid the whole trip that I didn’t mind getting a little rain. So far, the weather at the coast has been a little more pleasant but still pretty warm.

We went for a walk on a trail along the sea this evening and ended up at Empúries. This is one of Catalonia’s most famous archaeological sites. It comprises of the remains of a Greek city, the only one to be excavated on the Iberian Peninsula, which existed alongside one of the first cities built by the Romans in this territory. We saw a sign that said it would close at 8, but it was only 6 so we decided to head in.

The Greek city was founded first (around 575 BC) which is closest to the water. Excavations started in 1908 and are still ongoing. I have never been to such a large ruin before and both cities were very impressive to walk around. They cover a lot of ground and they have only uncovered about 20% of the Roman ground so far. I was very impressed by the mosaic tiles they found at both sites that are still in great condition. They do cover them in the winter to protect them.

Ruins from the Greek city:

Ruins from the Roman city:

Andorra

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We decided to take a day trip to Andorra since it was only a couple of hours away. It was a very scenic, but winding, drive through the Pyrenees to Andorra. Andorra is a small country that is bordered by France to the north and Spain to the south. We took our passports thinking we would get our passport stamped but we were able to drive straight into the country with hardly a slowdown.

We wert to the capital of Andorra, Andorra la Vella. The capital is the highest capital city in Europe at a little over 3,300 feet. I’m sure most people either go to Andorra for winter sports or the cheap shopping that is tax free. The city was pretty lively with traffic but we were able to find a parking garage. We walked around the town for a couple of hours before heading back to Espot. The drive back in took longer because of the long line of traffic waiting to get back into Spain. They didn’t check our passports but it took about 20 minutes to get through the border crossing. Tomorrow we leave Espot and drive 5 hours to the northern coast of Spain.

Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park

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We took advantage of the town’s close proximity to the national park and planned a hiking day. Cars aren’t allowed into the park so you have the option of either walking an hour to the lake or getting a taxi to take you. We opted for the taxi to save our feet the extra four hours there and back. I now know why the taxis are Jeeps as they go over bumps very fast and the ride probably only takes around 15 minutes where a walk would take 2 hours. It is a very bumpy ride in the back of one of these cars.

The park has been by far a highlight of the trip. The Jeep dropped our group off close to the lake where we would then start our hike. I could look at the mountains all day. The walk was a steady uphill, past a waterfall to another lake and then on to a viewpoint. We started around 6,100 feet elevation and went up to 7,100 feet. You could tell the air was thinner but we had plenty of breaks since there were so many people on the trail. I’m sure this is one of the more popular hikes in the park. I wish I had more time to explore the park as we only really saw a fraction of the park. (There are over 200 lakes in the park and I only saw 2.) I would highly recommend this area in the summer if you are looking for a good place to go hiking. I really had a hard time narrowing down the pictures because I took so many.

Here is a short video from just before the viewpoint. It really was beautiful.

Espot, Spain

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We flew from Mallorca to Barcelona where we then got a car and drove three and half hours to Espot, Spain. What a change in scenery going from blue water to mountains. We are staying in a very small town that is close to an entrance to a national park that we can go hiking in. The town probably has less than 400 people and I’m guessing most of them are here in the winter. The area is known for skiing although it has hard to imagine it gets cold here since it has been in the 80’s. Since the town is so small, you really have to pay attention to what time it is so you don’t miss your chance to eat. Most places don’t start serving dinner until 7:30 or 8:00.

Mallorca East Coast

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Today we explored the east coast of Mallorca. The scenery is different from the west coast and there are a lot of caves on the east coast. We started the day at one of the caves and were lucky to get in the first tour group. We had a lot less people than the groups after. The guide was impressive in that he would do the tour in 4 languages to satisfy everyone on the tour. I wouldn’t be surprised if he knew more languages. The cave did have a nice finale as you walk out and see the Mediterranean Sea.

We also drove to some view points and one beach town. We did manage to finally put our feet in the water. It was nice but I didn’t enjoy all the sand on my feet trying to get back to the car. We also stopped by Rafa Nadal’s Academy in his home town of Manacor.

Tomorrow we are flying back to Barcelona and driving 4 hours north to the Pyrenees.