Cadaques

“If you only have time for one stop on the Costa Brava, you can hardly do better than Cadaques.” That was all I had to read in my guide book before setting off for this whitewashed village, built around a rocky bay at the bottom of a very winding and at times somewhat frightening road. As we drove along, at times doing no more than 20km/h, Sally and I couldn’t help but reflect on how much money was spent upgrading the Sea to Sky highway. Given many of the roads we have experienced along various European coastlines, that is one expenditure we suspect most Europeans would not consider necessary.

As soon as we arrived in Cadaques we knew we had to stay for the night. With its narrow pedestrian only stone streets, many lined with shops and galleries, it felt like a fusion between Spain and a Greek island. After a brief internet search of hotels in a local café, we booked a room in the Rocamar hotel, overlooking the town. Once a very good hotel with both indoor and outdoor pools, tennis courts, mini-golf and extensive grounds, it is now a bit tired. But it exudes a certain charm, and is very popular with many of its guests, some of whom return every year. (It is Cadaques’ highest rated hotel on TripAdvisor.)

Cadaques is home to a Picasso museum and is just around the bay from Dali’s former home at Port Lligat. His parents also had a summer home at Cadaques. As a result, he spent a lot of time here, and many of the restaurants feature photos of him and other local celebrities. There is also a statue of Dali along the main street, and some of the spots from which he painted pictures are marked, sort of like a Kodak photo moment.

Many of the narrow, crooked streets are paved in patterned stonework. The buildings are all whitewashed, although many include stonework, often laid in horizontal mortar less patterns. We were therefore surprised by a large new home on a prominent waterfront site below our hotel, since it was built entirely out of stone. Sally hated it, and wondered how it ever got approvals….and for a while I thought about some of the projects going through Vancouver’s permitting process. But then I came to my senses, and focused on the wonderful setting and menus in the local restaurants.

From Cadaques, we set off for Dali’s house and then up to the French border. We probably should not have since Sally is afraid of heights, and the narrow winding road that leads into France is even more winding and at times seems more treacherous than the road leading into Cadaques. But I was glad we went, if only to see the abandoned customs station at the border. It is now falling into disrepair, and no one has bothered to remove the ‘stop sign’ painted on the road. But there is no need to stop now. How different this is from the situation at the Canada-US border.

I think the Europeans have the right idea in bringing down the borders, although not all Europeans agree. Especially those Brits who are very concerned with the increased immigration into the UK by those who want to take advantage of the free health care system and other benefits. But that’s another story.

Costa Brava

Many people confuse the Costa Brava with the Costa Blanca or the Costa del Sol. But it is really quite different. Unlike the places where thousands of British tourists go to get sun burnt and drink too much sangria, the Costa Brava is the rugged portion of the Mediterranean coast running south from the French border to Blanes. The name means brave or fierce coast, and it is characterized by mountains running right into the ocean and lots of wild pines, similar to those found along portions of the California coast. The area includes historic medieval towns and excellent beaches. While some towns have been over-developed with large hotel and apartment complexes and restaurants serving a full English breakfast, most have retained a more authentic charm.

We are staying in Begur, a coastal medieval village about an hour and a half from Barcelona, and 50 minutes from Girona. Dominated by a Romanesque castle, it is an extremely charming and vibrant town with a main square lined with cafes and restaurants, up-market shops and a few boutique hotels. The streets are spotlessly clean; there are beautiful gardens, and three excellent beaches nearby. Many of the buildings feature plaques describing their history, which help give the visitor a better understanding of the place. I think this is an idea that could be transported to Vancouver.

There are few English speaking tourists here. Most residents and tourists seem to be Spanish, Dutch or Belgian and the multi-million Euro homes overlooking the ocean are the kind you see illustrated in architectural magazines.

We are doing our 8^th house exchange, this time with a professional couple who live in Barcelona; we are staying in their vacation home. It is located within a very attractive community at the end of a winding, single-lane road. The large, multi-level semi-detached unit has a front courtyard, terraces and garden area offering dramatic views over the Mediterranean Sea. It is very comfortable…so comfortable that we often enjoy staying home in the evening to barbecue sardines, chorizo, and unusual seafood and cuts of meat. We are also enjoying the very inexpensive wines.How inexpensive? While we ended up using the cloudy white wine that we bought at the fishmongers for one Euro for cooking, you can get very good wines for 4 or 5 Euros, and excellent wines for 11 or 12 Euros. In one shop we visited anything over 12 Euros was locked up in a glass case! Although to be fair, at the very large specialty wine store we explored, there were bottles of wine selling for $900 and more. (I might add that we were proud to find some Canadian wines on sale there too!)

