Happy New Year from Les Medes!

Les Medes 

Bye bye 2016 and hello 2017!
Although we woke up effectively in a cloud because our campsite was swathed in fog, the sun is now shining through, the caravan door is wide open and, as soon as my chair has dried off enough, I am going to sit outside with my coffee.

We are now in Spain and our new campsite is Camping Les Medes in L'Estartit, near to Girona. It is a bit of a car park compared to the green campsites of France and also far busier, but worth it for the sunny warmth! The site is named for three rocky islands just off the coast, pictured above, which are now one of the most important marine flora and fauna reserves in the Western Mediterranean.

On site, €19 per night with our ACSI card gets us a pitch with our own water and electricity, plus access to the heated indoor swimming pool - which we haven't actually tried yet. Wifi is extra at €15 a week. The pitches are snug, half the size of those at Le Florida, which wasn't a problem for us with a caravan, but we have seen a couple of accidents and several near misses with larger motorhomes abruptly meeting low hanging trees. We have the use of two newish heated shower blocks plus the bar/restaurant and shop are actually open, not closed up for the winter. There are several large campsites nearby, but only Camping Les Medes is open throughout the year which explains its popularity.

Seagull sculpture at L'Estartit 

We have been on a couple of cycle rides locally, firstly along part of the long promenade at L'Estartit which is perfect for cycling and strolling at this time of year. I imagine it gets pretty full in summer! The village is easily cyclable and walkable from the campsite and, slightly further afield, the town of Torroella de Montgri is also cyclable. The countryside is very flat here in the valley!

Our second cycle ride turned out to be practically no distance at all. We planned to check out a local caravan storage place, Caravan Parking Ter, before going to Carrefour to get a couple of backpacks worth of shopping. Instead we stayed chatting with the owners Paco, who is Catalan, and Denise, originally from Brighton, for nearly two hours! Topics included the wonderful Catalan Christmas tradition of the Tio - a log with legs and a smiley face painted on one end. The Tio 'lives' in the house in the run up to Christmas present giving (on the 6th January her, twelfth night). Every evening it is 'fed' in much the same way as leaving food out for Santa and his reindeer, and then on the morning of the 6th, this poor smiley log is beaten with sticks until it poops out presents for the children! The word Tio has an acute accent on the o so is pronounced Tior and means 'uncle' in Spanish and 'log' in Catalan. The below image is from Wanderlust Living.

A Christmas Tio