tigThis is part 3 of 5 of our 2020 Europe Trip. See part 1 here, and part 2 here.
About an hour west of Barcelona is an interesting mountain formation where a large monastery, called Montserrat is located. The monastery itself is tucked away between some of the cliffs and is quite beautiful. We spent our first night in the van at the monastery parking lot, planning to use the next day to hike the surrounding mountains.
Monastery with cliffs behind 
Montserrat Monastery entrance 
Candles at monastery 
Creu de Sant Miquel 
Montserrat mountains 
monastery tucked beneath 
almost at the top 
view atop Sant Jeroni
The first night in the van, I checked my email to find that our flight to Norway was cancelled. The changes in our travel plans because of covid-19 had just started. I broke the news to everyone and O got the most upset. I assured him we’d get another flight there as he really wanted to go.
Our next stop was the Mediterranean coast of northeast Spain, called the Costa Brava. There’s a trail that leads from Blanes, a town just north of Barcelona, all the way to France. It’s one of those long distance trails in Europe called the Cami de Ronda. We only had time for a couple days of exploring this beautiful coast and the trail.
near Sant Feliu de Guíxols 
tidepooling Costa Brava 
neat stairs 
Cami de Ronda 
T & S 
Sitting on the Cami de Ronda 
Platja Sa Conca 
Platja Sa Conca 
tidepooling Costa Brava 
O found an octopus
By the time we were on the coast of Spain, Milan and northern Italy was no longer an option for us. At this point, we decided to do a roundtrip from Barcelona and head back there and buy flights to Austria, bypassing much of our train jouneys.
Hello from a fellow cruiser/boater and to-be Rver (someday) ! I’ve been following your blog on and off. So sorry your trip was not only cut short but this Covid-19 pandemic made traveling so scary. Glad you made it home safe, and away from the craziness of the big cities.
We were in Bangkok before the coronavirus became a pandemic. Came home the first week of Feb, and even then, most people in Asia were already wearing mask and taking precautions.
I would love to rent a van or RV and drive around the South of France to Spain and Italy. How was your experience, and would you recommend it?
Have a great summer!
Hello! Always nice to meet a fellow cruiser/boater. I’m not surprised to hear places in Asia are more cautious, it’s not their first rodeo. As a family of four, we didn’t love renting a van, because of their standard layouts were inefficient. For a couple, I think it would be fine, we know people who have done it and loved it. Stay safe and healthy!