Spain/France 2012

We have been so…

looking forward to this trip!…

We flew to Barcelona, Spain…

where we will spend a week
on a medieval looking resort
at “Plata D'Aro”,

nestle on top of a mountain

overlooking the Mediterranean sea

in the Costa Brava region.

Once unpacked and settled,

our first drive will be to “Llers”,

where they have

a Cherry Festival celebration in town.

Half the fun is the drive there;

we get to see
a good number of bicyclists
training on the mountains

while we pass castles

and panoramic views.

We get to drive

and enjoy the coastal region,

its beaches, food and a
substantial development of condos
and resorts

for summer tourist.

Today, we are spending

a full day in “Barcelona”.

Our first stop is “Park Güell”

skillfully designed
and composed, by Gaudi

to bring the peace and calm

that one would expect from a park.

Our next stop

is The Basilica of the Sagrada Família

a large church started in 1882

and is still unfinished to this day.

We continue our day with a visit to

“Las Ramblas”.

 It is the central most Boulevard

which cuts through

the heart of the city centre

and is a vibrant

and lively promenade

filled with people and heavy traffic.

Situated atop

an unusual rock mountain,

our next stop is “Montserrat”

a mountain top monastery

very popular among

Catalans, and Catholics.

At the end of our day

we drive back to La Rambla,

this time we stop at ”La Boqueria”

a large public market,

one of the city's

foremost tourist landmarks,

the market has a very diverse

selection of goods.

Next afternoon

we take another drive
around town 

when we find "Castill d'Aro",
a castle built
during the middle ages.
This is a collection
of medieval buildings
of great historical interest.

 

 

We get an early start

to our next day;

we are driving to southern France

and visiting some castles...

And castles we see,

three of them...

and a beautiful drive

to boot!

The first stop

is the Château de Hautefort

a french castle

constructed in the 17th century.

We will stop to enjoy lunch
in the village.


Reality check!
We have a hard time
ordering "water" in french.

Our next stop

is Chateau de Losse

a medieval fortress constructed

in the 16th century.

Our last stop

will be at Chateau de Fenelon

a feudal fortress

overlooking the valley.

All three of the Château’s

were featured in the 1998 film

“Ever After”

starring Drew Barrymore.

We will depart Northern Spain

 with an exquisite dinner,

and a glass of “Sangria”…

Now…

we look forward to our next stop…

France.

We fly into Nice, France.

Where we will be spending

our stay

at a resort located

in “Cannes”

in the French Riviera.

How “Cool” is that?

We enjoy dinners al fresco,

mingle with the crowds

and try to keep one step ahead communicating  

with our broken french.

We visit the village

of “Gourdon”,

and enjoy a beautiful lunch

with its wonderful

panoramic view of the Riviera…

…then drive down the hill and discover

the charms of Provence

with a visit to the beautiful

medieval villages

of “Tourretts”,

sur Loup and

“Saint Paul de Vence”.

We will also enjoy

a nice drive through

the Loup River Valley.

We will continue

along the coast to Antibes

Enjoying the scenery

while driving along the seaside.

Next day we visit San Remo, Italy.

A beautiful Italian city

renowned for its attractive

views of the Italian Riviera.

We will spend the rest of the day

at Ventimiglia, Italy.

"Monaco",
officially the Principality of Monaco,

is a sovereign city state,

located on the French Riviera.

Bordered by France

on three sides,

with one side bordering the

Mediterranean Sea,

making Monaco

the second smallest, and the
most densely

 populated country

in the world.

The principality's mild climate,

splendid scenery,

and gambling facilities

have made Monaco

world-famous as a tourist

and recreation center

for the rich and famous.

 So…of course,

We are impressed with 
 its world's superyacht fleet.

For our last day,

we plan a visit
to the village of Antibes,

located to the east of Cannes

and offers a calmer,

more traditional place
to spend some time.

It has a wonderful
old town centre

with a covered market
and plenty of little cafes

where you can contemplate

the world as it drifts by.

The ancient fort

guarding the town

was build in the 16th century.

Golfe-Juan is a seaside resort

on France's Côte d'Azur.

We will depart
this wonderful area

with another delicious dinner

in our favorite restaurant

“Le Petit Provencal” .

We will toast one last time…

…this time for an unforgettable week!

Now…looking forward
to our next one…