Our first venture outside of Barcelona almost didn’t happen. When we picked up our rental car they warned us about the people on motorcycles that slash tires and then rip you off when you are distracted. It happened to us while Roy was waiting for me to bring our bags down from our apartment. There was nothing in our car to steal at that point so we were lucky I guess.

We didn’t notice that the tire had been slashed though until we were on the freeway. We quickly pulled off and called for assistance. They actually came pretty quickly and changed the tire at no cost to us. They said it was the work of banditos! But because it was one of those little temporary tires, we took the car back to the rental company and they gave us an updgrade. By this time we were a little stressed and now afraid to make any other stops in Barcelona. We did finally get going and after a few wrong turns made it to our destination!

We stayed at an old power generating station that has been converted to a home. It’s very old but well maintained. It was comfortable and peaceful, except when their dog ate my cookies!

This place is in the far north in Spain near Figueres. It is in the foothills of the Pyrenees near the Parc Naturale de la Zona Volcanica de la Garrotxa. There are many inactive volcanoes in the area with the last eruption about 10,000 years ago.

Roy and I hiked to the top of one of the volcanoes (not as impressive as it sounds – it was only 1 km) where someone hundreds of years ago had built a church at the top.

Here is a view from the top. 

We also visited the Salvador Dali Museum in Figueres. This museum is definitely worth the trip! It is whimsical and serious and delighful. The entire outside of the museum is covered with what looks like bread.

The picture on the right is Dali painting his wife and muse Gala from behind while looking in a mirror.

This is where we ate dinner one night after exploring the old town of Santa Pau. We walked down into a ravine and then climbed steps up the other side to get to the old walled part town. 

Too soon it was time to return to Barcelona. But the drive back on the coast road was breathtaking! The first photo of this post was taken from this drive. It is looking down on Tossa de Mar. It was a lovely few days and worth the initial hassle.