Escape from Spain to France 25th July (eventually)

25th July

The day started well, but hot. I had a good breakfast, packed up and spent some time in the hostel garden talking to a German guy who was doing the Dalí tour before going to the station.

I thought I would get ahead of myself by taking an earlier train but then got stuck in Portbou as the train I had planned to take was cancelled.

Portbou station with stationary trains

An alternative plan was then scuppered as all trains had stopped moving but we were told that there would be a train to Cervera in France at 12.00. it did appear at about 12.20 and took me across the border to France.

Walkway under the station at Cervera

The train I had planned to take was of course gone and I had to wait until 14.20 for the next one.

Cervera, another place l don't want to be

Wandered down into the town, another little beach/harbour 'resort' crowded with tourists, why?

Perpignan station 

Nice empty train when it started but by the time it reached Narbonne it was packed. Managed to nip on to the next train as soon as it pulled in, empty. It didn't stay that way for long and by the time it pulled out it needed some Japanese train pushers!

Perpignan 

I don't want to go to the Mediterranean again,  except perhaps the bit at the end of the Pyrenes, but definatly never in the summer. I can't see anything attractive about the coastal areas I've seen.

Sunflowers

After passing Carcassonne the landscape tarted to look more like East Anglia with more hedges and trees. The yellow crops were sunflowers though not oilseed rape.

Arrived into the busy centre of Toulouse for a short walk to a cheap hotel. Small room with it's own bathroom, air conditioning and interesting wall art, all for very little more than a Hostel would.

Cheap hotel 

It is a typical busy city and I was a bit overwhelmed after the last couple of months  but managed to find a good restaurant with a suitable name for dinner.

Dinner

A tough day, I think it's easier walking.

Last day in Spain 24th July

24th July

Went the long way to Cadaqués in the morning. The direct bus went at 08.15 but as breakfast was at eight it was much more civilised to take the 08.45 train, closer too.

Figueres bus station 

The route went to Figueres and then by bus to Roses, I hadn't been there, with a change to Cadaqués. All very exciting!

The bus station was the best bit of Roses

Temperature in Figueres 25° at 09.00.

The winding road over to Cadaqués (with cyclists)

Having seen Roses I don't particularly want to go back, it is a sprawling town/city spread along the coast in a continuous tourist trap.

I forgot to bring my hat so had to buy another one 

The bus climbs the hill up and over to Cadaqués, I'm starting to be a local! and I then walked round the coast to Port Lligat and Dalí's house.

Dalí's house 

There was a French film, with subtitles, showing in a small room, stable?, that usefully passed the time until I could visit the house.

Entrance hall

Small groups are given guided tours of the house, which explains the shortage of tickets, before being let loose in the garden.

The library 

He had bought it as a small fisherman's cottage and expanded as the neighbouring properties became available. He built extra stories where needed.

Winter sitting room

The building is fascinating as an example of how his crazy ideas were translated into a livable space, not being hampered by building regulations no doubt helped.

Bedroom 

He moved out after Gala died and never returned so the house is basically exactly as he left it. He took his books  and some of his art was moved to galleries but the two unfinished pieces he was working on are still in his studio.

The studio

The studio

The garden is mainly terraced olive groves and a rather surreal swimming pool.

Swimming pool detail 

Interestingly, while he encouraged his many famous friends to visit no one stayed there as there was only one bedroom for himself and Gala.

Terraced garden

A very worthwhile visit, I'm glad that I stayed on for it.

Llança 

Bus back to Llança then and a walk down to have a last look at a Spanish beach, still not impressed, before my final night in Spain.

Llança church entrance

Spain 23rd July

23rd July

Another extreme temperature day forecast as I packed up the tent and headed for the town again. I wasn't sorry to see the last of that campsite, there just wasn't a lot of space and it doesn't feel right not camping on grass.

Camping Port de la Selva 

My plan was to take the bus to Llança, leave the rucksack at the hostel and take a train to Figueres.

Leaving El Port de la Selva on the bus

Like a lot of my plans this went wrong fairly early when the bus didn't stop where I expected it to and carried on to Figueres.

Figueres fruit and vegetable market 

I didn't want to cart my rucksack about so got a return train ticket back to Llança to drop it off.

One of the plazas in Figueres 

Back in Figueres again I started trying to find my way about. It is a large town, considerably bigger than anywhere I had been for a while and full of people.

Figueres street scene 

The main reason for going was to see the Dalí Theatre-Museum and it appeared that it was everyone else's as well.

The Dalí Theatre 

The exhibition was excellent but there were so many people there it made it awkward to see everything sometimes.

