Tag: Barcelona

Traditional Christmas Day Family Hike – This Year in Spain!

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Setting out on our Traditional Christmas Day Family Hike: we had hoped to reach Sant Marti Sacalm El Far, a sanctuary perched on the top front-right curve of this ridge, some 1100+m above sea level.

“There’s no way we’ll get to the top!” We were standing by the car, looking at a ridge that was way too far away, with way too little time to get there.

We decided to give it a try and see how far we could get before turning around when we ran out of time. It was a disappointing thought. We had driven so long to get here.

Mind you, a big part of the reason were short of time, was the road up to this trailhead. It was fun for me to drive – a narrow, twisting  challenge of switchback on switchback – but a nightmare for all five passengers in the car. They threatened to puke on me if I didn’t slow down!

This was the start of the 2016 version of our Traditional Christmas Day Family Hike, the Spain edition! Maybe we couldn’t get to the top, but the tradition would go on…there would be some challenging climbs, some stunning views, some great laughs, and some family moments that will remain memories for ever.

A Christmas Day of Familiar and Foreign Traditions

Mike and Elly went out of their way to plan the hike and a lot of other familiar traditions to make a special Christmas time for everyone. Mike and Elly bought a live Christmas Tree (with a 25kgms bulb of earth on its bottom) that they had to carry a long way through narrow streets and up steps to get into their apartment, and they decorated it. Mike bought a large screen TV so our family could watch Christmas movies on Christmas Eve (at the very least it was a commendable excuse). They even arranged for us to go together to order a turkey at a neighborhood butcher…and they arranged so many other things. I felt pretty much at home in a very different world…by the way, in Girona, Santa doesn’t bring the presents (no chimneys!). It’s the job of ‘Tió de Nadal’ (Christmas log). It’s a log with a nose and eyes, and it’s propped up on one side by two legs. If you feed it by leaving food in front of its face,  it brings you presents on Christmas. Not very believable but…let’s just say there were presents for me on Christmas.

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Christmas time in Girona – big in spirit!
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Shopping and iPhoning along the Rambla in late evening
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Girona’s Eiffel Bridge in Christmas form

Biking: Although Not Technically a Christmas Tradition…

In 2015, the weather was so warm in Ottawa that Mike and I were cycling on Christmas Eve! In 2014, we were in Maui and we cycled. There is a pattern. And Girona is perfect for riding.

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On the 4 hour loop to the Mediterranean, Rueben and I stopped in Tossa de Mar for cafe and bravas
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Riding along the Mediterranean…steep cliffs, scary descents, punishing climbs, beautiful vistas
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The castle at Tossa de Mar. A few days after the bike ride, I drove Deanna, Danelle, and Drew back to this place where we had wine and tapas on the terrace of the castle-converted-hotel-restaurant, soaking up a warm Mediterranean breeze.

 

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Mike designed this ride for me…105km distance with 1520m of climbing (some at 18-20% gradient!), taking in some incredible vistas from the cliffs over the Mediterranean, and unimaginable silence in the mountains, and pastoral vistas over fields sometimes speckled with sheep, goats, donkeys, or cattle.

Christmas Time Around Girona – Magical

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Sun setting while we’re in the mountains
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Castellfollit de la Roca is a medieval village rising out of a basalt craig 50 meters high! It’s tiny, just a km along the craig.

Absorbing Christmas Season in Girona – so much to see

For the Game of Thrones fans, Girona appears in the series in Season Six – it is just that old, that unique, that beautiful.  Check out: Game of Thrones Video

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While walking the ancient Roman Wall around old Girona, I took this photo of the apartment where Mike and Elly now live: it includes the third-floor balcony that overlooks a beautiful walled courtyard.
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On an early evening stroll to the Rambla
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A friend we found while walking in a local park
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Christmas shoppers in the many narrow streets

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The greeter, just outside of Espresso Mafia…a good place for a café con leche
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Danelle’s scarf on a chair…she’s gone inside to buy daddy some Christmas Cheer!
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Looking back over a misty morning over Girona, on our hike up to the Castell de Montjuic
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Enjoying the reflections while walking home along the Riu Onyar on a late afternoon

Christmas Time with Friends and Family, Good Food and Good Spanish Wine!

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No need for a car…a relaxed walk to dinner. Dinner in Girona is a late event by North American Standards. Many restaurants don’t open until 8:30 with 10pm seemingly an average time to dine out.
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Dining at El Cul del Mon (“The Boonies,” Catalan translation)

El Cul del Mon. Night of Deanna and my 34th anniversary. We showed up twenty minutes early for out 8:30 reservation and thought there was a big problem. On this Sunday evening, well after dark, it looked like the place had gone out of business. Or maybe it was closed for the day. No sign of life except for a stray black cat looming around the front.

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Dinner at Brots de Vi (“Break out the wine,” Catalan translation)

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Ok, Back to the Christmas Day Family Hike

Back to the hike to the top of the ridge… The hike is all about creating long lasting memories over generations. The challenge of course is having the older generation keeping up with the younger, more athletic one. Here, the climb starts to get steeper and more challenging. Soon the walk turned into a climb and a hard physical challenge. Danelle would drop back to encourage Deanna up through the challenge.

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The trail got narrower and narrower with steep climbs and switch backs, to the point, just after this photo, we begin climbing up a cliff

Surprising…or maybe not so surprisingly… the google map calculation about how long it would take us to reach the top was greatly over estimated. Or maybe because our kids are in such great shape…whatever the reason, the we got to the top, with time to spare!

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Mike and Elly owning the road!
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These are our kids leading the way!
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Drew and Danelle at the edge of the cliff
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As a good friend, Joerg, would later point out…Mike and Elly are pointing to Adelaide, Australia, where they will be in less than a week’s time!
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Drew and Danelle enjoying the view from the top of the world!
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Picnic at Sant Marti Scalm El Far…we made it.

Wrapping Up the Traditional Christmas Day Family Hike

Looking back at the challenge…We did it! There was no way we should have been able to reach the top, but we did it. The tradition goes on, maybe bigger than ever The car ride was more quiet on the 65km drive back to Girona – for me, thinking about some of the challenging climbs, some of the stunning views, some of the great laughs, and some of the family moments that will remain memories for ever.

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