Our Trip Through France and Spain - Part II

Next stop . . .Spain!

A beautiful sunset in Spain.

We spent our first day in Barcelona. This is the Sagrada Familia created by Gaudi in 1882. It became his life’s work for 16 years and he is even buried in the crypt. The church is still not complete based on his plans, but work still continues today. Look at the detail!Us next to the Sagrada Familia. We also checked out Las Ramblas Street—one of the most popular streets in Spain. It is located within the Barri Gotic, which is one of the most extensive medieval city centers in Europe. The Barri Gotic (Gothic Quarter) is the true heart of Barcelona. The oldest part of the city, it was the site chosen by the Romans in the reign of Augustus (27 BC-AD 14). Close by are the Gothic cathedral and royal palace, where Columbus was received by Fernando and Isabel on his return from his voyage to the New World in 1492. So interesting! Ok, after a day in Barcelona, we headed for Costa Brava, the east coast beaches of Spain. This is a beach along the Costa Brava, which is where we stayed. Our hotel was a nice, but small place, owned by a family. Our hotel rate included dinner, which the family prepared every night. It was a fixed menu—you just ate what they gave you! We’ve never experienced that before, but the food was great. There was also a radio in the kitchen that played Sinatra every evening. It was such a great atmosphere. We wanted to spend 3 nights there, but only ended up staying for 2 because the weather wasn’t very nice. Here are a few more pictures . . .

One last picture of Costa Brava. We decided to leave and head back up north through other parts of France. We are so happy that we left early, because we got to spend time in the French Alps!

Here are the beautiful French Alps! Actually, this area was considered the Pre-Alps because it marks the start of the Alps, but the mountains are not as high. This is the view from our room in the place we stayed. The place was only 30 Euros a night and had the most incredible view. Of course, it wasn’t anything fancy--the bathroom was at the end of the hall and the rooms were very old, but we at least had a shower in our room. The lady who checked us in also cooked and served us dinner that night. We got there just when it was getting dark and so we hiked up to a small town about a mile away and came back for a lovely French dinner with great French wine. It was a full moon that night and it was shining straight into our room. It was such a peaceful place—we didn’t want to leave. This is the small French Alps town that we stayed in. What’s great about the Alps, is that in the middle of nowhere, you will come across little towns that include only a gas station, church, a bar, hotel and a restaurant. Sounds like Fortville!! Ha ha. Just kidding.
A town in the distance.

The next day, we decided to hike up one of the mountains. It was a 4-hour hike. We packed our backpack with some French bread, cheese, fruit and water to keep us fueled. Let’s just say, we were exhausted for about 3 days afterwards. It was quite a trek!! All the way up, we were huffing and puffing, but it felt so great! It was a sunny day and the air was cool and crisp. Along the way, we also went through herds of cows just roaming around. They had cowbells on, so their owners could track them down, I suppose. But it was so quiet and peaceful in the mountains that the cowbells and the sounds of nature were the only things we heard.

A picture of how far we still had to go.

This is a little cabin about half-way up. For those whom do week-long treks through the Alps will often stop at cabins such as this to sleep for the night. Basically, it’s just a room with wood beds and a fire pit. Sounds so cozy . . .J
We didn’t get any pictures at the very top because it was very misty and cold. But the previous pictures give you an idea.
After hiking back down, we decided to keep driving through the Alps and head home. We will definitely be back to do some skiing! On our way home we stayed in the Burgundy and Franche-Comte region. The famous wine region!

The beautiful Burgundy vineyards! This is unmissable territory for the serious wine lover. Now I wouldn’t classify us as serious wine lovers, but we still enjoyed it. We stayed in the old center of Beaune, which is in the Cote d’Or, an unbroken line of vines stretching about 30 miles long. We learned that the best wines are produced from the grapes that grow on the uphill slope. Who knew! Here are a few more pictures . . .

So that is the end of our exciting and adventurous trip. We had a great time. Thanks for reading our blog!