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Thanks for the reference to this history, Alan. It reminded me that I read just this week that Juan Romero, the last of the thousands of Spaniards who were sent to the concentration camp at Mauthausen, died at age 101.At the Col de Belitres, a little higher, on the French side is a plaque honouring the International Brigades and the "Memorial Democràtic", a slightly weathered commemoration of the nearly half a million people who crowded through this border in early 1939, fleeing the fascists. Among them was the poet Antonio Machado and his mother, whose joint grave I had visited in Collioure the previous week. He died less than a month after crossing the border and she followed her son three days later.
Making my first camino footsteps in Girona province, the path takes you past a franquiste monolith down to bustling Port Bou, partly along a trail the town hall has put up following the last hours of Walter Benjamin, who committed suicide here in 1940, rather than face deportation to a nazi concentration camp.
I can only imagine.Just being here at all is already pretty good.
A few days ago I had a dip in the warm calm waters of the deserted beach at Banyuls. A couple of hours pleasant coastal stroll took me to Cap Cerbère, then up, past a wartime frontier post ("caseta dels Alemanys (Gestapo)", according to maps.me) complete with film crew and machine gun. At the Col de Belitres, a little higher, on the French side is a plaque honouring the International Brigades and the "Memorial Democràtic", a slightly weathered commemoration of the nearly half a million people who crowded through this border in early 1939, fleeing the fascists. Among them was the poet Antonio Machado and his mother, whose joint grave I had visited in Collioure the previous week. He died less than a month after crossing the border and she followed her son three days later.
Making my first camino footsteps in Girona province, the path takes you past a franquiste monolith down to bustling Port Bou, partly along a trail the town hall has put up following the last hours of Walter Benjamin, who committed suicide here in 1940, rather than face deportation to a nazi concentration camp.
I stayed the night at the Pensión Llançà, recommended by @peregrina2000 and @Sitkapilgrim which was fine. Although the marked trail from Llançà misses the spectacular ruins of the Abbey of San Pere de Rodes (see pic), I think it would be daft not to visit, both for the imposing site itself, and especially for the panorama of the coast from it and from its castle 15 minutes further up the hill.
The original plan had been to arrive in Santiago at the end of November, celebrating the 10th anniversary of my first compostela by picking up my 10th one (I missed out 2011, not knowing at the time how deep the addiction was going to become). In this peculiar year that looks increasingly unlikely (Ourense went back into confinement only today, and the idea of taking the Camino Mendocino round Madrid province looks improbable too). Also I may be summonsed home for my replacement knee op, delayed from earlier this year.
So I have decided that this year's goal is Montserrat. If I can make it to the sacred mountain I'll be happy: anything beyond that will be a bonus. Just being here at all is already pretty good.
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It's Miranda de Ebro on the Via de Bayona.Can anyone tell me whether that would be the Miranda on the Camino Frances? Any elucidation would be appreciated.
Would love to hear your comments on Figueras and Dalí. Did you go to the museum? The church/cloister at Vilabertrán was closed when I went through.It looks lovely.
The Cloisters is in Manhattan, about as far north as you can get. It has brought together a lot of pieces from a lot of places. The sense is one of harmony, though it is hard to forget about the fact of what they did to create that.
Did you sleep in Vilabertrán?
Would love to hear your comments on Figueras and Dalí. Did you go to the museum? The church/cloister at Vilabertrán was closed when I went through.It looks lovely.
The Cloisters is in Manhattan, about as far north as you can get. It has brought together a lot of pieces from a lot of places. The sense is one of harmony, though it is hard to forget about the fact of what they did to create that.
Did you sleep in Vilabertrán?
It was closed when I went past too. Really disappointed as I'd done some research and realised it looked good.Would love to hear your comments on Figueras and Dalí. Did you go to the museum? The church/cloister at Vilabertrán was closed when I went through.It looks lovely.
Peg and I went to Dalí's museum in Figueras in 2015 and loved it enough to go again with a friend in 2019. In 2019 we had a rental car and so we also drove out to visit Dalí's home. That was a mistake because we hadn't reserved tickets figuring that it was so far away it wouldn't be crowded. We waited around a bit and periodically asked if there was a cancellation (the first opening were a few days away). No luck on cancellations but we were eventually told that we could buy tickets for the grounds. We liked that a lot and it, and the scenery, was worth the drive. We did run into some luck though. At the airport in Boston we chatted with a couple also going to Catalonia and we happened to meet them again in the garden. The woman's leg was hurting and they decided to skip the house tour. Peg and friend got their tickets for free and I took a walk in the area. Dalí kept expanding his house by buying adjoining homes on several levels so the floor plan was unusual but Peg was amazed that otherwise the home was rather conventional. So, two points. Live and learn. Or learn from someone else's experience.Would love to hear your comments on Figueras and Dalí. Did you go to the museum?
