Andalucia Day 54 Vic

It's a comfortable night in our Hostal in Salou  and we set off quite early, rain is forecast later in the morning. We have decided to avoid toll roads and Google maps initially takes us along good 2-lane fast roads which are every bit as good as the motorway, indeed better because almost empty. Then we start heading through the countryside on a one lane road, the views are very pleasant, even some vineyards, we haven't seen so many during our journeys in Spain. The road winds up into the mountains, there are almost no cars, which is fortunate because the road is so narrow I have to slow right down to pass. The environment is very nice, pine forest and big flowering bushes of heather. Nevertheless we start to get a bit anxious, the twists and turns and bends seem endless and at about 30 kilometres an hour we aren't making much progress! Fortunately we are used to mountain driving. Eventually the road starts straightening out and descending among incredibly beautiful landscape, the earth, rock and soil are red, the trees green and a dilapidated farmhouse is red too, the same colour as the land around it.

We arrive at Vic at about midday.

From the mountains onwards we have seen the yellow Catalunya indepence symbols painted on the road and houses as well as yellow 'ribbons' attached to fences and railings. Vic is particularly full of them. We stock up on Cruz Conde fino wine at the Consum supermarket, the last going north, and decide to visit the town. It's unexpectedly difficult to find a free parking space in a town I'd never even heard of. 

Once parked we head for the centre. What a surprise, Vic has a very nice historical centre,    modernist and liberty buildings, all a very different style from further south but very attractive. A workman goes out of his way to direct us to the main church and thanks to him we manage to slip in just before it closes. Immense dark columns interspersed with enormous dark paintings, it's a neoclassical style, very different from the usual baroque interiors and indeed from anything we've seen before.

The enormous main square in Vic is also unusual, surrounded by old houses and arches, all similar but each different and with a large sandy space, not paved, in the middle.

It hasn't rained so far but it's quite damp. Google suggests El cellar d'en Miguel and we just manage to get one of the last tables inside. It's only 1 o'clock so very different from further south. Here we are considerably slowed and somewhat irritated by the fact that the menu is only in Catalan. Also, the waitress is in a hurry because people are waiting. By combining all our languages we get the gist and manage to order something.

The environment is a fairly normal bar cafeteria but the food and presentation is more appropriate for a much higher class of establishment. The starter is a sort of salad of dried cod, the first dish a tasty tower of aubergines, tomato, onion and goat cheese, the second pork loin with a four cheese sauce and chips, and, to finish, a really delicious cheesecake. We have one menu between the two of us, normal further south but apparently not so normal here, but it's more than enough if we want to keep awake for the afternoon drive. Total cost including two coffees 15 euros. Vic was an excellent choice for a stop.

Back on the road, it's a fast two lane winding up and down and then finally down towards the sea. We stop at Mercadona for shopping for the evening and head for the apartment.

Arrival this time is not so pleasant. The host's mother who eventually turns up to let us in is uninterested and curt to the point of rudeness, the apartment looks much grottier than in the pictures and turns out to be really badly equipped resulting in endless trips up and down to the garage each time I realize something is missing. Pazienza, eventually food is on the table. The weather forecast for the next day is excellent so we're in for an early start.

Kilometres by car: 310

Kilometres on foot: 6