Posted on by Gilah

Spain…The Costa Brava and Madrid

Just got back from Spain.  The recipe for this trip – a little culture, a little fun and a lot of food and wine.  So much so that when I got on the scale it was up 5 lbs. but worth every bit!

We split the trip -4 days on the Costa Brava and 3 days in Madrid.  It turned out to be a good mix.  

Costa Brava is a region in northeastern Catalonia.  It stretches for 95 miles of coastline starting about 35 miles north of Barcelona and ends at the French border.  It’s coastline is rugged with little picturesque beaches tucked into coves.  The interior is the Amporda with the northernmost area called the Alt Amporda.  Driving through the countryside, there’s farmland, more apple orchards than I’ve ever seen, vineyards and medieval villages perched on top of hills.  We opted to stay in a tiny speck of a town called Torroella de Fluvia which is not on the coast but very close.  Calling it a town is saying a lot. Close your eyes and you’ll miss it!  There’s our inn and a bar that is open sometimes, we were never sure when, and a small store along with private homes.

Instead of giving you a day by day, I’m going to give you our most memorable experiences during our time on the Costa Brava.

The Roads:  Take a look at the map.  There was a lot of ground to cover, we covered most of it and I have to say I was very navigationally challenged on this trip.  We thought it would be a great idea to have a Tom Tom to help get us from point A to point B.  So armed with the Tom Tom and a map I was totally a mess.  We were lost all the time.  Well, not lost but misdirected.  The roads in Spain are great and well marked with lots and lots of roundabouts but I kept giving Roy the wrong direction to take.  Finally, I ditched the damn Tom Tom and used a good old map – much better!

The Inn:   L’Hort de Sant Cebria –  a labor of love for the owners Juan Carlos and Jordi.  The inn was formerly the local police headquarters and was completely gutted and redesigned.  It’s country chic and perfection in every sense from the artwork to their choice of paint on the walls.  A beautifully manicured yard with a pool which abuts a church.  The bells of the church ring every day on the hour until evening.  The pool, we weren’t able to enjoy due to the tramontana.  What’s the tramontana you ask?  We’d never heard of it and were surprised when we arrived to 25-50 mph gusts of wind coming down from the Pyrenees.  Actually, it was kind of soothing to hear the wind at night and during the day we drove south where the winds subsided.  Juan Carlos and Jordi will do anything to make your stay memorable.  It was truly a pleasure to come back to the Inn after a day of touring.

Torroella Town Square
From our bedroom window
View of the church next to the inn

 

Living Room area
The hosts - Juan Carlos and Jordi
The Food: I can’t say enough about the food.  I could talk all day about it and between the Costa Brava and Madrid we ate well (I’ll talk about Madrid in my next chapter).  I could tell you about every meal we had because I remember every one but I’m going to tell you about one special meal at a restaurant called Pera Batlla where we had the legendary jamón ibérico de bellota (Iberian acorn-finished ham), also known as pata negra and  is widely considered to be the finest pork in the world. This Spanish ham comes from the black Iberian pig and is raised in southern Spain near the border with Portugal in oak forests called la dehesa. During the six month period (la montanera) every fall and winter that they forage in the Dehesa, the pigs eat 15-20 pounds of acorns (bellotas) every day, gaining up to two pounds a day, and enjoy fresh air and exercise. After they are “sacrificed,” the hams are cured for 12-36 months, producing a truly artisan meat.
The restaurant, located in an old water mill is owned by a couple with very good food pedigrees from Barcelona with one working the front of the restaurant and the other is the chef.  Along with our dinner the wine that was suggested was an Albarino from the Pedralonga winery chosen by the owner of the restaurant.  It was delicious and something we had never had before.
After dinner, which was midnight by the way, the staff was celebrating with cava because it was their last night of the season and when the owner heard it was our anniversary she poured us two glasses and sat down to talk to us. It was a terrific night!
The Coast – There’s nothing like a European beach town.  Palafrugell is one of the most popular beach towns on the Costa Brava with a busy pedestrian-only downtown and a walkway along the beach and rocks that goes from one end of the town to the other.  The biggest decision? Which little cove and which restaurant corresponding to the cove!  We actually asked a stranger on the street what her suggestion was and she said go have lunch at Restaurant Fiego, so that’s what we did.  I laid on the beach and Roy waited at a restaurant for a table to open up listening to music and having a beer.  Sunday lunch with a bottle of wine and some really good local shrimp from Palamos and fried calamari.
Sunday at the Beach
One day, we chartered a 36 foot sailboat for a 1/2 day cruise along the coast from Sant Feliu de Guixols.  It happened to be a beautiful day, not much wind but it didn’t matter.  We anchored, jumped off the boat into some unexpectedly chilly Mediterranean water and took in the beautiful scenery and gawked at the homes set into the cliffs.  For lunch, we stopped in a small cafe before boarding the boat and the bartender made us a local specialty. It’s called “pan amb tomaquet” in Catalan. Take some crusty bread, split it in half, rub the bread with a cut garlic clove, and then cut a ripe tomato in half and rub that onto the bread until the juice soaks in. Then drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Add a delicious piece of ham and some cheese and you’re good to go!  After the cruise, we drove from Sant Feiu de Guixols to Tossa de Mar, an old fishing village with a preserved fort dating back to the 12th century.  Now, it’s a resort destination with a little too much development.  To get to Tossa de Mar the road has 365 turns with stunning views of the coast.
Captain Pedro
The Coastline
The boat

The Jewish Museum in Girona – Girona is the capital of the province and home to about 100,000 people.  It has a well preserved walled city and within the walled city on the site of what was a synagogue sits the Jewish Museum which chronocles the lives of a vibrant Jewish community until their expulsion in 1492.

The walled city of Girona

Salvador Dali’s home – located in Port Lligat, it was a ride over the mountains to the town of Cadaques and the easternmost point in Spain, Port Lligat.  Dali’s home was situated so that he always said he was the first person to see the sunrise in Spain.  It was fascinating to see his home that he shared with his beloved wife and muse, Gala.  Everything has remained in tact and his studio looks like he just went out to do an errand.

Sculpture in Dali’s home
Dali and Gala’s Bedroom
the view from Dali’s house
Poolside at Dali’s home
Courtyard artwork

The Wines – one thing about Spanish wines.  There’s a huge variety of very reasonably priced wines.  We discovered a new wine called a Verdejo.  And of course, Albarino especially from the Jose Pariente vineyard, and delicious, dry whites from Espalt, a local vineyard.

Bisbal – famous for it’s pottery, we had to take a side trip on our way back from sailing to pick up a few pieces.

Pottery from Bisbal
Looks Mexican right? No, it’s from Spain

So that’s Costa Brava.  We could have done more but it was time for the next stop, Madrid.  First we had to get a little lost on the way to the airport in Barcelona and then return our car to the wrong terminal but it all worked out.  We made the flight with lots of time to spare!

Stay tuned for our misadventures in Madrid and see you at the bar….

One Reply to “Spain…The Costa Brava and Madrid”

  1. Love your descriptions of the food and wine! Especially the ‘pan amb tomaquet.’
    Going to give that a try. Not the same as being there but a girl can dream.

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