Catalonia Villages

While travelling around the Catalan countryside away from the busy coastal roads there are signposts which point the way to some delightful medieval villages where the population is less than 200 - 300 in some cases! For example the other day we came across two of the smallest places we have seen so far - Juia and Sant Marti Vell. Both villages are very similar with just a small maze of narrow streets and not even a local shop, but nevertheless it's always a pleasure to see these totally unspoilt places as you really seem to be stepping back in time as you walk along the cobbled streets and through the old stone archways.

November in Lloret

Now that November is here the town has gone very quiet with some hotels already closed and boarded up for the winter season, We've also had our first heavy rain with thunder, lightening and hailstones, but today is a much better day so off we went with the cameras to see what (if anything) was happening on Lloret seafront. The skies are looking very dramatic today with unusual cloud formations so there is a nice bit of contrast in todays photos!

A day at La Bisbal d'Emporda

 With a population of about 11,000 La Bisbal is one of the larger towns we have visited on our recent days out. The town is so well known for its pottery/ceramic wares that all the goods made in the town and the surrounding area carry the official brand name 'Ceramica de la'Bisbal'

The weekly outdoor market is one of the largest around with an average of 150 stalls which is held in the town centre streets on Fridays. Apart from the market there is a very good shopping centre with a wide range of shops, bars, cafes and restaurants.

Fenals Beach Today

Our travels didn't take us too far today just down to our local beach of Fenals and a walk through the woods at the end of the beach, and yes it maybe getting boring now me going on about how good the weather is for October! No apologies but still we are getting temperatures in the low 20s, 22ºc it reached today. Rain is badly needed now and my guess it that its not too far away!

Panta de Sau - Barcelona

The Panta de Sau in the province of Barcelona is a large reservoir which stretches for 17km and surrounded by spectacular mountains. When the water level is low then the church bell tower of the former church can sometimes be seen peeking out from the depths of the reservoir after the village of Sant Roma de Sau was covered by the water when the reservoir was constructed back 1962. It only takes about 1hr 20 minutes to drive to Panta Sau from Lloret so if you fancy a change of scenery one day then this place is a must!

The tip of the church bell tower can just be seen in the middle of the photo above.