Tamariu

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. My children were thrilled with their presents and we enjoyed a perfect day with friends. Rory was able to take a day off the bike, so it was great to spend the the day together as a family.

Of course, Rory returned to long training days the day after Christmas and the kids and I began to plan adventures of our own. Yesterday we decided to head to Tamariu for some hiking and exploring. Tamariu was a small fishing village and it has retained the charm of such a village. There are a couple of small hotels in town (20 rooms, not large) and a few tiny restaurants line the beach. The small streets are lined with tamarisk trees, hence the name. Tamariu is one of the most sheltered coves on the Costa Brava. It is widely known as a popular diving spot because the Llosa de Cala Nova, a submerged mountain, is nearby. Gorgeous vertical cliffs plunge down to the water, which is considered to be the purest on the Costa Brava. It is a great beach for kids, so it is very crowded with families throughout the summer months. We have not been to this beach since the summer of 2013, so we were long overdue for a visit.

Eston was our photographer, so all photos are his unless he is in them.

 I would love to cozy up in this house for a week or two. Or forever.

 Our plan was to hike a few kilometers before turning around and returning to Tamariu for lunch. I had a hiking book for the Costa Brava, but I must have let someone borrow it because I could not find it before we left. I knew the trail would we well marked, so we set out with little concern for the technicalities of the trail. Whoops.

 This stairway plunged straight down to the water. I made the kids hug the rock as they made their way up the stairs.

 Yep, that is a diving board! So much fun in the summer!

 The trail leveled out for a bit, thank goodness. Aurelia is doing so well with hiking independently.

 I had to get a photo of the photographer. He really loves working with his camera (well, it is mine, but he has taken over, which is fine).

 It was the perfect December temperature yesterday.

 Yep, another tight trail with a cliff. I think kids should learn how to navigate and it though it was narrow, it was perfectly safe.

 We finally made it to the boathouse!

 You can see Eston climbing over the tree trunk and through the branches. This was actually the trail, I promise. It was clearly marked, so we knew it was the right way, though it was very tricky.

And then we came to this. Rocks. A lot of them. This photo was taken on the hike back, so we did this rocky section twice. The trail was marked through the rocks, so you kind of had a guide. Of course, the tides were not accounted for, so in some places we had to scurry over a different section of rocks. This was fairly easy and fun for Eston, but it was slow going with Aurelia. I did offer to put her in the backpack, but she insisted on doing it solo. 

We eventually made it back to Tamariu! We only hiked about 4km because the trail was so technical, but it took several hours (including a snack break). 

I treated the kids to lunch in one of the restaurants on the beach. It was so nice in the sunshine and they were even allowed to get their favorite drink---agua con gas. They think this is a super special treat and I am going with it. Don't let on otherwise, please.

After lunch we put the backpack in the car and took out our towels and beach toys. 

 I collect sea glass and interesting rocks and shells and my kids will spend hours looking for it. No joke. Look at the focus here, people! We are intense about our collecting and came back with some beautiful finds. 

I love having the kids home from school so we can have our adventures together. We have two more weeks and a long list of things to do.

Happy 2016.