We are particularly enjoying the local Emporda and Rioja reds and very full bodied whites from Priorat, a small region south of Barcelona recommended by Frances Bula. I am also enjoying the Muscatels, a wine I discovered during first year university with my friend John Hull, although the ones here are better quality than the one made by Brights Wines in Ontario in the mid sixties. John has promised me that we can come on a Muscatel tasting trip to Spain in 2015, the 50^th anniversary of our first year of university….and my first Muscatel tasting.

At the tourist office we were given excellent brochures and maps which set out a number of routes around the region. So far we have travelled the medieval towns and villages route and visited the wonderful beaches. The beach communities are very picturesque, with both sandy and pebbly beaches carved into the rocks, usually lined with cafes and restaurants.

Still to go are the Great Romanesque Route, The Great Modernist Route, and Rediscovering the Jewish World. No, I’m not making this up! From the 11^th to 15^th Centuries, there was a significant Jewish presence in parts of Catalonia, which is still celebrated in tourist literature.

In addition to visiting towns and beaches, there are many very good golf courses at prices much less than Whistler. I was surprised at how few were playing in July, but was told the recession was to blame. As a general comment, we find Spain to be much less expensive than France or other parts of Northern Europe, and given the price of wine, a good restaurant meal can be had for much less than a comparable meal in Vancouver (if you could find a comparable meal in Vancouver!) Our house exchange partners have no doubt discovered this. But at least they got to see Spain win the Vancouver Celebration of Light fireworks competition!

Barcelona sights

Travelling around Barcelona, I was very taken with the older buildings, especially those in L’Eixample. However, the city has some aggressive new architecture and a few other sights that I found interesting.One of the most dramatic new buildings is Jean Nouvel’s Torre Agbar, which at first looks like London’s gherkin. However, this one has a very creative coloured skin that glows at night. Richard Rogers has a couple of projects including the renovation of what appears to be a historic stadium. There are also some very adventuresome new glass buildings where it is evident that the structural engineer was allowed to strut his (or her) stuff, and an interesting fenestration pattern on the new Pullman Hotel.
Barcelona is famous for its approach to garbage management, a hot topic in Vancouver these days. Since most areas do not have back lanes, one sees assemblies of large coloured and sealed garbage containers lined along the street. They certainly are more sanitary and attractive than our dumpsters. A portion of the city has a pneumatic collection system. I learned about this in Vancouver from a Swedish pneumatic garbage system salesman, who mentioned that he had installed Barcelona’s system. I do not know much about it, but given the challenges of narrow streets and no back lanes, it makes sense.Barcelona has a tradition of public art and sculpture, and some of the newer works are very impressive. I particularly enjoyed Roy Lichtenstein’s piece along the waterfront, although others are less successful. At least they try. The old and new streetlights are also noteworthy.

It was interesting to see that some of the newer apartment buildings are looking a lot like new apartment buildings in Metro Vancouver. The one difference is that buildings here generally have metal shutters to block out the sunlight. I did notice some elaborate sun louvre systems, and some solar panels, but not as much as I would have expected, given the amount of sunlight in the area.On the ground, I noted that efforts are being made to reduce public urination and the mess from dogs. Another thing that I noted, that I would like to see in Vancouver is painted traffic boxes at intersections, which you do not enter. Otherwise, you face a large fine if caught. This is a traffic management measure that I intend to promote as soon as I return to Vancouver.

L’Eixample and its Corner Cut-Offs

L’Eixample means ‘the extension’, and in the mid-nineteenth century, this neighbourhood was planned to be Barcelona’ new ‘suburb’, extending beyond the crowded medieval city. As evidenced by these photos, it was a planned suburb, designed by the architect and planner Ildefons Cerda. I read that the original plan contemplated numerous planned green spaces. However real estate pressures filled many of them with buildings. Today, all of the area has been built out with mid-rise buildings, generally between five and ten storeys. Some green spaces remain, often ‘linear parks’ filled with children’s play areas, adult play areas, and passive seating areas.

Near the centre of L’Eixample is Gaudi’s famous cathedral La Sagrada Familia. While it is most impressive, for me, a most interesting planning concept in L’Eixample is the architect’s decision to require that every building have its corner cut-off at every intersection. As a result, the intersections are much more open, and when adorned with sculptures and other special features, they become plazas and public places. I must confess, this is the first time I have ever encountered this planning idea, but I think it is one worth emulating, especially in higher density neighbourhoods.

In addition to the corner cut-offs, it is worth noting that there are a number of significant ‘diagonal’ streets, one of which is called the Diagonal Street. The development of the area happened around the same time as the ‘Modernista’ period, and so many of the buildings in the area are Barcelona’s best examples of this style of architecture. Here are some more photos.