domingo, 8 de abril de 2007

Easter in Cadaques - Part II






The next morning in Cadaques I got an early start. The sun was still shining brightly and the first thing I did was have a coffee and a bocadillo in the town square. I could have sat for hours watching the shimmering water in the morning light.

I walked out of town on the north end of the bay on the road. I soon found the trail which hugged the coast. Porous rock jutted out in all angles. The vegetation was quite dry and sparse. Along the way, I saw some kayakers coming into the bay. How great would that be? I also saw several groups of scuba divers along the coast. The Costa Brava is known for its amazing diving opportunities.

There were some amazing homes along the way...all made of shale and very square and modern. There was one particular house on its own little island. Very nice.

I walked around the bay, but soon found that I could no longer walk along the cliff as it was cut off by homes etc. I doubled back and soon found the path to Lloret de Mar. This is just a tiny fishing village with nothing really there except for Salvador Dalí's house. I walked down the path to the village. I knew I was close when I saw to strange white heads jutting out from the trees, which are on top of Dalí's house.

For anyone wanting to come here, note that you have to book ahead to get into his house, or wait around for a cancellation. I knew this the night before, but since it was Easter it would have been impossible to get in I think. After a brief rest on the bay and some photos of the colourful fishing boats, I headed up into the hills again.

The nice thing about Cadaqués is that it's within a national park, so you can hike all the way to the French border if you want. Far away in the north I could see Cap de Creus, which is the easternmost point in Spain. It was about 8km away from Lloret de Mar, so I knew I would not make it that far. Apparently the sunsets there are breathtaking...well, I'm sure there will be a next time.

So I hiked and hiked, looking at the steep drop from the cliffs into the azure-blue water below. Absolutely stunning, especially once you get away from all of the houses. I had packed a lunch the night before, and soon I found the perfect spot. Just off the hiking trail was a small ledge on the cliff. I walked down to the ledge, opened my backpack and had my lunch, looking at this gorgeous view in front of me. It was so hot I took off my clothes and let the sun warm my back.

This was truly one of my favourite days in Spain so far.

2 comentarios:

Michael Zogala dijo...
Este comentario ha sido eliminado por el autor.
Michael Zogala dijo...

Hey Adam. Any idea what makes the Costa Brava such a good diving spot? Are there wrecks there or something? That could be a really cool side trip on a vacation to Spain someday.

Sounds like you're really taking advantage of being in Barcelona - must be great to take off and see the Spanish countryside like that.

Keep the blogging up - I love reading about your adventures.