More of a holiday than a trip

Looking back at the previous post it reads as if I am really negative about my working life. I am about the end of it, for both of us it was something of a car crash, but we were hardly alone in that. In the first few years of the Cameron government public sector employment shrunk by half a million. I guess we were simply a couple of digits in a statistic about how 'downsizing' can be ameliorated through 'natural wastage'; that sounds fine until you find yourself included as detritus.

Both of us spent most of our working lives in Further and Adult education, it was a worthwhile thing to do opening access to learning to people who had underachieved previously. One benefit of our jobs, well, at least before we both ended up in management, was that we both could take a long break in the summer. For a decade or so we were able to travel abroad as a family for up to a month at a time. In some ways what we are doing at the moment recalls those times, a month abroad in summery weather travelling with the our daughter and her partner. As they are working remotely on-line as they travel, then we have opted to stay for a week or two in a couple of places rather than tour. We chose the first place, they the second, both have been great.

Camping Ile Matua, Cala Montgo, L'Estartit.

Cala Montgo is a perfectly half-moon shaped cove about 3 kms west of L'Escala on the Costa Brava. The rocky hill on one side of the cove is covered in white villas Opposite there are acres of empty pine forest which stretch along the coastal hills all the way to Estartit. It's developed enough to have a good local supermarket and beach side cafes and restaurants but close to more secluded spots with spectacular views to the north over the Bay of Roses and the Pyrenees.

L'Escala is a pleasant old town which has developed into a low key resort. Nearby are the extensive Graeco-Roman ruins of Empuries. We spent a lovely 10 days here in May 2017. Laura joined us for the final few days; it felt like a good place for another family get together.

Rob bought a paella pan at L'Escala's Sunday market. Next day was our wedding anniversary, a good excuse to try it out. With three enthusiastic cooks among us (I am the exception, the culinary equivalent of being tone deaf) there were plenty of ideas about what ingredients we needed, the issue was how to cook it - use the cooker in the van, the Cadac burner as a gas ring or the portable induction hob we purchased a few months ago from IKEA.

After some discussion we opted for the induction hob. It worked remarkably well so long as you moved the big shallow pan around every couple of minutes to make sure the paella cooked through evenly. Sarah and Rob provided the fizz for the occasion in the form of a very classy Cava.

We discussed what else we might do. Perhaps head towards Empuries and have lunch in the ancient village of Sant Pere Pescador just beyond the archaeological site.

The plan never materialised. It rained steadily for the next day and a half. Worse still for Sarah and Rob living in a tent, it blew a gale. Though it was a bit miserable in fact we were lucky, a couple of hundred kilometres to the south full blown storms raged in Valencia and Murcia. Torrential rain caused flash flooding. As well as widespread damage to property there were a few fatalities. The freak weather seemed to belocalised. About fifty kilometres south near Tossa De Mar sunshine was forecast even though nearby in Barcelona the storms seemed set to continue. We were heading towards Tossa de Mar anyway, so we brought our plans forward.

Cala Llevada, Tossa de Mar.

Sarah and Rob had stayed at Camping Cala Llevada twice before on trips to and from Lisbon. It is a large sprawling site in the pine clad hills between three coves. Most of the terraced pitches are only suitable for tents, steep wooden steps connect the different levels, most spots have a sea view through the trees. Leading off from the metalled roads are bigger pitches suitable for caravans and motorhomes, some easy to access, others requiring advanced reverse parking skills to squeeze between the trees. Sarah and Rob found a pretty pitch with a sea view. We compromised on the picturesque for ease of access.

The first few days coincided with the arrival of 25 coach loads of first year students from Lyon University, their arrival was a matter of some anxiety to the site's staff, the receptionist particularly regarding the invasion as some kind of impending apocalypse. In fact a lot of planning had gone into managing the invasion. Half the the site had been cordoned off and the two day student party concentrated in the camping bungalow area down a separate road screened from us by trees. About a dozen beefy looking security guys were on hand to keep order. In fact there was no trouble at all. However, though the 1300 partying 18 year olds were largely invisible, they were not inaudible. Thumping dance music until 4am. disturbed our sleep for two nights in a row. Sarah and Rob were more affected than us, they were closer to the party and a tent affords no sound insulation whatsoever. One night they opted to use the big drop-down bed in the van proving that you can accommodate four adults and a dog in a 7m box.

Everyone was relieved when the coaches left and the site reverted to being idyllic. When Sarah and Rob first started planning their itinerant existence we bought them a book called 'Cool Camping'. It is a guide to Europe's sites with a natural vibe providing 'glamping' with an environmentally friendly ethos. Camping Cala Llevada featured on the front cover, which is how Sarah and Rob discovered it

At the height of the summer season Camping Cala Llevada is probably frenetic, but in June and September it is quiet and beautiful. It is named after the biggest of its three coves,. The beach at Cala Llevada is the biggest with a restaurant, leisure facilities and a beach club. It was the one occupied by the horde of French students, luckily the furthest from where we were camping. Consequently we only ever saw it from afar from the beach at Cala den Carlo on the opposite side of the bay. Whichever beach you choose involves a steep climb. Shuttles operate in high season but not in September. The track is beautiful winding through the pine covered hills and at the end you are rewarded with a perfect little beach, good for swimming, with a stylish Chiringuito playing jazz with a Latin flavour and at the weekend live music. It's the Mediterranean we dream of on chilly days back home.

We stayed for a week in Cala Llevada and only left the site twice. First a shopping trip to Mercadona in Lloret de Mar; in fact the onsite supermarket is well stocked and inexpensive so there was no need to head out other than to reduce the sense of being a bit trapped. The only other sightseeing we did was did was a late afternoon visit to Tossa de Mar. Sarah, Rob and Ralf walked the precipitous 3km coastal path; we decided our knees weren't up to it and caught the bus.

The old town of Tossa de Mar is spectacularly situated on a rocky headland between two bays.

"You must climb up the coast path for a couple of hundred metres, the view is stunning!" Sarah insisted when we met up at the small beach behind the castle walls. She was right, the old town looks stunning from above.

Much of the rest of Tossa is a tourist trap, but it's a pretty one that still retains a bit of character. Without the influence of our off-spring we would never have found ourselves in a Rock themed craft beer bar. Interesting!

Sarah had booked a table at 'Portal', a restaurant she had found on her previous visit. It has an inventive tapas menu, a mix of traditional Spanish classics with Asian influenced dishes and contemporary European cooking.

The prawns in brandy and patatas bravas were well cooked Spanish favourites; the technique behind the swordfish ceviche originally came from Peru; the fish tataki was a Japanese dish and the beef cheeks with lime infused mashed potato and onion tartin with a mild cheese foam both the chef's own inventions we suspected. Tapas is a great way to eat well, a shared gastronomic experience - inexpensive too, the entire mini feast including a bottle of wine worked out at a little over £21 each.

It has been great to travel together, especially with younger people whose energy and creativity becomes infectious. After a week at Cala Llevada we packed up and headed back towards France. Sarah and Rob are staying on for a few more days then catching the ferry from Barcelona to Cittavecchio. They have rented an apartment for a month in Lecce. We are heading home to a winter of  project management. This September may be the first we have been away from home since 1978, however October is our first in England for five years. Winter comes early to Buxton, I wish we were heading for Italy too. Britain is a gloomy and divided place right now. The Turpies are very much British Europeans, it feels very strange to be so at odd with the zeitgeist at home, a stranger in your own country.