Spain

last visited July 2014

Chiringuito (beach bar/restaurant) outlook - Cala Comte, Ibiza.

I first saw Spain back way back in Franco's time - I was staying in south-west Mediterranean France and had 4 spare days before picking up my girlfriend (now wife) in Rome. Seeing I was so close I decided to head west. Fanging down the Spanish autoroute, I saw a sign for Tossa de Mar.I knew de Mar means of the sea, so I hung a left and headed down this amazingly twisty road to the coast. Tossa blew me away - the perfect picture-postcard Costa Brava holiday town. Ever since I've had more time to travel I've been looking for a decent fare into the area. Singapore Airlines came through at last - into Barcelona which is about a 70 minute bus trip south of Tossa. On account Barcelona is a major traveller destination in itself, has a bunch of attractive places nearby and is the logical departure point for Ibiza and Mallorca islands, the decision was a no-brainer.
Plus Barcelona claims to have the best big-city beaches in the world. Well hell, this is a BEACHES and Islands blog - just gotta see that. So is the claim true? More on that later.

Places mentioned on this blog. Okay, San Sebastian is not exactly near Barcelona. But it is known for its beaches and as a major surfing area  so is a magnet for a beaches freak an ex-surfer like me.

I've done a separate page on each location:
BARCELONA
IBIZA
MALLORCA
SAN SEBASTIAN
TOSSA DE MAR
MONTSERRAT
PYRENEES
L'HOSPITALET DE L'INFANT
SITGES