A Catalan Diversion

We are just back from a week's holiday with cousin Mel and Pat.  They invited us to share a villa with them in a Catalan resort, Sa Tuna, near Begur, which in turn is near Girona.  We drove down to Girona airport (about four and a half hours for us), picked up Pat and Mel and went on to the villa.  Sue and I had not been before and we were pleasantly surprised at the coast.  It wasn't miles of packed sand, pedalos and bars.  This northern stretch of the Costa Brava has pine covered cliffs tumbling down to the sea with lots of small bays and rocky coves.  It's a great area for snorkeling and diving in the clear waters and trekking along the picturesque coastal walks.  It seems it is the place where the affluent of Barcelona have their villas!

During our week we visited a wonderful garden at Cap Roig.  This is a garden of Mediterranean and sub-tropical plants started in 1928

and which sits on a magnificent site overlooking the sea.

Well worth a visit, we are told that the best time to go is in the Spring.  There is a festival held every year in the gardens in July and August.
We also visited a large nature reserve 'Aiguamolls' where, despite it being the wrong time of year for lots of birds, we were still able to get close to some storks and watch other birds from the hides.

The town of Begur is fascinating as its architecture was influenced by the tastes of emigres returning from Cuba around the end of the 19th century.

We also found a wine emporium ... a large upmarket 'superstore' selling a vast range of wines, some of which were very expensive.  An indication of its scope was the bottle opener which we saw encrusted with diamonds on sale for 1003 euros!!!  We had to go there a second time to check that we'd seen the price correctly.

The attractions of the bird reserve and the garden may well pull us back there again!