Spain - Day 4 - Palafrugell, Por Favor

Here we are again. Same bakery, different day. Ingrid simply couldn't get enough of this place. Unfortunately, when we arrived, those tasty sandwiches we enjoyed a day earlier had yet to be prepared. We were told it would be about 10-15 minutes before they would be ready, and of course, Ingrid wanted to wait.



So wait we did. After 10 mintues, the sandwiches still had not been prepared. And after 15 minutes, still no sandwiches. But that couldn't stop Ingird. Look at her... she's stone-faced and determined.



Fortunately for me, I was able to satisfy my craving for pizza that morning after finding some mini pizzas at the bakery.



Those mini pizzas were filled with such buttery goodness, I bought every last one and must have eaten over a dozen. Luckily for me, Ingrid only caught on to the scrumptiousness of the pizzas after I had already eaten most of them. Heh heh.



Finally, the sandwiches were brought out from the back and we were there to greet them. Ingrid would have been happy, but the sandwiches were slight different from the ones we had the day before. The new batch only had cheese in them. Nevertheless, they were still delicious and only a slight let down without the jamon.



This marked the last day in Barcelona for us and we took the subway to the car rental place. Our plan was to head north along the coast of Spain and get some sun at a Spanish beach.



On the way to the car rental place, I spotted this Spanish firehouse. Strangely, they're called "bombers" over there.



Prior to leaving for Spain, I had scrambled around last minute to get an international driver's license, only to not even be asked for it when we rented the car. There had been a lot of debate between Ingrid and me about which beach we should visit, but our trusty Lonely Planet guidebook suggested we hit the beach at Calella de Palafrugell.



It was quite an adventure getting there, but once we arrived, we weren't disappointed. The place was beautiful and a perfect place for us to relax.



What made the place even better is that there were very few people even on the beach. As I mentioned before, we were in Spain just before the peak tourist season, and shortly before this place gets packed with literally thousands of visitors. It was perfect in so many ways. It was like we were in another world. A beautiful, unpopulated world... a world with beautiful beaches and clear water... a world with plenty of sun... a world you can get lost in... a world where you can lose your car keys. That's right. I lost the rental car keys there. After realizing this, I immediately began rummaging through the sand, thinking that it would be impossible to find my keys without a metal detector, at the same time wondering how we could ever get any help being in such a remote location. I checked to see if our car had been stolen, but it was still where I parked it. Ingrid couldn't believe it, but it was true. They were lost.



As I sat there running my hands and feet through the sand, somebody came up to us and asked us if we lost our keys because someone had found a set. Yes... the Spanish people are wonderful. I love them all. All except that lady who refused to direct me to the restroom. Narrowly escaping utter disaster, we took a sigh of relief and wandered the town looking for a place to grab a bite to eat. We stopped at a little bar for a drink and an internet break, where Ingrid and I answered to the call of the firm.



The entire town was simply breathtaking. Its serene beauty could be admired for hours, and admire it we did.



At the recommendation of one of the locals, we ended up at this place for a snack only to learn that the place the local actually recommended was downstairs. Nevertheless, we enjoyed some delicious tapas at this place along with some tasty beverages.



After snacking on the tapas, we secured accommodations for the evening and then headed to the restaurant located below the place we ate earlier. It turned out to be one of the best meals of the vacation. We ordered a paella-like seafood dish, which had a cornucopia of seafood, together with the most delicious rice prepared with squid-ink. Simply put, a delightlful culinary experience.



A romantic dinner in a romantic town, and a fine wine with a fine woman. What could be better...