catalonian heaven - cadaques

After our long weekend in Barcelona, 

we headed to Ian's aunt and uncle's family home in Cadaques.

(a few hours north of Barcelona in the Costa Brava region)

We've seen pictures, heard stories and now have seen it for ourselves.

A few days in and my mom joined us for a bit of time.

!!!!YAY!!!!

{from Reeny}
So words are supposed to describe this little, hidden, 
Spanish treasure cove on the eastern most Spanish coast...
I know I won't do it justice. But I'll give it a shot.

Think midnight blue,crystal clear water, seaglass strewn beaches, 
fantastically weathered architectural coastline, artisan alleyways, 
active historical fishing village with a contemporary heartbeat. 
Wow. Did I forget to mention lovely, friendly, picture perfect, 
yummy and thirst quenching? 

And all ours to discover every which way we could in a week!

And for us again, it was a much needed break from the madness of London.

Cadaques is also the home of Salvador Dali.

We toured his wacky and architecturally creative home in Port Lligat.

We enjoyed a day of exploring by scooter and hiked down to private coves.

The water was absolutely beautiful.

We couldn't have asked for anything better. 

We took an fab boat tour to the lighthouse and into this amazing cove.

We ended with a snorkeling session in a quiet and quaint area of Cadaques.

The food is out of this world with the freshest of the fresh seafood.

The wine was also wonderful with a little family winery, 
Martin Faixo, located at the top of the mountain.

 They also opened a wine bar and we were "regulars" on our visit.

Great cava!

We also explored the under 2e wines at the grocery and to be honest,

not bad... not bad at all...

(even mr. wine snob, Ian, was pleasantly surprised)

Between seeing my mom, the beach, the laid back Spanish lifestyle, 

the amazing food/wine and the beautiful home, 
I'd have to say that Cadaques is truly

a little piece of Spanish (Catalonian) heaven.

dali and gala's house

hiking adventure (with the help of our trusty scooter)

hiking & snorkeling adventure at the nude beach

she's here!!!

beautiful cove w/ amazing water

yep. nude.

Ian's snorkeling adventure while we fed grapes to the fish (from the boat)!

Cadaques

ursula mccannel's amazing paintings of my mother-in-law (left) and her identical twin

miss this pretty little lady already.

 

We will be back... no doubt about it.

xx 
 the mcgees

 

beautiful barcelona

Our trip to Spain started in beautiful Barcelona.

We immediately fell in love with the city...

it's architecture, food/wine, culture and its undying commitment

to being independent/different.

We explored the Las Ramblas area by wandering up and down

the main strip, but also getting lost in its small alleyways and salivating 
in Mercat de Sant Josep/ La Boqueria.
(one of the most amazing food markets we have ever visited)
 

The main sights were more incredible than we could have ever imagined -

La Sagrada Familia, Cintadella Parc, La Pedrera and Parc Guiel

were just a few of the highlights. 

La Sagrada Familia was out of this world 

with the detailed architecture and the city's commitment

to continue Gaudi's vision for the cathedral. 

(you cannot even imagine the detail until you're up close and personal with it - unbelievable)

One of our favorite days was lounging on the beautiful beach.

It's the first time I've been to a beach since leaving FL

(or really seen a clean body of water that isn't the Thames)  

and it was a much needed day for me.

 And now onto Spain's insanely delicious

FOOD & WINE.

We had some absolutely incredible food and wine.

Cured meats, cheeses and seafood were staples in our diet for 10+ days.

One of our favorite dinners was at Cafe de L'Academia (not tapas),

but we continually had great tapas during our trip including

cuttlefish, croquettes, sauteed veggies, sausages and cured meats.

We tried a lot of great local wine.

(especially for the price point)

London has incredibly high taxes on alcohol

 and we forgot that wine (good wine) could be affordable!

We were truly in food (and wine) heaven!
(deserves a separate post - coming soon.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next stop - Cadaques and my mom arrives!!!! 

xx
the mcgees