Our French and Spanish Adventure - September 9th - 23rd

Abysmal Bisbal...

We awoke to a thick fog hanging over the entire area this morning, which was unexpected! I imagined it would clear to a beautiful sunny day, but it was still misty and overcast by the time we were ready to go out. We'd decided to head for Bisbal d'Emporda, described in our Costa Brava guidebook as "a picturesque town on the banks of the River Daro". It's also the ceramic centre of the area so it would be great to do some shopping for pottery while we were there.

We headed in the wrong direction first, as we hadn't programmed Trish, because I was convinced that I'd seen signs for Bisbal off the C31. On the way we tried to get some petrol, and I was neatly cut up by the driver behind who'd followed me into the garage and then whizzed past me on my right to get to the petrol pump first! I was so annoyed, I drove off in a huff, cursing Spanish drivers under my breath!

When we eventually arrived at the large industrial-looking town of Bisbal, our first impressions were not good. The main road was lined with ceramic shops and factories, but we were expecting a much smaller and prettier town. We headed for a parking area off the main road, parked the car, and saw signs for Nucli Antic - the old town. Ahead of us was a dry river bed and we crossed over, heading for a church we could see in the distance. It was very hot and we tried to keep to the shade as much as we could. 

To our left was an area of bars and restaurants but we kept on heading towards the church. We were hoping for a bar in the central square for a drink, but apart from the places we'd seen on our way in, everything appeared to be closed.

Scared silly in Begur

Giving up on the idea of staying any longer in Bisbal, we decided to cut our losses and leave, deciding to try Begur again for lunch. It wasn't a long way to go and we spotted a petrol station on the outskirts of Bisbal. This time there was a car parked at a pump with the hose on the side we needed, but the driver was eating a sandwich and seemed reluctant to move, even though he could see me waiting behind him. In the end, I had to pull over to another pump and stretch the hose around to the right-hand side of the car! I glared at the driver of the other car but he was oblivious. 

We entered Begur the same way as the other evening, and we could see the town below us. Searching vainly for somewhere to park, we became caught up in a traffic jam that snaked back down the hill. I could see blue lights and then, as we drove further down the road, a very strange procession indeed. People were wearing enormous "mascot" heads and there were women dressed all in white with scarlet sashes. We later found out it was the Festa de la Santa Reparada. Sophie started to freak out in the back of the car because of the freakishly large heads, and as the area was chaotic, we left! It seems we are never going to visit Begur!

Surfer Dudes

In one last attempt to find somewhere to eat, we headed back down to Pals Beach. Instead of carrying on, though, I turned left and drove towards Platja Grau. This part of the coast was full of apartment buildings set amongst huge pine trees and appeared almost deserted. Finally, at the end of the road, we came to a large car park and the beach. Adjoining the car park was a restaurant "Les Dunes" and a long apartment-lined promenade stretching back to Pals Beach.

Sophie wasn't keen on going to the restaurant (she'd Googled reviews) and none of us wanted to trek down the long promenade, but we spotted a small surfers' beach bar at the end of the car park with tables and chairs outside. We sank down on the chairs and ordered three beers. At last! A drink! We decided to just have a drink at the bar and then go to "Les Dunes" as we didn't think there was anywhere else to eat.

The man serving us bore a strong resemblance to Hugh Jackman and appeared to run the surf school/hire place next door. A man arrived with two small boys and they ordered food. "Hugh" had brought us out three slices of bread with sausages balanced on top, and the food was so good, that we asked if they had a menu. This was a bonus as we didn't think they served food!

Sophie suggested a couple of tapas dishes to start, followed by chicken for Keith, pasta pesto for Sophie and a juicy hamburger for me. The food was very good and our starters of patatas bravas and croquettes were delicious! 

It was totally unexpected and the chef definitely knew what he was doing in the kitchen! We sat and lingered over lunch and watched surfers come and go. Several old beaten-up vans drove in and it was clear that the beach was a surfers' paradise!

Reluctantly, we asked for the bill and Hugh invited us to have a Ratafia liqueur on the house. It was sweet and tasted a bit like cough syrup. I really liked it! The bill came to a very reasonable 63 euros, but we tipped Hugh and the chef over 10 euros as the food and service had been so good.

I get an eyeful!

Keith returned to the car while Sophie and I walked down to the beach, so she could dip her toes in the sea. Imagine my surprise when one young man was standing naked by his car, not shy in the least about showing it all off! What made it worse was that he was facing diners in the restaurant! Ooh-er! I wonder if it put them off their lunches?

We climbed the ridge of sand dunes and we were treated to lovely views of the rough sea. To our left people were out surfing the waves and Sophie ran down to the water to wet her feet. She said the current felt very strong.

It was still very hazy, and we could just about make out the opposite coast and the town of Roses in the distance. 

Back at the villa, we relaxed by the pool and then it was a game of Scrabble with a G&T, followed by another couple of episodes of Only Murders in the Building!

Who killed Tim Kono?