Figueres to Girona is mostly pleasant undulating country walks, mostly off tarmac, often in woods. Like some others here, I stayed in the Fluvià in Bàscara. I also had a very welcome dip in the riu Fluvià - there is a river beach at the edge of town, under the almost interminable bridge you have to cross to get there.
Stupidly, I didn't check the covid etc restrictions on the theatre museum, and it was busy when I arrived, with timed tickets only and a maximum visit allowed (?90 minutes). Of Dalí's works, my favourites are his collaborations with Buñuel, which you don't need to go to Figueres to see, and most of his show-stoppers are in Madrid or New York (or, my favourite, Christ of St John of the Cross, handily in Glasgow, only a couple of hours from where I live). I'd been in better circumstances many years previously, so it was no big disappointment. I probably should have gone in the morning when it would have been quieter, but first light-10am is my favourite time for walking.
I know this is off topic but I think every time I've been to Washington DC I've managed to view Dalí's Last Supper at the National Gallery. Last year we got there as they were calling out for everyone to leave. I managed to talk my way in because I only wanted to see the Dalí and I knew where it was, at the end of one wing. I rushed there and they had moved it to the end of the other wing. I did manage to get there but it wasn't a very long viewing.Of Dalí's works, my favourites are his collaborations with Buñuel, which you don't need to go to Figueres to see, and most of his show-stoppers are in Madrid or New York (or, my favourite, Christ of St John of the Cross, handily in Glasgow, only a couple of hours from where I live).
The Vic museum is a gem. Visited it on a regular holiday.
Collection
Catalan Romanesque and Gothic masterpieces of painting and sculpture with collections of archaeology, precious metals, textile, foundry, glass and ceramics. The MEV and the National Art Museum of Catalonia in Barcelona preserve the Descent from Erill (Boí Valley, Unesco World Heritage designation)www.museuepiscopalvic.com
It did make it a much easier walk. Sadly, covid means that the parador buffet breakfast, my main reason for ever staying in one, is not allowed. But any sit down breakfast in Catalunya at the moment is a treat, even any coffee (hotel residents are still allowed meals at the moment).so did you by chance splurge and stay in the parador?
It did make it a much easier walk. Sadly, covid means that the parador buffet breakfast, my main reason for ever staying in one, is not allowed. But any sit down breakfast in Catalunya at the moment is a treat, even any coffee (hotel residents are still allowed meals at the moment).
The road down to Vic from Sant Pere de Casserres was not exciting, but once down in the fertile plain it was fun to see the farmers putting the land to bed for winter, with one or two late harvests - a field of maize, and some sunflowers - still being gathered in.
Vic must be a fun town usually, but Saturday night's paseo, with all the bars and restaurants closed, was a very subdued affair.
The episcopal museum is such a treat, with the soaring romanesque Tower of the cathedral to guide you there. Relatively small, so you have a chance to look at the masterpieces thoroughly, rather than rushing past and getting what I call "museum fatigue" when you see so much stuff you can't really absorb it.
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It did make it a much easier walk. Sadly, covid means that the parador buffet breakfast, my main reason for ever staying in one, is not allowed. But any sit down breakfast in Catalunya at the moment is a treat, even any coffee (hotel residents are still allowed meals at the moment).
The road down to Vic from Sant Pere de Casserres was not exciting, but once down in the fertile plain it was fun to see the farmers putting the land to bed for winter, with one or two late harvests - a field of maize, and some sunflowers - still being gathered in.
Vic must be a fun town usually, but Saturday night's paseo, with all the bars and restaurants closed, was a very subdued affair.
The episcopal museum is such a treat, with the soaring romanesque Tower of the cathedral to guide you there. Relatively small, so you have a chance to look at the masterpieces thoroughly, rather than rushing past and getting what I call "museum fatigue" when you see so much stuff you can't really absorb it.
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there was a stupendous buffet at the Santo Domingo de la Calzada parador.
Individual tongs, bottled and ‘jarred’ niceties
Lauds yes, starting in the dark with 24 monks outnumbering the congregation by 6-1, and noticing for the first time the magnificent new organ they've installed since my last visit.and lauds and Caravaggio on top of all that?
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