To Tossa

First stop, shopping!

 

A few souvenirs are a must! Sally found a pretty necklace made by the owner of this little shop.

Meandering towards the old town, here they are in front of the tiny Santa Maria del Mar chapel. 

Tossa is one of the most beautiful towns along the Costa Brava, made even more dramatic by the 12th century fortress rising above the coastline. Contrary to what you would imagine to be the traditional way of life here, fishing, the economy here was originally based on agriculture: principally cork and grape vine.

We enjoyed the cobblestone streets, walking along the wall, meeting up with Jaume´s parents for pizza and a bit of lollygagging at the beach.

Out Dalí-ing Around

A little visit to Dalíland was a must so we set out for a day to visit the small castle he had bought for his wife Gala in Púbol. The lush garden with elephant statues, Wagner fountain, trompe l´oeil details, and her terrace with views of the countryside let you know that she had it pretty nice and was surrounded by Dalí even though he didn´t live with her there.

 

 On the inside, he had decorated the house for her and I imagine it was a very whimsical place to live. It definitely makes me start to think about decorating the apartment more creatively...

Here we are in Gala´s bedroom.

Then, we were ready for lunch and to wander around a couple of the charming villages in the area.

Solo se vive una vez!

After many years of waiting, my mom has finally been able to come and visit me and Sally happily joined in Mommy´s first trip to Catalonia. The weather in September was splendid and we have built wonderful memories together that I will have when I go back to the places we visited.
After getting used to a few stairs, after living in Florida for 20+ years it is hard for her to practise, Mommy enjoyed visiting Girona´s winding streets in the Jewish Quarter, wall, and many small museums. It was funny for me to see her being a tourist with a little green Ipad.
A trip here wouldn´t be complete without pa amb tomaquet, bread with tomato and olive oil, a base for many variations of meals. Here is Sally preparing our tuna sandwich picnic in S´Agaro, probably Mommy´s favorite day while here.  

It was still just warm enough to go for a swim at the end of our walk on the Cami de Ronda path along the Mediterranean.