Spain in the Rain...But the Coast Was Clear

A quick look round mediaeval Besalu in heavy showers gave me a chance to walk over the impressive bridge before heading to a park up north of Girona as there was a spell of bad weather forecast. Karl provides minor servicing and secure parking with power and water for €7.50 for T4 sized vans and I arrived in torrential rain to tuck away for 48 hours. The raised concrete yard was surrounded by flooded land but there was at least two feet of clearance so I wasn't unduly worried. 

Mind you a state general alarm sent to all mobiles in the early hours was a bit disconcerting but the areas most at risk were further down river and on the coast. By Wednesday things had settled down and I headed out to rather lovely Cadaques where an empty car park provided the perfect stop over just up from a cove and beach. After the 48 hour confinement I needed some exercise so unloaded the bike and rode out to Cap de Creus with very strong side winds adding an element of excitement. Up at the lighthouse the wind was screaming in from the sea so I ducked in to the bar in the old keepers accommodation and enjoyed a coffee and cake with stunning views. It was full of character and characters but eventually I battled to get out of the door and was soon off down the steep hill. A side road caught my attention and took me down to the section of coast known as Tudela. For 40 years this had been the sight of a sprawling Club Med resort but in 2002 it was closed, all traces of the 250 or so buildings removed and the area restored to its natural state, quite remarkable.

I cycled down to Cadaques itself where the waves were still rolling in causing some businesses to shut up shop whilst the Policia Locale kept people off the beach and rocks. I returned to the van for a quiet night before taking the sinuous road back over to Roses and then stopping at the Greco Roman remains of Empuries which were hugely impressive with the two clearly distinct sets of remains from both cities separated by a well presented museum. The audio guide was clear and informative (a rarity) and I spent several hours on the site - a Roman cheese grater was immediately recognisable and like many of our visits in Turkey the scale of the place was remarkable.

Mediaeval Pals was deserted but looking its best in the bright sunshine and after a short drive south of Girona I picked up the twisting and scenic coast road towards Tossa de Mar but chose an old hermitage up in the hills to stay at with a Dutch and Belgian van for company etc.

Dropping down to Tossa I could very much see the attraction of the place with a curved bay, sandy beach and the walled mediaeval town at one end and more modern development kept reasonably separate. The large central parking area is free out of season so sported a few dozen vans but there was plenty of space so I parked up and walked up to the lighthouse for a coffee with more stunning views. The adjacent museum housed in the base of the lighthouse was again well presented and referred to the film Pandora and the Flying Dutchman starring Ava Gardner that had been filmed here in the 50's and kick started tourism. There was also a photo of the accommodation provided for Kirk Douglas whilst filming out at Cap de Creus, a far cry from the luxurious 5th wheelers todays star expect. An interesting footnote was that the land speed record scenes in the Pandora film were actually shot at Pembrey in South Wales.

It was still very windy but warm and sunny so I walked to the far end of the beach noticing that a number of roads were still flooded and the beach strewn with debris. A small bar provided a decent lunch of mussels and a pizza washed down with a beer as I had decided to stay the night. Back up at the lighthouse a Spanish guy quietly approached me and opened a small red box with a diamond ring inside, suspicious of some kind of scam or distraction robbery I was relieved when he asked me to film him proposing to his girlfriend which I was happy to do. She was completely taken aback and fortunately overjoyed and we ended with hugs and high fives all round.

After dark the town became even more photogenic and I explored the quiet lanes and alleys before returning to the van for a comfortable night.

Moving on towards Barcelona I booked a park up online near Mataro within easy reach of trains in to the centre and decided to head in straight away despite a return to cold, grey weather. A few people were waiting on the platform so I bought a ticket from the machine and assisted two couples, one French and one Norwegian to do the same. We all then stood for over an hour in a chilly wind with no sign of any train in either direction. Lots of unintelligible announcements were made and the odd local drifted off whilst others arrived but eventually I decided enough was enough as the day was slipping away and I was chilled to the bone so headed back to the van deciding on a whim to try the Chinese Restaurant the Norwegian couple had recommended. A lovely Asian lass served me, spoke good English and explained that the train drivers were on strike following safety concerns over recent accidents. Clearly the announcements hadn't declared this and the machines were happy to sell tickets - hey ho.

Back at the van I caught up on some TV as O2 still seems to enable IPlayer access and my roaming data had reset. The Aire was well run and reasonably priced at €20 given its proximity to a major city and fortunately Sunday dawned bright and sunny so I cycled the  12 or so miles along the coast on a track running parallel to the deserted railway tracks. Badalona saw the start of cafes and bars so I stopped for a break before taking a route around the old power station with its three dramatic chimneys, disused now but destined to become an arts and media centre.

