In this morning’s inbox is a seductive set of photos sent to us from our friends Lyle and Kirsten up in Canmore: before and after shots of Levi, the wannabe service dog they’ve been training for the last year and a half. This came up because of Lyle’s comment that Levi looks now like that black lab in the shoreline photo from yesterday’s post. You might remember that we got to see Levi when he was a pup when we visited them in Canmore last summer.
Levi! What happened to you? The first photo was from when he first arrived in his new home in July 2023, and the other is from last week.
We’re still grateful to Lyle for driving us up to Lake Louise so that Kirsten could lead us back to their home in Canmore. Levi rode back in the truck though.
I was awakened last night by several large thunderclaps that sounded quite close. The front passed in the night though and we’re in luck this morning as the weather looks to be dry until early afternoon, perfect to our needs. It apparently came down pretty hard last night from the significant amount of standing water we see and bike through as we ride along the waterfront on our way out of town.
It definitely wasnt like this yesterday. I would have noticed.
It still looks like it could be wet up in the hills. And for just a few minutes there’s enough of a light sprinkle to generate a faint rainbow, one that fades away before my eyes as soon as I stop and pull the camera out.
It’s not much of a ride, workwise - a flat sixteen miles, with the first of them being a threepeat for the birding rides I took in the last few days. Things look a bit different this morning with all the new water in the system.
I’ve been puzzled trying to locate this, but we’re looking back into Villanova de la Muga again, this time across the river hidden in the foreground. This is Mas de la Torres, a recently restored villa.
Thanks to Rachael for spotting this curious plant growing along the side of the road in a few different spots. The previous two times I biked here I didn’t notice them at all, focusing on apple orchards behind them. Its Araujia sericifera, the so called ‘cruel plant’ because its sticky fiber will entrap moths.
Sound track: O Ocidente que se Oriente, by Anat Cohen
We arrive in Figueres not long before two and head straight to Becam, the restaurant we’d made a reservation for. Our apartment isn’t due to be available for two hours so we take our time, staying long enough for two mains, dessert and coffee; to enjoy a an interesting conversation bemoaning the election outcome with two retired women from near Shreveport, Louisiana, one of whom comes to Barcelona for three months every winter; and for umbrellas to start popping out as it began raining lightly; and for pigeons to crap three times on my bicycle parked nearby.
It surprised us by starting to rain near the end of our meal. Note the bicycles, with my raincoat draped over them to prevent further befoulment from the pigeon above.
Scott AndersonTo Steve Miller/GrampiesDuh. The bike wasn’t the problem. It was the panniers and what we had strapped on top, like my long sleeved jersey that was the first victim. The rain jacket was handy, covered a lot and is easier to clean, and there was nowhere to move the bikes. Reply to this comment 1 month ago
Karen PoretNote to you both, I get out my trusty water gun ( not a small size) and blast the crows when they try to roost in the evening . I spend SO much time cleaning the street and sidewalks from their “stuff” and only do it because what they eat and what it leaves actually changes the colors of the pavement ! Good riddance .. Reply to this comment 1 month ago
Bob KoreisAt least it was the bike and not you. A pigeon in Ferrara did otherwise to me.
Growing up in Bremerton, I thought I'd learned how to avoid bird droppings. Reply to this comment 1 month ago
Scott AndersonTo Bob KoreisYou grew up in Bremerton! I lived with my grandparents there in 5th grade. you were probably one of the kids that tormented me at school. Reply to this comment 1 month ago
I feel confident that we’ll remember our unusual apartment in Figueres more than most of our stays. To start off, we have difficulty finding it. We spend probably fifteen minutes searching for it after biking to where Rachael thought it was, only to find that this brings us to the recommended parking lot outside of the core - fifteen frustrating minutes biking in the rain and over slick pavers that nearly cause Rachael to fall. Eventually we pull out the phone to look up the address on Booking and then bike to it, surprised and enjoying a good laugh on ourselves when we discover it is immediately next to the restaurant we were sitting at just fifteen minutes earlier. Ha, ha.
Waiting for our host to arrive and show us our room. The table we had lunch at is immediately behind the woman in the green sweatshirt.
It took our host several minutes to orient us, all the time during which I’m desperate to use the bathroom. Finally she leaves and I head straight in its open door. Later it’s Rachael’s turn, but now we can’t find the damn bathroom! We look everywhere - in the bedroom and shower, in the broom closet, out in the hall. We can hardly believe it. If I hadn’t just used it I would have doubted the unit had one.
Finally I figure it out by confirming where it has to be by locating the missing space between the living/kitchen half of the unit and the bedroom/shower half. It’s behind the middle panel of the wall in the photo above, which you’ll notice has no obvious door-like features. You just have to know to push the wall at the magic spot to open it, which we eventually discover. We’ve stayed in hundreds of apartments and hotels before but have never seen one designed like this.
The living/kitchen half of the unit. Behind Rachael over her right shoulder is the door into the bathroom. Over her other shoulder is the door into the bedroom, which we eventually figure out after losing it too.
So that’s all quite interesting but so is the lighting situation, another unique feature we’ve never seen elsewhere. Rachael discovers this when she tries to turn off the lights in the bedroom when she’s ready to retire. Its a touch sensitive control pad, and depending on where you touch it the lights turn a different shade. It creates a soothing and interesting ambience but it’s frustrating if you’re just trying to turn the damn light off and can’t find the right spot to touch. I’m still not sure I have it down, actually.
Lyle McLeodAll good fun … until it isn’t and you just want to go to sleep! Daliesque influences seem to be the thing in Figueres. This is a little more subtle than your dessert though 😳 Reply to this comment 1 month ago
Once we mastered the place though we’re quite happy with it. It’s very comfortable, the location is perfect, and we decided to add an extra day to our stay. The unit itself is great, but so too is the view that looks straight across the street to the back wall of Saint Peter’s Church.
An OK view. We should walk around to the main entrance tomorrow night to see if it’s illuminated too.
Steve Miller/GrampiesLooking at your proximity to Girona, if that is your next stop and if your bike is still giving trouble, we had a warm welcome and good results with Stephan at Tata Bikes, Carrer de la Força Reply to this comment 1 month ago
Scott AndersonTo Steve Miller/GrampiesThanks, Steve. That’s our next stop alright, but at this point I think I’ll be able to limp home with what I’ve got. Reply to this comment 1 month ago
