Local specialties abound in Spain. Sampling them is an integral part of the travel experience. A couple years ago I was having lunch in Salamanca and struck up a conversation with a Spanish couple from Catalonia sitting at the adjacent table; they were visiting the city specifically to have a roasted lamb dish. A 6 or 7 hour car ride for a meal. I did not opt for the lamb that day but in nearby Segovia I had the local fat white beans (Judiones) served ceremonially from a large earthenware jug. A memorable experience unique to Segovia. It is one only of innumerable local dishes fun to seek out all…

At the end of Star Wars Episode 7, The Force Awakens, Rey finds Luke Skywalker on an island of the lost world Ahch-To. In a scene from the following movie, The Last Jedi, Rey asks Luke to join the Resistance to fight against the evil First Order: the sky is overcast, the wind is blowing, and old stone buildings tower over the horizon. Day 6: El Port de la Selva to Palau Saverdera. Total Accumulated Ascent: 723 meters. Maximum Elevation: 680 meters. Distance: 14.8 km. We left El Port de la Selva after a nice breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant. The sun was peeking out, the sea was clam, the…

The walking notes from Catalan Adventures were detailed. Easy to follow. There were even photos of turnoffs we needed to look out for. Plus we had GPX tracks. My husband generally held the paper walking notes and I checked the GPS. It was pretty simple. Day 3: Coastal trail to Cadaqués. Total Accumulated Ascent: 550 meters, Maximum Elevation: 229 meters. Distance: 15.3 km. Day 3 was a strenuous hike along rugged coastal cliffs. An optional detour to Cap de Norfeu would add significant elevation and time to the 5 hour hike. We were undecided whether we would do the detour. Let’s see how we feel when we get there, we…

We were greeted in Barcelona train station with loud chants, shrill whistles and a sea of flags. Flags with red and yellow stripes and a white star on blue triangle. My husband and I had landed in Barcelona a mere hour earlier so we weren’t yet familiar with the flags, but it looked similar to the Catalan flag.  Surely we hadn’t stumbled upon an independence rally?  The autonomous community of Catalonia, with its own language and traditions, has pushed for independence in past, inspired in fact by the Québec sovereignty movement. But this movement was not still alive today, as far as I knew. When we finally made our way through…