A centre piece 

It deserved a lot longer visit than I gave it, the crowds and the temperature drove me out. I bought the guide book which probably explains everything better than looking anyway.

Wall art!

After recovering with water, coffee and a muffin I went in search of the Toy Museum. Hardly anyone there and the air conditioning was just about coping.

Meccano

It was full of toy displays from the early 19th century onwards, great stuff! and I could take my time to see everything.

A collection of teddy bears

A quick look in the church, a big gothic building, fine architecture but nothing of significance that I could see.

The church

A supermarket for something for dinner and the train back to the hostel, convenient as station and hostel are adjacent. The only snag, and there has to be one, was that the train was delayed and it meant waiting on an unsheltered platform for an extra ten minutes, doesn't sound much but try it in that heat.

A bit of dragon slaying in the street

Hopefully my room mates won't snore too much.

A graffitied train (is there such a word?)

Spain 22nd July

22nd July

Another day of temperature warnings.
The night wasn't as bad as it could have been, the wind moderated and after I had emptied the dust off my mattress not too much more blew in.

Not a lot of grass!

I started the day by going into the town in search of breakfast, a visit to Spar and a seat by the beach.

Egléisia de la Mare de Déu de Les Neus 

I wandered up through the old town calling in to the Church with it's slightly terrifying sculpture of Jesus on the cross, and carried on up.

The Crucifixion

I came to the GR 11 trail and thought.... well I have nothing else to do, so carried on and did the same walk as yesterday. Easier this time as I wasn't carrying my pack!

People in every corner

A very different experience this time in the sunshine, lots of people about and the little beaches were packed.

El Tejido out for a look round in the sunshine

Even though today I could explore the Cap better in the sunshine, yesterday's arrival in the thunderstorm was much more satisfying.

The altar in the church at Cadaqués 

I explored Cadaqués a bit more today and discovered a museum displaying an exhibition of photographs by Joan Vehi of Dali and his companions in the 1960's.

Cadaqués 

The photographs were good but another museum was displaying Dali illustrations which was much more interesting to me.

Alice goes down the rabbit hole 

I didn't realise that he had done as much illustration.

Adam, Eve and the serpent 

The evening concert by a classical guitar trio was brilliant, I couldn't understand any of the introductions as they were in Catalan, except for a Poulenc piece that he introduced in French, no help there!

The  music, however, was brilliant.

GR 11 Day 47 El Port de la Selva to Cap de Creus

21st July 

FINISHED!

The lighthouse on the climb up from the coast

Yesterday was interesting, eventually the temperature started to drop after I had started to wonder if I could survive. About six cold showers in the afternoon helped. As it was getting dark I went to the restaurant for a plate of garlic prawns and they had a local band playing classic rock, they were quite good. It helped me sleep, or maybe that was the beer.

El Port de la Selva (a bit rougher)

The wind picked up to a northerly gale in the early morning to the sound of flapping tents and  peg hammering. I was packed up, filled up with porridge and away at a reasonable time.

Moody morning 

It was certainly very windy and I was getting blown about as I walked round the headland and climbed up and around the town.

Dry scrub 

The track continues through dry scrub to reach the stabilised remains of Sant Baldiri de Taballera. The number of these ruined chapels in this area is amazing.

Sant Baldiri de Taballera

There are acres of terraces, dry stone walls and little shelters in this area. There must have been a sizable population at some time, hard to see how they survived, there must have been more water.

Overgrown terracing

Storage hut 

The weather had been threatening for a while and a few heavy spots of rain with the increasingly black sky and odd rumble of thunder brought my jacket out of the rucksack for one of the few times this trip.

Still holding off

The wind increased as the thunderstorm approached, I thought it would pass to seaward but it was hard to stand up in the exposed spots.

Arrived now! Very hard to keep the phone steady 

As I reached the lighthouse there was an almighty flash and an almost instant crash of thunder to greet me and the heavens opened. What a fantastic finish!

Cap de Creuse lighthouse

It made the descent to the sea an anticlimax.

Everything was a bit rough

El Tejido didn't want to come out of my pocket but he thought it may be safe holding on to the rope

Minibus to Cadaqués, a quick look round and another bus back to El Port de la Selva. That was an interesting trip on a big bus that took up the whole road on every one of the many tight bends.

Cadaqués 

Back to the campsite, I could have made it easy for myself by leaving the gear there but I wanted to carry everything to the finish.

Some high-speed windsurfing at El Port de Selva 

Thankfully cooler than yesterday, still with a strong wind and the campsite is much quieter but as dusty as a desert with the wind. I will be black in the morning.

Nothing to do tomorrow!