Vies Verdes Bike Trail

We just wrapped up a 4-day holiday weekend here in Girona. I debated going somewhere, but in the end we stayed close to home and enjoyed beach days and biking and hiking. The perfect long weekend in my book.

My kids love to go for bike rides. Any time, any weather...they just love to be outdoors. We are lucky enough to have a wonderful trail system in the Girona area called the Vies Verdes. This trail system was once a railroad track that meandered through Catalunya from the Pyrenees to the coast, but over time it became obsolete as the automobile grew in popularity. In the early 90's the Catalan government used the old railways to form this trail system and it is truly spectacular as one can walk or ride from the beach to the mountains (maybe not in one day...). The website is full of route ideas and detailed maps:

http://www.viesverdes.cat/ES/1/home.html

We can follow the trail in one of two ways: towards the coast or towards the mountains. We enjoy both directions for different reasons, but on Monday we were on a search for blackberries, so we headed towards the coast. Our favorite blackberry area is about 9km from Girona and we spent the morning filling up the containers we had brought with us. 

 The trail is packed dirt and is suitable for most any type of bike. I have even ridden my road bike on this trail without issue, so it is a great option if you want to stay away from the roads.

The trail is popular in and around the small towns, but it tends to be a peacefully silent once you are out in the countryside. There are several towns where you can stop for a drink or a snack, so this is always good when you are riding with kids.

There are various spots to camp or stay in a hotel on the trail system. Eston's dream is to ride 50km in one direction to a hotel and then stay overnight and ride home the next day. 100km in two days is quite the goal, but we will see how we end up by the end of the summer!

Spin Art

Parents are always busy during the summer and finding the time and energy for an art project can be daunting. Enter: spin art. This is an easy project that most children can do solo once they have some basic instruction.

First things first: you will need a salad spinner. Nothing fancy needed--pick one up at the dollar store or donate an old one to your young artist. The remaining supplies are easy: paint and paper. Any type of paper will do (experiment!), but you want to cut the paper to easily fit inside your spinner. 

 Directions: Place a piece of paper inside the spinner. Sprinkle a few colors of paint on the paper. Try to avoid big globs of paint in one area of the paper. Gently shaking the tub of paint as you pour usually works best.

 Put the top on the salad spinner and SPIN!! Kids always love this part. Allow them to spin as slow or fast as they want. After a few moments of spinning you can take off the top of your spinner and be amazed at the cool designs:

 That's it. Children as young as three can do this with little to no adult supervision and older children enjoy experimenting with different types of paper and paint placement. The finished art can be used for birthday cards, combined into a colorful collage, or just enjoyed on its own.

A Trip to La Rioja

We have just returned from visiting friends in Laguardia, a tiny village in the Rioja region. Our last visit was in 2014, but this picturesque place never changes, thank goodness.

Laguardia was founded by King Sancho Abarca in 1164 and was originally a fort and series of underground tunnels used for protection and defense. The village sits upon a hill that overlooks the entire valley, so it was the perfect location in that sense. In 1486 a village was built on top of the tunnels and a wall was also erected. 

Fast forward to 2017 and not much has changed in this well-preserved medieval town. The walls still stand, though many sections have been rebuilt over the years. Cars are not allowed inside the walls, so children can roam freely in this tiny pueblo. Plaza Mayor is full of children on bikes and scooters and the parents sit in the surrounding cafes enjoying a local wine or some tapas.

Though Laguardia is small, it is quite popular. There are a few small inns and casa rurals (similar to a bed and breakfast) and we stayed in one of these.  Casa Rural Mayor 35 has just four rooms and they are all freshly remodeled and lovely. Our room had plenty of space for our family and it was very quiet and peaceful at night.

 Rory brought his bike and had to train and the children of our friends were at a futbol camp during the mornings, so I found a local tour company that offers a family tour of the Rioja vineyards. We met our guide in the nearby town of Fuenmayor and set off for the vineyards. RiojaTreks offers this tour and I highly recommend it for families. Our guide Diego was super informative and answered all of the kids questions. He did not speak down to the children, but he made all of the information accessible and interesting for them--not easy to do when talking about grapes and wine!

Here we are learning about the details of growing the actual grapes---irrigation, soil, rocks, wind, humidity...we learned so many new things and have a real appreciation for wine makers!

 The tour ends in a local bodega where the kids get to learn about the fermentation and bottling process. Both kids were able to play a bit with the equipment in order to learn more about how wine is made and appreciated in this region of the world.

Laguardia is full of great restaurants and tapas bars, so it is a foodie paradise. Most of the old tunnels are now wine caves and you can tour and walk through a lot of them, which is lots of fun for the kids!

 Laguardia looks out on the Cantabrian Mountains and there is a beautiful walking path just outside the city walls. Perfect for bikes or scooters.

Our kids spent several afternoons enjoying the local park with friends. 

We are back home in Girona where the kids are enjoying the week at casal. 

Summer Stroll...La Muralla and Jardi dels Alemanys

Sunday morning is the perfect time to wander through Girona. People tend to sleep in a bit, so often one can find the streets fairly empty until quite late in the morning. I took the kids for a walk on the city wall (La Muralla) and we ended up in one of our favorite spots, the Jardi dels Alemanys.

We usually start the wall walk near the playground just south of Plaza Catalunya. The playground is on the corner of Carrer del Carme and Pujada de les Pedredes and the stairs to the wall are next to the playground. I suggest leaving the prams/strollers and scooters at home as there are several sets of narrow stairs. My kids have been doing this walk for many years and though I had to help them with the stairs when they were very young, it is the prefect walk for all ages.

The views from the wall are spectacular and kids will enjoy running down the narrow path and climbing the stairs to the various tower outlooks. The views allow you to really get a sense of the entire city and lay of the land.

Building of the wall began in 1B.C. and the walls were changed and remodeled throughout the centuries. The walls protected the city of Girona and saw countless battles over the years. It is easy for children to imagine why a wall of this size and stature would have been important for the protection of the city and they love peeking through the small openings in the rock. 

 There are several towers along the walk and we always climb all of them. The tallest tower, Torre de Sant Domenec, offers fantastic views of the city and the mountains in the distance and my kids always love looking at the rooftops and private gardens below. 

 I always have my kids imagine what it would have been like for the soldiers and residents of Girona whose job it was to be on the look out for intruders. 

 The path along the wall eventually leads you to one of our favorite spots in Girona, the Jardi dels Alemanys. The gardens contain the remains of the barracks built for German soldiers in the 17th century. Girona was under constant attack from France and barracks were needed to house the troops who defended the area. Most of it is ruins, but the facades of the main buildings still remain. 

 This area is the perfect spot for kids to run around. More often than not they are fairly deserted and kids can play hide-and-go-seek or just roam around the grounds while parents take a break. This past Sunday there was a beautiful violin player and we just sat and listened to the music. It is a great place to bring a small picnic and relax in the shade of the trees.