Costa Brava

Ryan Air offer fantastic deals in September, departing from Shannon and Cork, to entice people to visit Europe when the peak summer season is pretty much over. The weather is still lovely and warm at that time, and the crowds are gone, so it's a perfect time to go and the price at 29 Euros each is just right.
Someone I met in Dave's bike shop recommended the Costa Brava and since the flight left from Shannon, only an hour from Nenagh, it sounded like our best option. The region is situated on the North-East coast of Spain and has a lot to offer, being close to France and Barcelona, with beautiful beaches and countryside. The first thing we noticed about Spain is how child-friendly it is. There are well-equipped playgrounds in abundance and families all take to pedestrian-only streets in the evening which come to life with the sound of kids playing.
We visited the ancient city of Girona with its Arab bath house and Jewish quarter. The narrow cobbled streets amble up the steep hills and there were many fascinating hidden paths and archways to explore. The kids managed well with all the walking, and there was always the promise of a play at yet another playground, to encourage them to walk further on.
Figueres is only a short comfortable drive north on the A7, and features the Dali Theatre Museum. We weren't sure how well the kids would cope with an art gallery, but we needn't have worried, Sophia in particular loved every strange and quirky display, especially the Mae West installation. She was even willing to wait in line for about 10 minutes to climb the stairs to view the 'sculpture' through the special viewing glass which distorts the imagery to form the face of Mae West. She surprised us all with her appreciativeness.
Our day trip to Perpignon in France was a little disappointing in that it took us so long to find a park and somewhere to eat, that there was little time for any exploring of the historic sites there. I really wanted to visit perpignon train station, mostly to see why dali called it the centre of the world. It was daunting to be in a place where we had a three word vocabulary, and we were surprised that few people spoke Spanish, being so close to the border.
One moment I'll always treasure is seeing the delight on Sophia's face the first time we ate at a restaurant in Spain, as she listened to Brian order in Spanish. She was chuckling with pleasure as she said, "I didn't know you could speak Spanish, Dad". It was nice to be able to use my Spanish too, it certainly makes things easier, being able to ask for help and understand the responses. The region is Catalunya, where the language is different, but the locals understand Spanish, and don't mind using it with tourists.
We ate a lot of Spanish tortilla, and the meals we made at our cabin in San Feliu de Guixols consisted mostly of tuna melts and pico de gallo. It was nice to eat simply, and also a treat to eat out in the evening, around 8 pm, (this is early for locals) and people watch from al fresco cafes. My favourite dish was Bacalao con samfraino, which was cod lightly dusted with flour, fried in a clay dish with a delicious tomato based sauce. The dish was very hot and the sauce was slightly caramelised on the bottom. Yum!
A week in the Costa Brava is definitely not long enough. I guess we'll just have to come back!