Sunday 23rd April 2023

As we all know St. George killed the dragon and is the patron saint of England. In Catalonia Sant Jordi (St. George) drove his lance into the dragon and a Bush of red roses sprang out of the blood that spilled. Because of his bold act and selfless gesture to save a maiden in distress, in Catalonia it has become the custom to give your loved one a red rose. He is the patron Saint of Catalonia. Today we saw a lot single red roses.

This morning we visited Mar i Murtra, a fantastic botanical gardens high on the cliffs at Blanes. What a beautiful setting showing off a beautiful array of flowers and plants. We saw flowers blooming that would not even be in bud yet in the UK, more cacti in one place than we have ever seen before, unrecognisable species along with amazing views up and down the coast. It has 4000 species from 5 different continents.

Tossa de Mar old town was no less spectacular. It is a pretty town with cobbled streets, constructed around an ancient castle. The only surviving example of a fortified medieval town on the whole of the catalan coast, the castle being built in the 12th century. We loved wandering the narrow, winding, cobbled streets as well as walking the walls. We knew we were leaving at the right time when we saw about 8 bus loads of tour groups arriving. So off we went back to the apartment where we had a quick paddle in the Mediterranean to cool down.