Another early start today, and from the small town of Blanes. What a difference a day makes - the early start in Barcelona on a Sunday with no traffic, and Blanes on a Monday morning with cars heaving in the narrow streets, and people thronging the footpath on the way to work or school. Our route followed the coast for the most part. The route had everything from major tourist areas with massive resorts and waterparks, to natural and beautiful coastal vistas. Pretty much any area that was flat has the major developments, and the rugged areas are left untouched, at least for now! It was tough going in parts - twisty roads, with a climb up to a headland, then a swooping downhill to the coastal indent, then the grind back up again. Some of the smaller towns are incredibly pretty - Tossa de Mar, being one such place. We had morning tea there, looking over the bay and the castle sitting out on a rocky headland. We saw quite a few cyclists - singly and in groups, and even the odd touring cyclist. Once we were out of the major centres the traffic did get a lot quieter, or perhaps everybody had got to their destinations for the day. Some of the groups had identical cycling kit - one such group we met on a lookout had come from Provence for some cycling in Spain (these were a group of retirees, I think, and both male and female). They were impressed by our loaded bikes - one lady chatted a bit and offered to take our photo. As they headed off, I noted that one of the gents was riding an Ebike! A very beautiful part of the coast, and no wonder so many people want to come here to experience it! The pity is that this demand causes development that threatens the beauty of the place. Our route took us through some authentic Spanish countryside as well today - on an unsealed road for about 2 km before getting onto some minor roads heading towards a town called Pallafrugell Apart from the corrugated gravel section, this was quite lovely and also (bonus!!) flat, which was welcome at the end of a long day! The gravel wasn’t so bad - not after our experiences last year on the Via Claudia and some of the German bike paths. Begur is a lovely town, with a medieval core. According to Wikipedia: ‘Begur has 3,986 inhabitants (according to the census of 2005). It is an important tourist attraction in the Baix Empordà. During the summer, the population can exceed 40,000 people. Despite its tourist character, the village has important historical remnants that go back in early history. The castle of Begur is a good example of medieval remains. The castle was constructed in the 16th and 17th centuries. The town of Begur also includes Esclanyà (with a Romanesque old part), Aiguafreda, Sa Riera, Sa Tuna, Aiguablava and Fornells. Some of the most prestigious beaches of the Costa Brava can be found here: Sa Riera, Aiguafreda, sa Tuna, Platja Fonda (although it has been almost completely destroyed by storms), Fornells and Aiguablava.’ We arrived at about 1600, having had a long day on the bike! Luckily we managed to find the accommodation easily, and the host (Jordi, the spanish version of George) was expecting us (always a relief when that happens!). The town is lovely, and at the time we managed to get out and do a bit of a walk around in the evening, filled with visitors in the restaurants and walking about the boutiques that seem to cater for the evening crowd. It is a colourful and exuberant town, with narrow streets of Moorish and Spanish architecture topped with a crumbling medieval castle that has views along miles of coastline. The town's most stunning neoclassical mansions were built by local merchants returning from Cuba in the late 19th century.