To see as much of the Catalonia region of Spain as we could, we planned four one-night hotel stays in a row. This meant quite a bit driving and suitcase lugging, but it's been worth it. We have been very impressed with the Spanish highway system. The roads are glass smooth, signage is the best we've ever encountered, and although the toll roads are the quickest way from place to place, you can get anywhere in Spain on great roads with no tolls.
From our first night in Sitges, we drove about three hours north to Figueres, a beautiful town that is home to the Salvador Dali Museum. Here are a few photos from that drive...
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| Vineyards along the roads... |
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| Great old Michelin sign... |
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| Many towns have French names... |
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| Beautiful old building... |
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| Spain has abundant Diet Pepsi... |
In Figueres, we spent the night in Aparthotel K, just a block from the Dali Museum. It was smart, stylish, and roomy... and it had an elevator! Here is a photo, we had a large room on the top floor...
This was the view from our room... yikes !
Stephanie, the owner of the hotel, couldn't have been more helpful. Her best tip was recommending the Lizarran Tapas restaurant. It was excellent...
We visited the Dali Museum (more in an upcoming post...) then drove about an hour east to the town of Roses, on the Costa Brava. This town had a large beach and harbor with a wide boardwalk for strolling. Photos from Roses...
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| The main town square... |
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| The Bay of Roses... |
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| Several cannons along the boardwalk... |
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| Great sand castle... |
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| View of the bay and hills... |
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| A jetty in the harbor... |
We stayed at the Hotel Carmen in Roses, and they provided secure overnight parking in a garage with an unusual garage door...
From Roses, we drove south along the Costa Brava to our fourth "one-night-stand" at Can Rosich, a farmhouse inn near the town of Santa Susanna. The drive was spectacular... the first part took us through some lovely old stone villages with names and appearances that reminded us of France...
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| A Catalan village that supports independence from Spain... |
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| This is the village of Torrent...adorable... |
The second part of the drive was along a spectacular coast road, high above the sea...
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| Costa Brava, Spain... |
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| Our little car, a Kia Picanto... |
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| Garmina gone wild... |
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| Another long and winding road... |
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| The Costa Brava beach town of Tossa de Mar... |
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| Tossa de Mar beach... |
Of all things to see on this isolated, winding, road, we saw a Lay's Potato Chip truck in our rear view mirror (what happened to Frito... ?). We had to stop and take a picture. Nothing stops the chip man...
We arrived at Can Rosich, and what a wonderful place that turned out to be. It was quaint and charming, and and the food was amazing. The owners are a lovely older couple. We walked around the grounds and said
buenas dias to the horses. Dinner and breakfast were served in front of a fireplace...
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| The house dates to 1777... |
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| It has been meticulously restored... |
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| Great sun dial... |
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| Greeted by the horses... |
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| Dining in front of the fire... |
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| Great collection... |
Four nights, four very different accommodations, many miles covered, and a good portion of Catalonia seen. Now we're off to the Parador of Alcaniz, a castle hotel in the province of Aragon. Drop the drawbridge and set the table, we're staying for three nights...
Click on or touch any photo to enlarge...
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