The Last Dance

June 7, 2022

Tossa de Mar was blissfully quiet last night, the only noise coming from seagulls that actually sounded more like cats than the irritating squawk of the roof dwelling seagulls at home. We had arranged for an 8am breakfast so we could get on the road a little earlier for the final spoke on this tour.

It's always bittersweet knowing that a tour is coming to an end but if I had to choose one road to ride to end a tour, I can't think of a better one than the one we were about to do. Riding the Costa Brava from Tossa de Mar to Sant Feliu de Guixols, a distance of about 22 kilometres, is pure enjoyment just like the last dance.

David is all stocked up and primed for today's ride.

The grade headed uphill as soon as we left Tossa at around 9am. The morning light on the coast made for some great photo opportunities so we stopped at every single viewpoint to soak it all in. Once again, we had the road to ourselves save for three or four cars. We could let the bikes roll out without using the brakes much on the sweeping corners. Weeeeeeeee......

With a coastline like this, it was easy and convenient to see if any cars were headed our way.

The GIP 6821 is the road that dropped us onto the main coastal road yesterday. It's five very steep kilometers to the hermitage from here.

Just one lone boat is anchored in this gorgeous spot. Must have stayed overnight.

The water of the Mediterranean is crystal clear and oh, that azure colour!

Notice how the scrubby underbrush is still green at this time of year. The heat resistant trees and bushes are well adapted to the harsh environment.

We stopped in at St. Pol for a coffee at the beach, then carried on through Sant Feliu as far as Platja d'Aro which has a massively long and large white sandy beach.

The small cozy beach at St. Pol is more our style.

Platja d'Aro has the capacity to hold incredible numbers of beach seeking tourists but it too, was quiet today. The beach stretches all the way, save for a headland, to Palamos whose highrises are visible in the distance. We rode to the beach to have a quick look and then it was time to turn inland and head back to Girona.

Lantana, how I wish you would grow in my garden.

This time, we would ride on the road the whole way back to Girona which meant we would have one last climb before it was back to the farmland roads that would lead us back home. But in a resort town, it's not exactly easy peasy to sort out which road to take when you are faced with multiple roundabouts and traffic bearing down on you whilst climbing steep albeit short hills. After several stops and starts and hail mary's, we found our road and the hill which tuned out to be about 7km long. Fortunately, we had dropped all the car and truck traffic by this point and it was just us and the road and the birds once again.

Eventually, we reached the crest of the hill and then enjoyed drifting downhill several kilometres towards LLagostera. From there, we cruised along our favourite farmy route back into the city. Along the way, we cruised through several small farming quiet villages like this one, St. Andreu Saleu. Imagine a rooster crowing and perhaps an old tinny church bell ringing out two chimes and you'll have a better sense of it.

Girona is a maze of streets and bike paths. These bike paths are sometimes on the streets and other times on the walkways and sidewalks. Add into the mix that sometimes they are two way and other times they are one way. It takes quite awhile to sort it all out. The one way paths are on opposite sides of the river: leaving the city to the south, you should ride on the east side of the river and entering from the south, you should ride on the west side of the river. Problems arise when your hotel is on the east side of the river. Confused? So were we. So we rode the wrong way, a lot, and nobody batted an eyelid.

This doggie was so smart. His master was ahead on a bicycle at the traffic light. Pup knew to stop at the traffic light and sit until it changed.Then they resumed their journey in unison.

We had been hoping to stop enroute for a light lunch but everything was closed. We did stop at a grocery store for a coke and an OJ but were told that all the cafes were closed at that time of day. So, as we enterd Girona, we headed for our favourite sandwich shop. Eeek... they were all out of baguette sandwiches. What's a hungry, thirsty cyclist to do?

I'm a bit sad I didn't try the coca de sucre, a Girona speciallty.

We followed our instinct and headed over to Fabrica Coffee where we knew they would take care of us. We parked the bikes next to the hot DI2 bikes on the bike rack for big bikes, leaving the wheels dangling in the air, and ordered coffees and snacks.

I took this photo of the Fabrica menu for future reference when I'm wondering what to make for lunch.

There was still time left before happy hour so David went to work packing my bike in its suitcase while I left him in peace and went out strolling to look for some souvenirs.

Bike room... empty today, except for this one bike. Did you notice a striking similarity between this wall poster and one of the photos in this journal entry?

We capped off our tour with a simple spaghetti bolognese dinner on the Ramblas. And we paid one last visit to our favourite gelateria on Independence Square where the owner/operator now knows us. We had a nice conversation with him and learned he has been at this for 32 years. He enjoys it and his wife enjoys the paycheque so off to work he goes every day. Even if it is 8:30pm, he's there scooping ice cream and making customers smile.

Cumulative elevation gain: 17,627 metres.

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Today's ride: 71 km (44 miles)
Total: 1,207 km (750 miles)

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Anne AnastasiouWhat a great end to a great trip. Well done you two! So glad it worked out and you have another amazing adventure to add to your memories. Hope you are settling well back home and busy dreaming of things you did and the next adventure to come! Thanks for sharing. It's been a great way to connect with you two and lovely to share your special time. xx
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1 year ago

ann and steve maher-wearyDitto, what a fab trip you have had. So enjoyed reading your blog. Safe travels home, hope to cross paths with you in Europe for a longer visit next time.
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1 year ago