Day 59 - In Cadaques - Gorging in France ...Then Basquing in the Pyrenees - 2023 - CycleBlaze

June 15, 2023

Day 59 - In Cadaques

The Meds are Working

Well yes, we needed a day off to get accustomed to the new environment and routine. This is also a place where people make a holiday pilgrimage to, so it behooved us to show it some respect and spend a day here and check it out.

This is one of the few places that we booked ahead while we were still at home. It is an extremely popular holiday destination, for good reason, and although it’s early season still, just, we wanted to be sure we had a place to stay. We’re in a lovely apartment in the old town, on an incredibly scenic and steep rough stone cobble road about a block and a half from the water front.

Today’s routine was to get up, eventually, stroll down to the beach and get a coffee and a small bite to eat, no need for a big high protein breakfast today. With this arduous task out of the way, we went back to the apartment, about 200 m away, and took out the load of laundry we had done and put it on the drying rack for the day  (yes the apartment has a washing machine and a drying rack … one half of the team is ecstatic!). That set us up for a wander and photo tour around the amazingly convoluted and acheingly beautiful streets of Cadaques. The only task we had to complete on this wander was to book a 2 hour boat cruise that would take us down the coast to the Cap de Creus where the Pyrenees end at the Mediterranean Sea.

That pretty much gives away the next activity, a 2 hour cruise down the coast under brilliant blue skies and fresh sea breezes. It was so interesting to see the lands we’ve been cycling through from the perspective of the sea, and we didn’t even have to break a sweat. 

The sea cruise ended just in time for a wonderful small lunch at Talla, a wonderful small restaurant on the west side of Cadaques right on the water with really innovative ‘small plates’ K and I shared a gazpacho with small prawns and a basil sorbet(great in the heat of the day), lobster Thai salad (green papaya, fish sauce) and prawn ravioli in a green curry sauce. It was marvellous.

After this … siesta time, we’re really going local, to set us up for a wonderful dinner at Es Baluard where we feasted on fresh local seafood in a very elegant setting looking over the bay. 

Life is good and we are quickly getting accustomed to this Mediterranean seaside thing.

Enough said (or written), here’s Aunt Betty’s photo album to fill out the day.

SOTD - Upside Down, Jack Johnson.

I know …. he’s from Hawaii making this almost as relevant as my British guys in Jamaica from yesterday, but bear with me. 

On the boat we were on they had some music playing softly in the background, and there were a number of JJ tunes in the mix. It was such a relaxed day, just like his music, and his music is rooted in water and beach culture … so this works for me. … and K loves Curious George too … like her favourite cycling jersey!

K and Curious George on the High Rockies Trail back home in 2021
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And the day begins outside our lovely apartment in Cadaques
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Down the steep(ish) street and hang a right at the paperflowers (they are everywhere here … and gorgeous!)
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But have a look at the cool window grates first!
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‘Silence is a right’ … in Catalan. Written along the wall of a house at the end of our street. I can see this as an issue for folks who live here full time. We are not even close to the high season and last night at 1 pm, when the bars closed, we had quite a bit of pedestrian traffic past our apartment … and these streets really don’t go anywhere. Probably just people heading back to their own B&B’s but the noise was noticeable, in July it would probably be quite disruptive.
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Innovative bike parking is a necessity when the street is only a bit more than 2 m wide!
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Pretty nice spot for breakfast
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Heading off to work on a beautiful Thursday morning, Cadaques style!
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More breakfast coffee views. We would be taking a little cruise on this boat later in the day
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Just about every street in Cadaques looks like this!
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Karin KaarsooI can see why it is a vacation hotspot!
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1 year ago
Look down, stunning rough cobblestone patterns. Look sideways, beautiful whitewashed stone buildings covered in amazing paperflower vines. Look up, blue blue sky.Pretty sweet place.
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And if you’re a cat lover, they’ve got a society in town that’s just right for you. This guy’s looking at signing up! seriously though, they do have an organization that takes care of the large number of semi feral cats
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This guy looks particularly well cared for … just hanging out in the warm sunshine.
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Same same for these two. This and the previous two pictures were taken as I was standing in one spot on a corner of a few streets that came together. I think it was by one of the cat societies ‘food banks’
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I’ve noticed that there are a number of other CB folks who are identifying and logging the different birds they see. I’m not much of a bird guy but I’ll try to get with the program. This one is a gull … I think. He’s wondering about that himself.
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Yep, that’s a seagull. One point for me :)
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Did I mention yet that it was a beautiful morning?
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In the SPAR grocery store … take your pick and fill up the 4 litre plastic jug. Not sure of the cost but probably only a few euro’s
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Karin KaarsooLooks like 3.80 a litre!
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1 year ago
Kirsten KaarsooTo Karin KaarsooYes you are correct.
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1 year ago
On the boat and getting ready for our 2 hour cruise. I’d be really concerned if it was 3 hours … superstitious about those ‘Three Hour Cruises’
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Nice to see the village from the water
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Cadaques from the water
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Cadaques from the water
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Karin Kaarsoolooks choppy!
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1 year ago
Kirsten KaarsooTo Karin KaarsooIt was a bit as the wind was quite strong but the boat seemed to travel through quite smoothly.
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1 year ago
Cruising north along the rocky coast towards Cap de Creus
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Cruising north along the rocky coast towards Cap de Creus
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Cruising north along the rocky coast towards Cap de Creus
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Cruising north along the rocky coast towards Cap de Creus
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That was very relaxing and we’re getting back to town in time for lunch by the water.
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Lobster Thai salad, one of three ‘small’ plates we shared for lunch. All of them were excellent
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In Cadaques
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Karin KaarsooDo you know what this was?
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1 year ago
Kirsten KaarsooTo Karin KaarsooNo, I was trying to find out but came upon dead ends.
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1 year ago
We stopped for a gelato after lunch fro dessert. Timing is everything. Not more than a minute after getting served, a mob of about 30 school kids descended on the place and chaos ensued
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Simply stunning paperflower vines (it’s a type of Bougainvillea, Bougainvillea glabra, and it seems to adorn most houses here)
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Heavily burled tree trunk
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Karin KaarsooBowls in the making!
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1 year ago
Another great dinner tonight, this tome at Es Baluard … Burrata, cold roasted tomatoes and pesto … it’s summer time again!
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Smoked salmon with cardamom, poached egg and pistachio butter
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A Catalan classic .. a stew of potatoes, monkfish and the most tender prawns imaginable (they were freshly molted and you could almost eat the shells). Looks pretty basic, and it was but perfectly executed … mom’s own cooking if you grew up here.
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Good night from Cadaques. We’re heading a little further down the coast tomorrow, inching our way towards Barcelona.
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ann and steve maher-wearyYou have really done up Cadaques right! Those meals look divine and what a way to see the coast line. Great day!
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1 year ago
Kirsten KaarsooTo ann and steve maher-wearyIt sure was. We are happy that we went to Cadaques as it was relaxing and to me a perfect example of the coast of Spain.
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1 year ago
Rate this entry's writing Heart 6
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Richard engmanA cycle tour that involves boating👍
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1 year ago
Kirsten KaarsooTo Richard engmanYes, we have to rest our legs. It was a fun trip.
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1 year ago