SPAIN-- PORT-POU TO SAN CUGAT (OUTSIDE OF BARCELONA), JULY 1ST & 2ND

 The morning I departed Montpellier was not without its drama, to be sure! Claudie, my host, somewhat redeemed herself by volunteering to drive me to the tram stop which would take me to the train station. Unfortunately, she didn't wait long enough for me to check to see whether or not they were actually RUNNING that Sunday morn--they were not!! Evidently, the signage above the tram stop indicated that the tram had been vandalized and would not be running at all that day (something having to do with a demonstration protesting police violence in France... ).  Distraught, both because I HAD to make the train on time AND because my mobile data had stopped working the night before, I grabbed local passersby for help. Miraculously, a sympathetic older woman flagged down a passing car for me, and the kind man inside gave me a RIDE to the train station!!! AMAZING! I was soooo very grateful, as you might well imagine!!!

I made it to the station in good time, and proceeded to enjoy another lovely, scenic train ride along the coast...much shorter this time. (Only 2.5 hours) After one transfer, I ended up in Port-Bou, just on the border between France and Spain. There, I was greeted by my friend (and English student) Diego. (He is Argentinian, but is an expat living in Madrid.) He proceeded to take me on a wonderfully scenic car ride from Port-Bou to San Cugat, stopping at the ruins of an old "castel" along the way and the charming town of Figueres (home to a large Salvador Dali museum--we did not go in, as it was expensive and we were short on time).

In San Cugat, I checked into my Airbnb, and the two of us proceeded to explore the town, where there was a major festival taking place. I enjoyed a live Cuban band in the main plaza--where throngs of people were gathered--ate my third sandwich of the day (yes, we grabbed a lot of fast food on the run today!) and just generally enjoyed good conversation and Diego's pleasant company. 

After a VERY long--but good--day, I returned to my Airbnb at 1:30 a.m. and settled, most gratifyingly, into a deep slumber. Nice to be in Spain, see Diego, start practicing my Spanish again, and stay at Angeles' very nice home... things are definitely looking up! 


Crazy exterior of the Salvador Dali Museum in Figueres! 


Beautiful exterior of chateau ruins and fabulous view from the hilltop. Unfortunately, it was closed when we got there, so we were unable to go inside. 





On the following day, Sunday July 2nd, the weekend festival in San Cugat continued. The most spectacular part happened that evening, when an old Catalan tradition took place in the main village square: the act of stacking people like castle towers on top of one another! They call them "castells", and the young people who create them, "castellers". It was MOST fascinating and extraordinary to watch! There were several different groups competing...not sure who won or what the prize consisted of, but I have never seen anything like it!

The largest men formed the bottom tier, followed by another group of men on their shoulders, and women above them. Apparently, the highest number of tiers is 7. At the very top are tiny kids--probably 5 or 6-- who shimmy up the human tower like little monkeys. All the participants/climbers were very lithe, graceful, and highly skilled. Some got a little shakey as the towers grew taller, but I only witnessed one tower actually collapse... hence, that video is included! It was extremely entertaining!

I also took part in some tradition folk dancing... that was wonderfully nostalgic of my long-ago folk dancing days! It was very sweet... such a great sense of community amongst these folks! All in all, I had a great weekend, and really am enjoying this charming little town. 






The "grande finale" was when two groups stacked themselves at the same time, but rather than being 3-5 people per tier, it was only one! 





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