Loving the Mediterranean

Joan left her family in Barcelona and we hopped a bus for a road trip to Tossa de Mar, a city in the heart of the Costa Brava region.  We had heard great things about this area of Spain but it turned out to be even more than we expected.  This is a lively beach town with the usual shops and restaurants all along the beach but on the edge of the city at the top of a hill sits the real treasure, a castle!

Upon arriving in town we walked as far as we could see and back again admiring the Mediterranean with every step.  Last night was a fairly uneventful but pleasant dinner by the water and early to bed.  Tossa de Mar turns out to be a family town without much of a night life.  On our way back to the hotel we did spot a bar looking place and decided to give it a try.  The wine was less than hoped for and there was something about all the legs of pork hanging over our heads that just didn’t set the atmosphere we were hoping for, one glass and we were on our way.

Walking to the beach this morning we ran into a man and his two adorable daughters.  The girls were about 2 and 4 years old with wonderful curly hair and sweet smiles.  We chatted as we walked to the beach and said our good-byes as we hit the sand.  Joan and I rented beach chaises and had just got ourselves settled in when our new friend came over and asked if we’d like to go for a boat ride on his friend’s boat.   Sure, why not.  Once on the boat we met the boat owner Miguel and his friend Manuel and learned that the girls were named Julia and Martina. 

I have always loved the Mediterranean and today confirmed I still do.  Miguel turned out to be a expert boatman and a terrific host.  We sped along some of the most amazing shoreline, dotted with small beaches in between tall beautiful cliffs.  Miguel knew of a little tucked away cove that wasn’t over crowded and pulled in and dropped the anchor so we could all swim.  After about an hour and a half the girls were getting tired so we headed back to our beach where Miguel let us all off of the boat and we all said our good-byes and thank yous. 

The rest of the afternoon was spent lazing in the sun and working on our tans.