Spain: Castelldefels, Barcelona, Cadaques

This time last week I was drinking San Miguel from a glass in a hotel in Barcelona, while getting ready to go out for dinner with Carine. This week, Tash and I are on the couch in London, watching a quality piece of television, namely 'Hen's Behaving Badly'. Not quite the same.

 

Carine had called from Spain the week before to explain that this would the only weekend free in her busy tv-producing schedule out working near Barcelona, on a Quebec dating/Big Brother reality show being filmed there.

Tuesday: booked annual leave

Wednesday: booked flight

Thursday: re-hola Spain!

 

I have a thing about airport emotions (love them). It was therefore an absolute treat for once to be met at the arrivals by someone I knew, to be able to partake in that classic throw-the-bags-down-excitedly-and-run-for-the-hug thing (as opposed to looking above and beyond all the name plaques trying to locate taxi/bus/train). I can't figure out how to describe the feeling of the air in coastal areas, you don't realise how different the air can feel in places until you change environs, and I am not referring to temperature. Whatever, the Mediterranean physically and emotionally smacks me in the face every time I return, and this was no exception. With the windows down and the amazingly bright moon lighting up the sky, we hootled home in the rented Huyandai to Castelldefels (via the 'big brother' houses of the show Carine works on) for a tasting session of chocolate and red wine before heading to have a drink around the corner with a bunch of workmates.

 

On Friday, I explored Castelldefels in the rain, but quite simply did not care about getting wet, such was the joy of feet in sand, sea spray on face! The Mini Cooper European Kite Surfing tour happened to be on around the block, so lapped that up for a while and eventually caught the bus in to Barcelona for the evening (about 25km north).

Kite surfing on the beach at Castelldefels

Beach-front property in the offseason

In the spirit of spontaneity, we decided to spend the night in the city to bypass taxi negotiations in the small hours, and avoid backtracking on our roadtrip up the coast to Cadaques for the rest of the weekend. Ended up at Sensi Bistro upon a recommendation, and devoured a range of tapas and a delicious bottle of cava. Can't be bothered listing the tapas but the best was absolutely the fillet steak bleu. I was in my multi-lingual element, as we conversed with a waiter from Normandy in French, the blue-eyed one from Seattle (or Alaska?) in English and Spanish and each other in a weird combo of all 3. Without a doubt, the highlight of the whole evening was when blue-eyes brought our coffees over and Carine decided she would smile at him and say thanks through teeth painted artfully with a dark mouthful of chocolate fondant. Absolutely priceless!

 

The funny thing about Barcelona is that down all the winding streets, and in the squares on the way to bars, people stand about selling stubbies of beer and empanadas out of containers to passers by on their way in between A and B.

Token Friday night double-selfie

Dog hanging with the empanada merchants

We hopped on the freeway up to Cadaques, via a much-needed lunch stop in a recommended seaside town called Palafrugell.

Barcelona landmark - must be new, no idea what it is

Nothing bizarre about the soundtrack

Palafrugell on the Costa Brava for lunch

More puppy-stalking

Soggy but somehow heavenly, patatas bravas by the sea

Lunching

Pudding for the road

Cadaques was a delight. We ate, drank, wandered the cobbled, bougainvillea'd streets and I took a silly amount of photos that didn't come out, of street cats.

Cadaques in the last of Saturday's sun

A 'half' serve of meats and Catalan tomato bread on our home-made 'bar crawl'



Awesome presentation of French onion soup
served at the table with a crouton basket filled with cheese and a quail egg

One of the best things I have eaten this year! @ Maitanqui.
Fried green tomatoes with guacamole, feta, pico de gallo, etc

On Sunday we were met with another cloudless day in which to explore the town further in daylight, before heading to Salvador Dali's house for a must-pre-book tour.

Morning coffee

Kitty on a balcony

'Xuxu' - basically the original cronut
A croissant, fried, filled with custard, covered in sugar. YES.
(so good, we might have been back 3 times in the day)



Waiting for our entry time into Dali's house around the corner at Portlligat

If you go to Cadaques, you need to book online to go to Salvador Dali's house as they limit the number of people who can enter at a time. It is well worth it though (about 11euro entry) and had a really personal feel to it. Apparently, in a very romantic gesture, upon his wife Gala's death, he left the house as he couldn't bear to live there anymore. To book click here

Salvador Dali's house in Port Lligat

Inside the second floor, so creative and interesting



Token pic in Dali's garden, taken by a Spanish Johnny Bravo museum security man

Haha - someone else's family being funny by the pool in Dali's garden

For the rest of the day, instead of stopping for a drink at this amazingly located restaurant with guy playing some live music at the top of Cap de Creus, we winded back down the road to the beach and went swimming before heading for the airport.

Beautiful views for the Mediterranean-most point of Spain, Cap de Creus

Mediterranean swim = the best!