Direction Spain
Oh yes! It’s all just next door and you will have not less than 5 options to get there – by the sea, by the plain, by the hills, by the motorway or through the mountains. Which would you choose?
There are excellant prices, especially on alcohol and tobacco (In moderation – there is no longer a customs post but they are still bad for you in large quantities!), but also on perfumes, leather goods and meat which can be up to 10€ per kilo cheaper than in France.
At Le Perthus beware of counterfeit copies of brand name goods which are on sale illegaly…
Spain is also famous for its restaurants where meals are enormous and low priced.
Shopping is certainly interesting but it’s not all that Spain has to offer. The Costa Brava is close by with its lovely beaches and its festivals, the Salvador Dali museum at Figueras and his house at Cadaquès, and many villages with typical architecture and inhabitants.
Salvador Dali Museum in Figueras
The “Route Gaudi”
Barcelona is 150kms by the motorway and is not to be missed. Rich in monuments, the well known Rambla, the ‘Sagada Familia‘, the works on the ‘Route Gaudi‘ and even the zoo is worth a visit…
Once you cross the border the change is immediate – the vegetation, the buildings, the way of life and of course the language, are no longer the same. Its normal – you are in Spain! On the other hand they don’t speak ‘Castillan’ (the Spanish learnt at school) until well south of Barcelona, but Catalan.
How many souvenirs of this region will you be bringing back with you? Sombreros, bulls, fans, castanets and Flamenco dresses…
Olé! A good day in Spain and then back to the haven of the Camping du Riuferrer!!!
The Sagrada Familia in Barcelone
Hypermercats in Perthus & Jonquera
Village of Cadaquès