For those unfamiliar with Spanish geography (I know, American geography classes are always top notch, and everyone knows all about Spain), Barcelon
a sits j
ust south of the Costa Brava region. Think winding, rocky coastlines, super blue water and plenty of sun. I´ve now taken 4 separate trips up there...
July 9th: Diving in Llafranc.
There is a Scuba group at HP that organizes a few dives (2 that I have seen this year). Many of the people on this dive had not been out since their open water certifications, but there were also a handful of people that were more experienced. Luckily, I was paired with them, and we got to drop in first. We attached to the mooring ball (a floating ball attached to the bottom, these are better than dropping an anchor that scrapes across the bottom of the sea floor), and after getting in I could see the bottom 50 feet down. Compared to the ~15 foot limit in San Diego, this was quite nice. I should also mention that the water is significantly
warmer, so there's a double bonus. The dive was around an underwater mountain, so we got to continuously spiral around the mountain from the bottom all the way up, seeing several types of fish (including a catfish looking thing), and even a few sea stars and coral. The culture shock of the day was first learning how much weight to carry, since I am new to the Meditteranean salt water. First comes translating my question into Spanish, followed by translating back into words I understand better, only, the answer is in kilograms, soooo translate kilograms to the pounds of weights that are part of my gear. Then I attach my tank, and they ask how much pressure I have. My computer reads in psi, they want the response in Bar (200 Bar = 3000 psi more or less). Ok, got it... except when underwater, they have different signals for things too, so first I have to do the underwater math to figure out how many Bar my gauge is reading, then remember how to tell my buddy that. It all worked out well, but i
t was definitely harder than I thought it would be. Very pretty dive though.
July 30th: Blanes
Deciding I liked the views in Costa Brava, and did not get to spend that much time just at the beach, I decided to hop a train up the coast. For a mere 5 euros each way, you can take the train 70 kms, and see the whole coastline there in 1.5 hrs. It doesnt go all the way up to the prettiest area, but it's cheap, easy, and there are still some nice beaches. I chose Blanes for a few reasons. There was a botanical gardens there (that, unfortunately, I wouldnt recommend unless you are a huge plant enthusiast, mostly mediterranean type low shrubs, or
generic looking plants, not much blooming colors), as well as it being the start of Cami del Ronda, which is a series of trails that fishermen and smugglers used in olden days. So after visiting the gardens and a castle, I set off on a hike. Trail markers in Spain are actually quite good, but you have to know what you are looking for. The symbols are painted on rocks, or lampposts or various things on the side, so you have to be vigilant to see the signs, but also to understand them. My trail was a red and white equal sign, not to be confused with a red and white X. At any rate, I wandered through streets, trails, and even some parking lots along this trail. I discovered many little hidden beaches, that, to my eyes, had no associated towns or commercial spaces.
This is a good time to mention that every beach in Spain appears to be topless optional, and fortunately for all the guys reading, there are quite a few attra
ctive Europeans that are not bashful. What I discovered on this journey however, was that the further up the coast I went, and into the smaller and more secluded beaches, the more people I saw completely nude. It seemed like a relative mix, with up to ~50% tanning au natural. I didnt think my excuse of taking pictures of the "coastline" would work, so no photos to attach, sorry. It was quite enjoyable having a mixture of hiking and beach-going, definitely something I think I want to try again.
August 5th-7th: Begur
August is apparently a month for vacation. Government shuts do
wn, and almost nobody is left in the office, except the few schmucks that stick around to keep things alive. That was J and me... we figure the whole country is on vacation, why would we want to do the same, and go to the same places to be in a packed area. We'll save it and go throughout the year. However, one colleague has a vacation home in Begur, and invited J and I up for the weekend. We caught a 2 hr bus up there, then they picked us up at the station. It is definitely apparent to me that the further north you go, there is more dramatic coastlines, everything just seems a little prettier and little cleaner. The vacation home they have is gorgeous, our room overlooked a small harbor, as well as following the coast all the way north past Islas Medes (where the best diving in Costa Brava is supposed to be) and all the way to the French border. We did the traditional Spanish vacation activities, go to the beach to relax and snorkel, and eat. I really enjoyed snorkeling here. The beaches are not the typical sand beac
hes, they drop off into small reefs and rocky bottoms after just 10-15 feet, full of fish, and coral, and aquatic plants, it is very cool.
We ate jamon and olives, and shrimp, we had a few rice dishes (variations of paella), salads with fresh figs and goat cheese and various grilled meats, to name a few. We also went to a "Medieval Restoration" city, basically, they recreated what the city would have looked like in 1400, and people live there, sometimes for just part of the year, sometimes year round. There are many restaurants and touristy places as well, but I am told that in the winter, all the streets are deserted, and it can be quite beautiful. This is the best, most mediavally picture I was able to get.
August 14th: St Pol de Mar
This post would be much cooler if I had brought my underwater casings. This time we did not take the train as far north, stopping based on a recommendation from a colleague. The beaches further north were more impressive, but the highlight of this trip by far was seeing several barrel jellyfish at a cleaning station, with other little fishes eating the parasites off the bell and tentacles. Here is a stock photo I found that looks very similar to both jelly and environment. Jellyfish are some of my favorites to watch, and these ones slowly meandered away from me, rather than trying to attack of threaten, so I got to sit and watch them for a long time.
Costa Brava has a lot to offer inland as well, we have some trips planned for later this year, but for now, the beaches are not too shabby :D
-J
