We love our hosts! Vicens and Jeanette own the apartment we’re renting in Girona. They have provided us with an astounding place to live (remind me someday to tell you about the hot tub that shoots fountains in the air), and yesterday – quite to our surprise – they offered to take us on a drive to the Costa Brava, the “rugged coast” of northeastern Spain. Thirteen hours of unremitting wonder!

Here’s the medieval town of Pals, renowned for its ancient towers and cobblestone streets, all fully restored. Click or tap any picture to enlarge.

Pals is also home to acres of ceramics – jars and jugs and lamps and vases:

Begur has 4,000 year-round residents. In the mid-summer, it swells to 40,000. Only the original 4,000 were there when we visited:

We had lunch at Hotel Trias in the port town of Palamos:

Calella was our last stop, where we stirred up some craemat, made with rum, triple sec, cinnamon, lemon, and coffee, all set afire, stirred for exactly twelve minutes and consumed – slowly – over good (and broken, in four languages) conversation.

It was after dark when we headed home; a light rain required umbrellas.

¡Muchas gracias, Vincens and Jeanette, para el día muy romántico!