Along the Roads

There is a relationship between the ceramic products and the road construction method of Calalonia that I haven't quite figured out yet. The region has a thriving ceramic goods industry d during three days of walking on local irt / gravel tracks, we hare seen ceramic shards along every route. Red blue, white glazed chunks are mixed in with the road matrix, even along seldom used rough side tracks. There must be some method of product recycling that I can't fathom, but I imagine some Johnny Appleseed like character with a bag of ceramic chips over his shoulder, scattering chips over the entire region.
The last two days have been spent walking through farmlands and wooded areas of the gentle rolling plain extending to the coast. Rising above the fields are small villages, originally built as fortified hill towns. Some with remains of a moat; all with defensive walls, a castle, and an ancient church. These days, they also have post cards and ice cream and we are thankful. I write this in the village of Begur, which is near the coast. My hotel is near the center of the old part of town, which puts it right next to the church. That means bells chiming on the quarter hour all night long.

Hike Day One

Today we hike the ten miles from Mont-Ras to La Bisbol d'Emporda. We will follow a route from trip notes prepared by our local host, Alan. We also start the hike with a couple from Northern Ireland - Mary and Brian, who are following the same route. They seem to be avid walkers, having used the same company (Headwater) on numerous self guided trips. Lisa and I start off slowly, but we will meet up numerous times later in the day. We start up through wooded hills and pass through groups of cork trees. Many have been recently harvested by removing the lower three feet of bark, which will grow back in about ten years.

 

 We pass by several small stone dolmens, shrines from the neolithic era built on a rocky hilltop. 

Later, down from the hills we walk through olive groves, vineyards, wheat and corn fields on our way to our next overnight stop. The clouds have been threatening rain for most of the day, but they hold off and we stay dry. Later, I drift off to sleep with a chorus of frogs nearby.

Girona

GIRONA

I am pleasantly surprised by Girona. The plan was to spend one night here to be closer to our starting point for the walking tour, but there is so much to do and see here that one could wander for days and still not see all of the old part of the city. Just across the river from our hotel, the maze of streets and allies has been maintained and restored and now is home to smart shops and cafes without loosing the quirky nature of a medieval town. We wander aimlessly and I get wrapped up in photography of all the old details. One thing keeps catching my eye - door knockers. Both here and in Barcelona, they are everywhere. Ornate or simple. Big or small. I still find time to take photos of doors and manhole covers, but the door knockers are fun.

Barcelona Day 1

Church day

We arrive in Barcelona on Sunday morning and the day turns out to be perfect for churchgoing. In the old heart of the city, there is no shortage of churches. Glorious soaring valued spaces, but very few stained glass windows - the local Gothic style of church building is very introspective. Other parts of Europe will pioneer a lighter building style in the future. Side aisles are lined with multiple shrines to christian saints - dark,  but amazingly ornate .  We visit four churches within a quarter mile of each other, including the Barcelona Cathedral - all are holding Sunday mass. Insence and Latin chants fill the air.