15. Beaches of Spain.

On my last night in Spain I had separated from the four other kiwis and stayed an extra night in Palamòs so I could rest my healing foot and catch the earlier bus to Barcelona Airport the following day. 

That evening I walked around the small shopping area to kill time before ending up in the Marina Lodge bar directly below my hotel with a cold glass of white wine.  

Downtown Palamòs 

A lovely young Spanish man served me; he looked like a young Johnny Depp.  I decided to keep ordering stuff; resigned to paying for tiny pleasures.  

When I wasn’t thinking about the dark curly-haired waiter, I was thinking about what I could discard from my pack… which felt like it was getting heavier despite buying nothing except a yellow belt and more shampoo and conditioner over the past week.

The coral dress with weird padded shoulders has to go, I decided.  I’ve not worn it on my travels yet.  Probably won’t. My pretty pink Adidas top and my daughter’s shorts can go.  Not necessary.  Or are they?

Dessert Disaster

A female waitress served my dessert. It was an interesting looking dessert.  Presentation 0/100.  Was it sitting on a serviette or could I actually eat that papery thing? 

Upon investigation it was indeed a wet serviette and on it was a small dob of soft cheese and a few walnuts covered in honey, apparently.  

Flavour… 1/100.

While I was picking through the dessert, I got a message from the group saying the walk became more remote and challenging after I stopped.  They sent me a photo of a very pretty beach where they had a swim once they arrived at Llfranc.

I wished I could have continued.  Certainly would have been better than my evening here!  

Potato Eye Balls

With the weird potato eye balls I had earlier and disappointing tissue dessert, it was easy to see why the restaurant was empty!  At least the white wine was good!  I paid the €20 bill and headed up to deal with my pack.  

I wondered if it was the humidity here and my clothes were half wet.  Regardless, my pack was still pat least 5kg too heavy!  What else could I lose?

The day wasn’t a complete write-off.  Earlier that morning I had walked with the group for a couple of hours as the track continued from Palamòs along the rocky coast to Palafrugell and Begur beyond.  

The wind picked up the azzure-coloured Mediterranean Sea and it licked the rocks below us before sweeping up the cliff to cool the sweat from our bodies as we walked under the hot sun.  

Cami du Rhonda

We carried on following the signs for the Camí de Rhonda track, under pine trees and along the rocky track with pretty wild flowers either side.  

We passed the ruins of an old castle dating back to the 9th century then went up and down many stairs as we navigated the rocky coastline.  

Suddenly an old fishermen’s settlement appeared that was nestled virtually on the beach in a protected cove between two steep cliffs.  Rowboats lined the shore and behind them were white-washed cottages with brightly coloured shutters and doors.  It looked idyllic.  

We reached another lookout point and could see a small sandy beach below.  We walked down the steps into the little cove only to see the sunbathers were mostly nude.   

We gingerly walked past them (our eyes firmly focused ahead), and walked along the shoreline as our shoes sunk into the grainy sand.  

We decided to stop at the next beach and again, bathers were mostly nude.  In fact, most of the bathers here have been scantily clothed, regardless of age or size, and good on them!  We had hiking clothes on and weren’t about to strip off and get sand where it wasn’t needed.  

Walking over the uneven sand and rocky paths had caused a bit of pain with my foot, so this was where I had decided to walk no further with the group.  

We said our goodbyes and I walked to the only bar set up on the beach and enjoyed a nice cold beer before meandering back to Palamòs.  

Sunbathing… is
Boring!

I was back there by late afternoon and I sunbathed - in my bikini - until 6pm.  

Pretty Beaches!

The previous nights we had stayed in Sant Feliu de Guíxols, after driving down from France in a rental car.   We began our walk there and upon entering Palamòs, we saw a coastline that rivaled Surfers Paradise in Australia.  It stretched on forever and took us a very long time to walk it.

We Walked This!

Well… this short visit to the touristy beaches of Spain near Barcelona has me placing it third, after Sicily and France.  

The beaches are lovely, the water is warmer than France, the people are friendly, the waiter was cute… and the wine is really, really cheap here, but the food wasn’t great at all.   It did not feel like Spain at all!

…And This!

I’d love to find a more authentic part of Spain, away from the touristy beaches, but I don’t have time on this trip, because Morocco…

H E R E   I   C O M E!

As I typed this in my little hotel room, the couple next door were having very loud relations, over and over and over.  It was very off putting to say the least.  Accommodation cost was €55 for near beach front so I can’t complain but I’ll be sleeping with ear-plugs tonight!