November 2024

We packed our bags, dropped Phoebe at her favorite petsitter and boarded a plane for two weeks in Spain and France.

Over the past few years we developed a worthwhile habit of traveling with minimal luggage: a small carry-on suitcase each, a camera backpack for me and a briefcase for Brian. It’s a challenge but with practice and the help of hotel laundry, we’ve come to appreciate the ease of traveling light. If you have not, I highly recommend it.

Barcelona

We spent four days touring the sites in the lively and bustling city of Barcelona. The city was much more busy than we thought it would be in early November.

We stayed at a charming boutique hotel, Cotton House, on Avinguda Diagonal. This avenue divides the city between the Old City/Ciutat Vella and the more modern section called Eixample. The picture shows the spiral staircase at Cotton House, from ground floor looking up.

We walked, walked, walked Barcelona. Ramblas is a pedestrian walkway from the Old City to the waterfront. We walked in and around Ramblas, watching people, shopping and nibbling tapas and sampling foods at the amazing La Boqueria Market.

We learned the Iberian ham classification system is based on the % of Iberian pig , their diet & farming method:

Black/Pata Negra – 100% pure-bred, free range, acorn-fed Iberian Pigs

Red/De Bellota – at least 50 black Iberian pig, free range, acorn-fed

Green/Cebo de Campo – at least 50% black Iberian pig, free range, acorn and grain fed

White /de Cebo – at least 50% black Iberian pig, not free range, grain fed

At the end of the Ramblas is the Columbus statue/Mirador de Colom.

We saw many amazing sites including the Basílica de la Sagrada Família and the Block of Discord which includes three various modernist facades: Casa Battle, Casa Amatller, and Caca Gracia.

We toured the Picasso museum, Barcelona Cathedral and Le Pedrera. The Gaudi Architecture was a favorite.

St. Remy

After Barcelona we rented a car and drove to Provence where we stayed at Chateau des Alpilles /Castle of the Little Alps.

We had fun wandering through various villages in Provence. Brian especially enjoyed seeing the traditionally rocky vineyards and wineries.

We toured the Roman Ruins and St. Paul Monastery and Psychiatric Hospital that treated Vincent van Gogh in 1889. The psychiatric clinic is still functioning. There was an olive harvest underway on the property. Lucky for us to catch market day before we left town.

Eze

In the French Riviera we stayed in Eze Village at Chateau Eze with an amazing view out over the Mediterranean. We ate at their Michelin starred restaurant where we enjoyed an amazing five course tasting menu. Brian paired it with wine tastings.

A highlight was spending a day touring elite Monte Carlo, Monaco. It’s a short Uber drive from Eze but, you have to cross back into France to catch an Uber back as there are no Ubers in Monaco. Monte Carlo is over-the-top-beyond-our-budget in all ways but so fun to visit.

Cassis

Our favorite town on the trip was Cassis. It was a short walk from our resort along the shoreline to the center. The resort had a wonderful view of the harbor.

We drove through the Calanques National Park to Ciotat. The clifftop views were stunning.

Costa Brava

Before returning to Barcelona we spent a couple nights in a quiet (at this time of year) seaside resort in Lloret Del Mar.

Cheers,

Betty & Brian