Calella de Palafrugell

The Costa Brava has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world and we are so fortunate to call this area home. A few weeks ago Rory and I dropped the kids at casal (summer camp) and headed to Calella de Palafrugell, an ancient fishing village with beautiful coves.

The small village of Calella is a wonderful place to go, though I would avoid the peak times (weekends and August). Many of the old two-story flats that belonged to the fishermen still exist and the streets are narrow and few. There are several coves that dot the coastline and each cove has a slightly different beach, making it a great place to explore.

Rory and I enjoyed a quick tea and coffee and then we found a less crowded cove and soaked up the sun and did a bit of swimming. The many rocks near the shoreline make the current here a bit different, but the water felt wonderful and it was such a peaceful way to spend a morning.

The heat just won't quit here in Catalunya. This morning it was 35 degrees by 10am. We have reached 40 degrees several days in a row and set a record last week at 41.2 degrees (about 106 in fahrenheit). It is stifling, to say the least. Relief is on the way, though, as our AC units arrived yesterday! Our electricians brought them and a crew of four and they worked until 8pm and returned this morning at 8:30am. The units are huge and installing all of this is not a simple thing, but it will be worth it in the end when we have central AC. None of us are sleeping well and the heat is not meant to quit any time soon. I am very thankful for pools and beaches at this time of year!

Andorra

Rory had to do a training camp in Andorra, so we headed there to join him. The independent principality of Andorra is about three hours away and it is gorgeous. Not much to do except hike (or bike) and we did just that.

I was really proud of the kids. We did three hikes--one short and the other two were two hours long. Eston can do all of that easily, but Aurelia did her best and hiked over 2km each day before climbing in the pack. Our last hike was particularly difficult as it was uphill (and fairly steep) the entire way. We also had to cross two small but fast moving creeks, so it was quite an adventure. Andorra is a beautiful place and I will be taking the kids back in September before school starts while Rory is off racing.