Dear Travelers,

Here is Part 1 of my travelogue from Spain.  I spent the month of December from the North to the South in this amazing country.

This was a very special trip to Spain this December.  I have always liked to travel and explore since I was a kid and so a nice slow trip to a destination just suits me.  I have never been a fan of the packaged, programmed visit to a destination, but rather a slow discovery of the treasures of a foreign land. My journey began with flying into Barcelona. This is the city of Gaudi, The Rambla and it is Catalonia!  I stayed at the Hotel Colon, which is directly across from the main cathedral in the center of the city.  It was a great location, comfortable and cozy room and a wonderful breakfast every morning of fresh squeezed orange juice, baked breads, manchego cheese and great Jamon Iberico (Spanish ham).  The service and graciousness of the staff were wonderful and I would recommend this hotel to any of my clients.  After a full 3 days of sightseeing in Barcelona, my buddy and I rented a car and headed north to Girona (the province between the French border and the Costa Brava).  This is an area of Greek and Roman ruins, small coast towns and mountain villages.  We stayed in Girona, an ancient city of ramparts and walls built by  the Romans.  We stayed at the Hotel Ultonia which was just outside the Medieval walls and very nice and super modern.  A great thing was the convenient parking as it was a difficult city to drive, but a wonderful city to walk.

From Girona we headed to the coast and hung out in the delightful coastal villages of Pals, Empuries, Escala and Cadaques.  We hiked the Cap de Crues (the most eastern point of Spain).  We based outselves in a tiny village of Torrella de Fluvia and stayed and the wonderfil L’Hort de Sant Cebria.

This small hotel run by Juan Carlos and Jorge is a gem, a true find in the region.  It is a perfect place to base yourself for amazing day trips to the region (both coastal and mountains).  Our room overlooked the pool and gardens and the 13th century Roman church on the other side of the garden.  Room was comfy and the bathroom was huge.  The breakfast each day was delightful and plentiful and kept us going until tapas at 4pm!  I would recommend a stay here of at least 3 nights and there is so much to see.  The owners gave us wonderful recommendations of restaurants and places to visit.  We visited a winery run by friends (La Vineyata) and sampled the wine and olive oil they make on the property.  This was such a relaxing place to stay……… and very romantic.