The threat of thunderstorms followed us over the mountains as we headed from our dusty campsite by the reservoir on the river Ebro to the Catalan Coast. But it wasn’t until Google brought us to the door of our holiday house in El Casalot that the heavens opened in earnest, the skies darkened and then blazed with lightening. We tried to understand the woman who explained the running of the house to us in a mixture of Spanish and French while the rain hammering on the windows drowned out her voice and the thunder banged overhead. The house seemed palatial after our tiny tent and we were giddy with excitement at having our own bathroom and shower (I know, it really is the simple things!!) Four houses shared a communal pool and all had individual barbecue areas – luxury indeed.The beach which was a couple of kms away was deserted that first day (Sept 1) – the Med looked angry with churning waves and after a short dip we felt like we had been tumbled in a washing machine.

But soon the sun was shining again, the sea was that gorgeous turquoise bluey-green of holiday brochures and the temperatures were hovering about the 30 degrees most days. But I can say with certainty that it DOES rain in Spain and we had several spectacular thunderstorms, usually in the evening. The Costa Duarada is a long stretch of golden sand interspersed with small shady coves surrounded by pine trees and with with steep steps leading down to them. There were some high -rise holiday apartments along part of the beach but also lots of bungalows, villas, boardwalks and cycle paths and the beaches were quiet.

The locals loved us, particularly the mosquitoes who cuddled up a bit too closely after rain but we were also welcomed at the nearest bar/restaurant/supermarket which was called Papaya and who served the most delicious goats cheese salad and being away from the tourist strip, was mainly frequented by Spaniards living locally.

We almost had an extra guest in the house (there were 5 of us staying,- Caoimhin and I, Caoimhin’s brother and wife and Louise, a South African friend). On the second evening, Louise spotted a snake slithering across the patio and into the bougainvillea growing up around the front door (see photo). Major consternation. The owner of the property was called and she arrived with two men with big sticks. Snake charmers, they were not! The snake had disappeared or maybe hidden in the walls (sometimes we can understand Spanish). That night, I woke to hear a soft hissing- I sat upright in bed thinking that the snake was in the bedroom – thankfully it was the whirring of the fan but the mind plays tricks. We haven’t seen the snake since….or at least not so far.

The beaches were gorgeous but the surrounding mountains and villages of the interior were amazing. There were lots of hikes, most signposted or marked by colour-coded flags painted on rocks or trees. Some were ancient paths linking villages, others scaled peaks to hermitages and churches or descended into valleys only to rise again. We walked through olive grooves, pine and oak forests, almond trees and usually the air was filled with the scent of rosemary and thyme which seemed to grow everywhere even on the higher slopes. We spent hours identifying plants using the SEEK app (highly recommended – can be used for birds and butterflies and presumably snakes if they stay still enough to get a photo). And there was the sound of the church bells ringing out from the villages perched on hilltops with their red-tiled roofs. The colour-coding of walks was sometimes a bit confusing and I must admit that there were times when we found ourselves on longer trails trails than we had planned – being lost is nothing new to us. (But the All Trails app on our phone usually came to the rescue)

Nearby Villages

Most of our hikes started and ended in many of the small villages which were not far from our holiday house -Pratdip, Vandellos, Mont Roig, L’argenterra. Many of these villages look like museum pieces with their narrow, winding cobbled streets, wrought iron balconies and windows shuttered from the sun. But they are very much alive – the farmers that till the land live in the villages, not on their farms. There was the chatter of voices and the sound of radio and TV coming from the shuttered houses although we rarely saw anyone.

We visited a local tourist office and met the most knowledgeable and enthusiastic woman that we have ever met anywhere – she gave us information on hikes, natural wonders, towns and places not to be missed such as the spectacularly deep crevasses at Avens de La Febro, the thermal pools at Font Calde and the Ebro delta. Her favorite word was ‘fantastico‘ and that became our catchphrase as well when we visited. It took us two attempts on two separate days to find Avens de La Febro – no signage and it was very well camouflaged (a real hidden gem) but the deep crevasse was a special place -with a ferny dampness, an air of coolness where even our whispers bounced off the high rocks.

We had a really spine tingling drive to a sanctuary with hot springs (Font Calde). The narrow road corkscrewed around the mountains with sheer drops and no barriers. Thankfully we didn’t meet any other cars because we couldn’t have passed and there was nowhere to pull in between a hard rock-face ….and fresh air and reversing was an unthinkable option. I haven’t any photos for evidence – my hands were shaking too much. We needed a de-stressing dip in the thermal pools with their super clear waters after that drive. We discovered that there was another road out that involved driving across a stream (not a good start) onto a dirt road but after a few bends and driving through three rock tunnels, we were on a decent road that we would have called spectacular(but tame in comparison to the road we came in on.

A day on the Delta D’Ebro was educational, who knew that rice was grown in Spain? The mighty Ebro flowing to the sea creates wetlands, canals and lagoons, a haven for wildlife and birds including pink(ish) flamingos. We seem to be linked to the Ebro – it’s the same river that we had camped beside near the Riba Roja reservoir and the hydroelectric plant. Lots of signs on the delta say that the Ebro river that gives so much life and biodiversity is dying because the delta is disappearing. The building of several large dams upstream is blamed – less sediment is brought down, the erosion action of the sea washes away the coastal sand and wears it away and with less sediment to replace it, the delta shrinks. Unintended consequences.

Soon it will be time to say Adios to Catalonia and Spain and Ciao to Italy. Spain has been a revelation with its natural beauty, gorgeous villages, history and good food……..in short, Spain is simply fantastico!!!!

We haven’t booked the ferry yet but hope to sail from Barcelona to Italy this Friday, Sept 24…..better get cracking