España
Sitges
My mother's home town |
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| View from bike of the villages on the other side of the small mountains that surround Sitges. I made it to the house just below the horizon at the right on a gravel road using something like a 24 x 27 gear. I had to descend almost as slowly as I went up it to keep from skidding as I applied the brakes. |  |
Day trip to the Costa Brava
Cadaquès
| My nephew with kayaks |  |
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Llançà
| My sister at one of the first houses that my dad designed. Only the maids were home. This was built as a summer home for two brothers who were doctors practicing in Barcelona. One retired early and took up painting after Spain turned to socialized medicine. He painted a scene of Cadaquès from a viewpoint close to the one above. |  |
El Port de la SelvaViews from the neighborhood above Port de la Selva. You can see Llançà to the right way in the distance. |
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Cabo Creus |
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The Pyrenees
Puigmal
| I went with one of my cousins and her friends to climb Puigmal. We took a funicular up 1000m (3300ft) to Nuria. Once just a monastery it now has ski slopes and accommodations. From there we climbed another 1000m on foot to the peak at 9600ft. There were still some patches of snow that we had to cross in the crevasses that get little direct sunlight. |  |
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I led the señoritas on the climb up the mountain. My diminutive cousin led the charge down as my aching knees balked. She's second from the left, below. (I'm the dork in the borrowed cap that was too small for my melon.) The old biking sneakers were put to good use. |
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