In Day 3 of the Mystery of the Misshipped Suitcases, the news is that there is no news. We’re sure that the Crack UPS Investigations Unit in Nice is hard at it, standing around smoking Gauloises and shooting caffeine while they stare at the murder board: a photo of suitcases at the center, lines leading off to Barcelona, the hotels de la Fontaine and Palais de la Méditerranée, and to a circle in the corner with a question mark at its center and the name Mme Guillautin scrawled beneath in a cerise Sharpie. From time to time an investigator sidles up to the board and affixes a new PostIt note to it, looks around for feedback, and then crumples it and tosses it in a growing yellow heap in the corner.
In other news, Team Anderson largely reversed yesterday’s ride, climbing back over that thousand foot saddle and recrossing the estuary but on a different transect this time before coming to Figueres, their base for the next three nights. As yesterday, the weather was fine again - for the fourth day in a row! It crosses our minds that there is some metaphysical connection between the disappearance of our suitcases and the unexpected improvement in the weather, and we hope the rains won’t return once they are found - which they undoubtedly will be, as we have the utmost confidence in the Crack UPS Investigations Unit.
An assertion of independence on the climb away from the coast. October 1, 2017 was the date for the vote on the Catalonian independence referendum, which passed decisively. It’s a day we remember well because we were in Catalonia at the time and witnessed the vote in a small mountain village.
Nearing the summit. The climb in this direction is almost a mirror of yesterday’s - a steady 6-7% grade for three miles. No shoulder, but traffic is light and drivers are invariably considerate. We see perhaps a dozen other bikers on the climb this morning.
Back in Aiguamolls Natural Park. For the first several miles we ride the same clayish road we were on yesterday. It looks different in this direction, with Canigou on the horizon ahead.
Looking north at the string of villages lining the northern edge of the estuary. We could have stayed on pavement by adding a few miles and routing ourselves through them, but the estuary seemed so much more interesting.
We’re following a marked route through the park with information panels explaining features here and there. This is Torre d’en Mornau, a large livestock farm in the middle of the wetlands. The buildings are fairly modern, from the 19th and 20th centuries; but the Mornau family is believed to have farmed here since the medieval times.
Donkey! We debated whether this was an adult or not until it walked over to join three others at the fence begging for the apples we once again forgot to bring along. The question was resolved when this one ducked under and started nursing against an adult not much larger than itself.
The Romanesque Church of Sant Estefan de Pedret, built in the second half of the 12th century. From the signpost, it looks like this is a stop on the Camino Catalán, another of the many Ways to Santiago.
Lunch was good enough, but dinner at our hotel was exceptional. I imagine we’ll eat here again. This is a modest serving of Iberian pork, with a side of purple potatoes, boletes, and asparagus spears that look like birthday candles.
Jacquie GaudetThat Iberian pork looks so much better than what we had in Andalucía. At the time, we both thought we remembered the food in Catalonia as being much better. Reply to this comment 2 years ago
Scott AndersonTo Jacquie GaudetIt was pretty great. If we eat here again I might just have the same meal all over again.
Jacquie GaudetWhat possessed us? Two trip reports, shall I say. Yours and Richard Halliburton's Royal Road to Romance (in which he swims in a pool in the Alhambra under cover of night, among other escapades). And then, when we discovered we'd have to be somewhere in November, I thought this would be our opportunity to go when it wasn't too hot.
The tour was great, the food not so much. We did have some very good meals but they were outnumbered by mediocre ones. Reply to this comment 2 years ago