A good network of cycle tracks took me to the Besos River which I followed north and back again for an hour before taking the Diagonal Avenue right in to the city. The cycle lanes need some concentration as although essentially separated from traffic and trams these do of course crisis cross the routes, along with pedestrians and the ubiquitous and silent scooters.

As expected the area around the soon to be completed Sagrada Familia was busy but not unpleasantly so and I then walked through a park and cut through the old centre of the city heading for the port. A loud but good natured Kurdish freedom protest was being supervised by the police and I followed old lanes and alleys to emerge down at the main marina. Here two superyachts were moored up, one owned by a Chinese billionaire and costing £20m a year to run on top of the £200m price tag. The other of a similar standard was another story......seized by the authorities from a Russian oligarch four years ago it has sat idle running up bills that no one is paying and will presumably be sold off one day. Both were the epitome of luxury and contrasted sharply with the wind blown tent city passed earlier at the old power station, some things just ain't right.

I tracked back to Badalona, stopping at the same cafe for mountain rice : I often return to places based just on the friendliness of staff, as in this instance, but the food was excellent as well and prepared me for finishing off what turned out to be a 48 mile ride in perfect conditions. I just had time to load up the bike and cover it up before the rains returned and I slept soundly once more. Monday was ferry day so with time to spare I found CampingGas at the local CEPSA petrol station and thus have four full cylinders, more than enough to get us down to Brindisi where I know we can get more in preparation for Greece where CG is unobtainable. Beyond there in Turkey I will get a local cylinder and all these can then be filled again, I hope, in Gori, Georgia before the challenges of Russia and beyond. A launderette saw the bedding and a month's worth of clothing washed and spread around the van to dry

Out at the port there is no parking and back around the marina it is all underground so of no use to me but I found a quiet street behind the station and got ready for the overnight crossing.

Three hours before sailing I checked in at the Grimaldi ticket office and then cooked a meal before we were boarded an hour before departure. The huge Cruise Roma vessel was an impressive sight and I headed up to my cabin on deck eight where a luxury four berth suite with lounge exceeded my expectations....our last Grimaldi experience from Tangiers to Genoa (via Barcelona incidentally) had been less than satisfactory, something I suspect to do with it being a popular route for Moroccans whereas this is a flagship route for more affluent countries. Up on the top deck at the outdoor bar I got talking to two lively women who used to run a pub in Ilkley but are now settling in Sicily and planning to buy a small yacht to sail around the Med. They were fortunate that Lisa had an Irish Passport so they were both exempt from the Schengen Shuffle. Whilst this is irritating I have not really found it a problem as it has encouraged me to broaden my horizons so still be able to be away for several months.

I slept well in the comfy bed, the pillows were so good I could have bought them and woke to a calm sea with Sardinia and Corsica appearing mid morning giving a couple of hours of mobile signal. With the luxury of the boat and cabin exerting its influence I decided to have lunch in the Business Restaurant which has a capacity of several hundred but with a rather empty vessel only four of us were in there. It was beautifully presented and wraps round the stern of the vessel giving good views through the large windows. The staff were excellent and happy to chat as things were slack, apparently in the summer it is always packed although the term Business is misleading as they really mean Executive, just so me!

The sun set and after a final shower and a rest Civitavecchia appeared in the distance and we docked on time. Unloading was quick and efficient and the sat nav took me up to the sosta just ten minutes away. This had been pre-booked and a Q code emailed so at the electronic gate I put my phone in front of a lens and the steel railings slid open. It provides secure storage for vans, caravans and boats as well as a dozen or so short stay bays so within minutes I was plugged in and sorted. The LB is now fully primed after the earlier charging issues but rather annoyingly the glow plug light has started to flash regularly but as the van seems to start and run fine I will just monitor things for now. I am planning on an oil and filter change in Igoumenitsa in Greece at the VW place that did my wheel bearing and rear pads so will ask them to have a look...an online search points to a possible link with the brake light switch but they are both working OK so it may be something else. As the van is 25 years old issues with the electrics are I guess understandable, the recent coolant after run pump issue was resolved with a new sensor and the low oil pressure light has a mind of its own so could do with changing as well.

En route to Ciampino I stopped for a much needed hair cut, did a supermarket shop and then contacted Gino whose wife was ready to open the gate when I arrived. A terrific deluge had left standing water in their yard but I was happy to reverse on to the ground and settle down for a couple of hours, write this update and monitor Mandy's flight from Manchester which is on time and due above me in two hours time.

We will head off to the Vatican City by train and metro tomorrow as last year and then plan to head down to Naples for Pompeii, Herculaneum and then some volcanoes before crossing to Brindisi in mid February for the ferry to Greece.

I will post again in due course and have further photos

HERE