Sitges, now famous as the gay capital of Europe, has always been a place the good folk of Barcelona escaped to for fun and frolics. The 40 km distance is an easy drive or train ride and when you arrive you feel this is a place where most things go set in a beautiful setting with beaches and a crystal blue sea in touching distance.

Olives and olive oil is what brought the Greeks and Romans to the Iberian peninsula some 3,500 yrs ago and it has been a crucial commodity ever since. The south of Spain produces the quantity with thousands of hectares cultivated in the poorest soils where nothing else will survive the extreme  weather, but around Lleida in the western part of  Catalonia there are also extensive plantations.

Aiguamolls park is tucked between the developments of Roses, Empuriabrava and Castelló d'Empúries and thank goodness the developers were kept at bay for this is an exquisite, peaceful and fragile eco-system where man should not be the protagonist.
The area is a marshland formed by the rivers Muga and Fluvià where they reach the Mediterranean Sea and has been an important stopping off point for migrating birds on their annual voyages from N. Africa to N. Europe.
The park is well organised with many trails and hides from which to observe the ever changing variety of breeding, nesting, resting and feeding birds of all sizes and descriptions from tiny robins and nightingales to massive flamingos and purple herons.
The visitor centre can provide maps and bird information although I find it strange that no organised tours with an expert ornithologist are available on a daily basis.
One of the great success stories has been providing nesting facilities for the white stork and their enormous nests are very easy to spot and if you choose the right time of year seeing the young chicks being fed is a great experience.
Best time to come is early in the morning as this is when the activity level is high and the birdsong at its loudest.
Walking to the beach will take about an hour and if you want to make a circular path the whole way around the park allow several hours and take a hat, comfortable walking shoes and have cameras and binoculars at the ready!

Calella de Palafrugell is one of those perfect Mediterranean fishing villages which are now sophisticated tourist resorts but without having spoilt either the natural beauty or grown too big to stroll through easily.
Located on what is, for me, the nicest part of the Costa Brava, where the pine trees and wild herbs cling to steep canyons which plunge down to the crystal clear water below.
The best way to see this coast is to walk along the coastal path or "cami de ronda" which will make you work as you follow all the ups and downs of the contours but is well worth it for the views and to experience some of the wild parts that are hardly reached by the 6 million visitors to this area every year.

Montserrat is only some 50kms from Barcelona and yet feels like a different world. Forget the Ramblas and Mediterranean casual seaside lethargy, this is a combination of the Grand Canyon crossed with Saint Marks Square and it is amazing!
There is a choice of three ways to ascend this strange landscape from below; by a modern funicular, by cable car or by road but the religious types may even consider walking depending on how penitent they feel.
For non-believers there are some great hikes around some incredible basalt rock formations with views of deep ravines and small villages below.
The real action is back at the Monastery where there are plenty of chances to save your soul in the Chapel, visit the Black Madonna, light a candle for a loved one, visit one of the best art collections of mainly Catalan artists or sit and watch the hordes of people from all over the world milling around.
A great day out will be had by all, nature overwhelms religion, but what a combination!

 

Empuries is only some 30 minutes drive from Girona and is right next to l'Escala on the coast in a beautiful setting of sand dunes and pine trees. This area was first settled by Iberian tribes but it is really with the arrival of the civilizing Greeks in approx 300BC that both building and commerce began. Empurion, as it was known, was connected to many other trading ports around the Mediterranean, all eventually supplying the main markets of Greece and Italy with wine, olive oil, nuts ( almonds and hazelnuts), hides and wheat.
This trade became so important that the Romans decided to take over the whole Iberian peninsula to guarantee their supplies for an expanding empire. The remains we see today show a very sophisticated and prosperous community which enjoyed saunas, cultural entertainment, gymnastics and music which even today we can feel envious of.

This beach has a bit of everything and is very easy to reach tucked between Sant Feliu and Platja d'Aro. On the one headland you have the imposing buildings of one of the areas premier hotels, the Hostal de la Gavina surrounded by other exclusive houses designed by architect Rafael Maso in the 1920's and 30's.
Then in the middle of the beach is an area of protected sand dunes and small wildlife refuge which is surrounded by normal beach facilities. The boardwalk passes some good seafood restaurants, most of which are open all year round, where you can sit on the terrace when the weather allows.
There are huge Modernist mansions built by Catalans that made their fortunes in Cuba (they are referred to locally as Cubanos) trading sugar and tobacco in the late 19th century and then came back to spend it in their favourite seaside resorts along the Mediterranean.
The fine sand beach turns into rugged rocks at the other end as the headland takes on a more dramatic aspect which you can enjoy by walking along the coastal path, which is where we go next...