November 14, 2019

Dick got his International Driver’s License At the AAA store and we drove to the Concord Bus Station and caught the 5 o’clock bus to Logan Airport. We had a good long time to wander around the airport before our plane left at 10:25. It was the usual somewhat sleepless night for me with no interruptions for food or drinks! Flying isn’t what it used to be!!


November 15, 2019

We landed in Barcelona at 11:30 AM and got our rental car. Heather drove us to Ceret, a very neat old town with cobblestones, stone archways- but no restaurants that served before 7PM. Dick bought four novels in French and it was fun walking around the narrow streets.

We drove up the mountain to Gombe where Heather’s Buddhist retreat/meditation center is located. The staff met Heather with hugs and prayer scarves. They showed us to our room which was very nice. Stephano had made Christmas cookies and put out a plate for us. They were delicious as was the sweet potato soup we had with the group for dinner. All were very hospitable, but we were tired and soon retreated to our room to read and sleep!


November 16, 2019

We got up around 9 (3 AM New Hampshire time!) and had yogurt and bread for breakfast. Then we toured the retreat center, seeing the cabins and Heather’s geodesic dome, and the meditation rooms in the main house. It was previously a hotel, so had much of the basic structure and charm of an old mountain hotel.

Heather drove us to the nearest town, La Bastide, which was another amazing ancient town. The church there was from perhaps 13 AD and had several very ornate altars. Heather showed us three old stone farmhouses that had been purchased by a friend of the retreat center and were being rehabilitated for a three year retreat to be held there in a year and a half. The walls were 3 feet thick, but they were going to increase the size of the windows greatly- a lot of work! Most of the work was being done by volunteer members of the Buddhist community there.

We had dinner at a small local restaurant run by friends of Heather’s- fish and beans prepared specially for us. We drove back to the center and read and rested until 6, then had sweet potato soup, rice and cookies for dinner. Back to bed to read and sleep, calling it a good day!


November 17, 2019

Breakfast was muesli and we were given a package of cookies to take with us. We packed up our things and drove to a farm owned by good friends of Heather’s, Jeff, Sashi, and her mother Mary- an English couple settled there in the French countryside. They were taking their horses out to pasture so we visited with the cats and dogs and then had cake that Mary made and enjoyed talking around the cozy wood stove. On the way to our first apartment in Prades, France (which Heather had booked as she did for all stops on the trip) , we shopped at a veggie store and got cheese (that lasted the whole trip!), olive paste, bread, and veggies for soup later on. Heather’s iPhone guided us to the apartment (Le Close de Sylvie) which was very nice and had lots of artistic touches. The apartments we stayed in had accommodations for three and included kitchens and bathrooms- most with a bidet! The couple had a very cute cat which visited us for a while.

After lunch we walked down to the town which had lovely stone houses and red marble sidewalks in some places. Their Christmas Market was going on so it was fun walking through, seeing all the goods for sale. We stopped at a chocolate booth and had a fun conversation with Sandy, the chocolate maker who was originally from London. I took lots of photos, then we raided our store of goodies for dinner. Dick read a copy of Le Monde the apartment owners had left and I tried, in vain, to get a Happy Birthday note to my sister in Hawaii.

November 18, 2019

We drove along the coast and went up to Arbousalls a city high up on a hillside. It had very old buildings and twisty streets. In several places they had tile murals of life there. The church looked out over the valley below. Another ancient historic city.

Back on the way we stopped at Sanyuel sur Mer- much more modern than the other places we’d been so far. Dick and I had Honeymoon Pizza - with walnuts, honey and four circles of goat cheese- different but good! We did a good bit of beach combing along several beaches and I found quite a bit of sea glass, some rounded stones for our front walk in Ash, and a few shells- much better than I had anticipated!

We crossed into Spain and took photos at the border- no customs or passport check or anything! Our next apartment was in Llanca, high on a hill overlooking the beach. They charged us $25 for bedsheets and towels, which seemed pretty high! Heather made reservations for the next two nights- looking to see that bedding and towels were included. We walked into town and got bread and a chocolate croissant, and we had that with cheese, nuts and yogurt for dinner. I began to really wish I’d brought my computer along!


