Day 6

Barcelona gave me a migraine. And I stayed in bed till noon the following day. Luckily it was a free day- no organised trips- and in the afternoon I was well enough to get up and explore Tossa.

Day 7

We visited Cadaques- where Salvador Dali used to hang out with his hippy entourage in the 60s.

Interlude

CATALONIA

This is the first time I've walked with a stick since I was 17. the stick is bamboo, very light, with a plastic handle that looks like horn.

I am up on the evening hill among broken stones and black umbrella pines. The girl band down in the Placa d'Espanya is so loudly amplified that even we wanderers in rarified air can sing along .

What is that noise the sea makes- is it a sigh, a groan, a whisper? It is all these and more. It is the voice of our lovers past and to come. As a noble Roman once remarked, "all human knowledge comes from the sea."

Ma and pa seagull go winging past, level with me but still high up. Do birds ever die in mid-flight? Has anyone seen it happen? The aloes sprawl on the blue-grey cliffs like angels. If I were to drop off the edge I would look like that.

Behind my eyes is a circle. In one half are the girls in the band, in the other the waves of the sea. They address one another like centaurs and lapiths. There is no clear line between them, just a zone of pulse and shiver.

Day 8

The best day of all. We get to lounge around Tossa. We eat an expensive meal (ah paella!) and drink Catalan riesling.

Day 9 (part 1)

The last full day in Catalonia. We visit Girona. The spire of the church of St Feliu is truncated because it got struck by lightning. A thunderstorm starts up as I carry the (metal) wheelchair down the high and exposed cathedral steps.





On the way back to Tossa we pull off the road to watch the hillsides smoking after rain.

Day 9 (part 2)

Ailz went to bed and I took an evening stroll round Tossa.

I paid my 2 Euro and viewed the Roman Villa.

Then I climbed the hill for the last time.