Day 23: Roses to Cadequez

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Costa Brava is a string of resort towns north of Barcelona. The coast is mountainous and the seaside towns back up to the mountains or are isolated by them. From our perch high on the hillside just east of Roses, we can see down the coast toward many white developments on the mountainsides. In the summer, thousands of people must fill these developments to the bursting point. I don’t know how anyone could get on a beach unless they went there at 2 a.m. It is lovely here now, but I would not like to come with the crowds. 

Things have slowed down a bit. We have six nights here, our longest stay. We want to go to Barcelona by train, but a visit to the Figueres train station on Thursday night showed parking could be big problem.  

It is Friday, pleasant and sunny. We go to Roses and park and take a long walk long its extensive beach and harbor. We stop at the tourist office in Roses and we are coached to go to the Figueres train station early and work until we find the parking. Parking can be a really tough problem in Spain’s cramped cities, you never know.  We planned to go to Barcelona on Saturday, but the weather is bad there until Monday. We will stay here, an hour to the north, where the sun should shine. 

Looking back toward the towns of Empuria Brava and Roses from a mountain pass in Cap de Creus Park, a wonderful, protected area providing escape from the overdeveloped Costa Brava.
We walk the harbor of Roses.

We decide to drive the mountain road through the national park separating Roses from Cadequez. Cadequez is the home town of Dali; we have seen that it has been given good reviews on blogs. The mountain road is like so many others in Spain, challenging. We drive it carefully and enjoy the views. At the bottom of the steep descent, we find a parking lot convenient to town.

We walk through Cadquez to the harbor and a nice spot for lunch. After lunch we walk along the harbor and back through town visiting a chapel along the way. Cadaques would be a lovely place to stay, but it is isolated requiring a long drive over mountains before one can go anywhere else.

We walk down to the harbor through the pleasant, narrow pedestrian streets. It is a very nice harbor and there are many restaurants on it. We pick one that is mostly seafood served Italian style. I am pleased to have a spaghetti served fruti del mar with a red sauce. Ana orders grilled calamari; we share a nice salad with avocado, nuts and fruit. Thankfully, canned tuna is not a part of the Catalonia salads (like it is otherwise all over Spain). The restaurant is lively and we enjoy watching the customers, especially a couple with a small bull dog. They are large people and the dog looks like the husband. I ask Ana if the lady got the dog because it looked like her husband; or the husband because he looked like the dog. Later they surprise us when they leave, when both pick up motor cycle helmets. They are not otherwise dressed for riding, and where do they put the dog? 

Habor view from our table on the bay at Cadequez
Lunch starts with a nice salad followed by Italian seafood. Thank god no canned tuna on the salad.
This couple who has dined next to us appears to know the restaurant manger wo they are talking to. They seem to have come on Vespas, where do the put the dog? Hope they have a side car!

A couple next to us is from Barcelona. They chat briefly with Ana in Spanish. When they leave, they tell us Barcelona is a lovely place, but I should take care and watch my camera carefully there. This is the second warning we have had about Barcelona from fellow diners. 

We take a long walk along the harbor snapping photos. We return to the apartment and skip dinner eating cold cereal. Lunch was large and late. We are satisfied.

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