November 19, 2019

We were up and off by 10. Heather and I did some shopping and she got towels so we wouldn’t have to rent them later, and they could use them at the center afterwards. We drove through twisty mountain roads with many terraced vineyards and rocky outcroppings with cacti. There were lots of Free Catalana signs and yellow ribbons as a protest symbol. In Roses Heather got the key for the nice modern apartment right across the road from the beautiful beach. We walked the beach in one direction, had lunch and then walked in the other direction. Dick found a bunch of green parrots to photograph, I found a good number of shells, and Heather tried to save lots of jellyfish that had washed ashore. Dick and I ate at a small restaurant where I had bifstek and he had pollo (chicken)- very good and inexpensive. We watched the beautiful sunset and I used Heather’s computer to catch up on Huffpost, but couldn’t get into my internet. And so to bed!.


November 20 & 21, 2019

We got up around 8. Heather walked the beach and we joined her later to walk more. Then we packed up and checked out another beach, still in Roses but separated from the first by a high rocky point. Falcon Point was our next stop- high above the ocean with lots of nice walking paths and great views. We stopped at a supermarket and got fruit, bread yogurt, croissants and wine for future meals.

Having spent enough time for them to prepare it, we headed for our next apartment, high up from the beach but still in Roses. After checking it out, we absolutely agreed to spend two nights there. An amazing balcony overlooked the ocean, which even had a fireplace! There were two separate bedrooms, ours with a slider onto the balcony. It had separate rooms for toilet and sink and shower. The kitchen was modern and they supplied milk, orange juice and bottled water, as well as muffins and rolls, cheese, butter and peanut butter. Off the kitchen was a utility room with a clothes washer which we took advantage of the next morning. All for 55 Euros a night!

After wine and cheese on the balcony, we walked the 130 or so steps down to the waterfront. There was a small lighthouse and lots of very expensive yachts in the marina along the way. Back ‘home,’ Dick and I ate persimmons for the first time. And we even had a working TV and could watch CNN before bed.

We had croissants and peach nectar on the balcony for breakfast the next morning. We did laundry, Heather figuring out how to use the machine which had a rotating stainless steel barrel that you had to unlatch to put the clothes in. After hanging the laundry on a rack on the balcony, we headed out toward Empuriabrava. We stopped at several small beaches along the way.

In Empuriabrava we walked the beach, then had pizza (again but very different from the prior one) and salad at a restaurant with a very friendly waitress originally from the Philippines. I found a lot of shells and even a cuttlefish. Dick pretended to play on the merry-go-round and with a kiddy steam shovel! We shopped for things to take home to people. So that Dick could hunt for birds to photograph, we walked down a county lane. Dick even slid under an electric fence on his back, trying to get photos of a magpie, but birds were not cooperating for him! Heather and I walked along and visited with a group of shaggy horses. Back at the apartment we reheated the pizza and had wine on the balcony and watched a lovely sunset. Heather went out for a walk and got back after dark. Back inside we watched a little more CNN. And, not the best end for a day, Heather found out from our rental car company that we had gotten a speeding ticket while in France- where cameras catch you without your knowledge.


November 22. 2019

We packed up and left Roses, heading for Pals. At a small canal by the beach Dick spotted some moorhens and we walked the beach and paths by the canal. I began searching for shells, and found a lot of tiny brightly colored scallops. On the beach I saw a class of schoolchildren and, of course, was drawn to them. After the teacher finished her lesson they all started beach combing. When it started to rain I was close and the kids all ran under umbrellas. I walked toward one of the teachers, Rosa as I found out, and asked if she spoke English. She did and was hoping I lived nearby so she could practice speaking English with me. I told her I was just on vacation, but got her email and plan to send her class some shells from North Carolina when we’re back there. It was a fun encounter! One of the things that makes travel so great!

After shopping for last minute gifts, we ate at a Burger King. Back on the road, we saw a neat garden/pottery store and Heather and I both bought things. Heather picked up the key and we drove to the apartment by the sea- in a large complex. This beach was distinguished for me by the large number of small yellow coquina clams as well as beach glass. I love how each beach seems to have a speciality! We had an early night, getting ready for the trip back tomorrow!


November 23, 2019

We were up and out by 9:40 and at the airport by 11:30. We checked the car in and had lunch with Heather in the airport before saying good bye and letting her get back home in daylight. After going through security, we roamed the airport for a good few hours. The line to board took an exceptionally long time and our plane got off a little late. We had a good deal of turbulence on the flight but that didn’t stop me from watching three movies: “Romantic Comedy,” “Bohemian Rhapsody” (for the second time), and “The Second Best Marigold Hotel.” Obviously I didn’t sleep much, but Dick did okay. We missed the first bus when the driver drove off with her luggage compartment still open! But we caught the 10:25 PM bus, scraped the frost of the windows of our car, and were home in bed around 1:30 after a lovely, mostly restful trip!