14th of February, 2019
It has been a long time, maybe 18 years? I remember my parents left The Netherlands when I was 20. They decided to build a house in Spain and they started a new life. I always loved going to Spain. Especially Christmas and New Year, when all the tourists were gone and the air was crispy clear; great for hiking! Sometimes, I met up with friends in wintertime and we were crazy enough to dive into the very cold sea. After my parents passed away, I never went back, due to my own living abroad. Though now, I get a chance to have one week off from work and I give myself a birthday present; a flight with Ryanair to Girona, a small rental car with Firefly and a cute apartment in the countryside of Masos de Pals.
This will be my pilgrimage, my ‘peregrinaje’. I am excited to go back and hope to find my way again in the villages and on the coastal roads. My plan is to go back to all the favorite places and write about them on my blog. It will be a busy week!
This is also my first time flying from Eindhoven and my first time flying with Ryanair. Everything goes smooth, although I am way too early at the airport. There is always the chance you get stuck in the traffic in Holland, even very early in the morning! My car is conveniently parked at Eazzypark (58 euro’s a week) opposite the entrance of the airport building.
After hopping on small planes in countries like Cuba, Costa Rica, Ecuador or Mexico, Ryanair is not bad at all. The landing could have been way smoother, but hey, who cares? Only the baby in front of me!!!
I arranged the car rental ahead of time and took full coverage, out of safety reasons. I am satisfied with the price; 78 euro’s for a week.
Girona airport is simple and quick. Luggage was there in no time and within 30 minutes, I was on the (wrong) road to Pals….. I printed a description of the numbers of the road, but driving and reading is not working. There are immediately many roundabouts, while leaving Girona, and you need to focus on AP-7 Girona/Francia and NOT Barcelona. Too late, I did go to Barcelona and before you get an opportunity to return, well, that takes some miles!!! Once back on the right track, I realized I had to take a small stretch of tollway. I check the button to open the window, but there is no button. Where on earth is that button? I can’t stop in the middle of the highway. Panic, as I know I have to open the window for the machine at the toll post. While driving I push all the buttons I can reach and hope nothing weird is going to happen. Finally, I find them in the centre of the dashboard (what a weird place). Just on time!
In France it was never a problem, but here I find myself suddenly in the lane of the VIA-T people, who pay automatically. I only found out when no ticket came out of the machine and the guy behind me started making funny gestures. O.K, calm down, I go in reverse and try the right lane, pfffffff………
Funny enough, after leaving the tollway, I don’t have to pay anything. All the effort for nothing…..
I relax and drive without any other issues straight to my apartment in Masos de Pals, where the view stretches over the fields, with the mountain range of the Pyrenees on the horizon. It feels like coming home; the intense blue skies and the cold wind of february are embracing me…….
Geniet ervan! Wat een ervaringen doe je zo op!
Groetjes Marty