A family trip to Catalonia for October half-term

Nadine and her teenage kids enjoyed a relaxing break in Catalonia for their October half-term holiday, experiencing regional delights from human towers to seafood feasts. Intrigued? Us too!

This was a special holiday for our family. Both young people (Esme, aged 18, and Cormac, aged 14) are studying Spanish (for A-level and GCSE respectively), so we had resolved to focus on Spanish holidays where possible, and initially settled on Catalonia for the Easter holidays. A family bereavement meant we had to move the trip to the October half-term instead – our only holiday of the year together as a family, and our last October half-term ever as a family of four, as Esme is in her last year of school. Yes, it really does all go far too quickly.

Both of them are very different: she’s happy in a museum or gallery or exploring a historic site, and eager to practice her Spanish; he’s really into seafood and shyer about speaking the language – so any trip needed to take both of them into account.

Girona

Stay at: Girona Old Town Apartments

As we had changed our original dates and simply rebooked everywhere for October, it was only on our way to Girona from Barcelona airport that we started researching the Fires de Sant Narcís (Girona’s patron saint), which was happening the weekend of our arrival; the festivities continue for 10 days. Esme managed to translate the Catalan correfoc (fire run), and we were astonished and delighted to realise that this famous feature of Catalan culture was taking place that night.

We checked into our elegant and very well-appointed two-bedroom apartment – one of eight Girona Old Town Apartments in a beautifully restored building on the Plaça Del Vi, a rectangular square in the centre of the Old Town. I casually asked about where the even more famous human towers (castells) would be the next day. The Plaça Del Vi itself was the reply. We couldn’t believe our luck!

We headed straight to dinner, comparing menus in English to Spanish and Catalan, and then into the dark medieval streets for some fire run action. We followed the noise, and came across a procession involving folk dressed as devils with pitchforks and whirligigs letting off firecrackers, bangers, sparks and showers of fire amongst the assembled multitude, accompanied by samba bands and whoops of excitement. We draped scarves over our heads and joined the throng surging through narrow streets, culminating in an open square where the best fire contraptions (think huge Catherine wheels, fireworks in the form of headdresses and statues) were let off in succession with a firework display to finish.

Next day, we positioned ourselves in our prime viewing spot – our own private balcony overlooking Placa del Vi! – to watch the castellers in action. We felt so privileged to witness this wonder of the world. The format isn’t a competition, instead a showcase by the three teams (Minyons de Terrassa in pink shirts, Marrecs de Salt in blue, and Capgrossos de Mataro in purple) forming different shapes of towers. Each supported the other’s endeavour to climb high, climb safe, and create community. The men formed the wide base and lower levels, with women creating the next layers, and children at the pinnacle. For a final flourish, all three created a tower at the same time, before dancing to traditional music, children on their shoulders below us.

After so much excitement, it was time to navigate the Old Town. We crossed the River Onyar twice, wandered around the imposing Cathedral, which boasts the widest Gothic nave in the world, and walked along the reconstructed city walls for long views over this charming, oft-besieged historical city. Dinner that evening featured much seafood and fish as per Cormac’s request. What a fun weekend!

L’Escala

Stay at: L’Escala Hideaway

The weather turned gloriously bright and sunny for the rest of our trip. It was an easy 45-minute drive to the cute, coastal town of L’Escala, in the north of Catalonia, set on the beautiful Gulf of Roses, with panoramic views of the mighty Pyrenees as they flow down to the sea. Here we stayed at L’Escala Hideaway, a gorgeous three-bedroomed, three-storey, white-washed townhouse, with an alfresco dining terrace and a rooftop plunge pool with sun loungers, all just a short walk from the harbour. The house is really well set up for a family with teens: enough space for us all separately and together, with each bedroom having its own ensuite shower bathroom. Living spaces have quirky books and found objects, and there’s a big TV on which we watched F1 together one night from the big slouchy sofa. In the open-plan kitchen, we made our own fusion version of a seafood paella. Delicious.

Our days passed in a blur of effortless relaxation. One day we headed to the Dali Theatre-Museum in Figueras, which the surrealist artist established himself. It holds the largest collection of Dali’s prolific body of work – some of us were more impressed than others, it’s fair to say! On another, we strolled northwards from L’Escala along the beautiful coast through scented pines and beside sandy shores to Empúries. This archaeological site is remarkable for being both a Greek and Roman trading port and a prosperous small town over many centuries. Esme and I swam in the sapphire blue sea. We went out for tapas. We read books on the roof terrace. We loved it.

Costa Brava

Stay at: Rectoria de Regencos

Our final destination was a tranquil village, just inland from the Costa Brava’s sensational beaches and small towns such as Begur and Palafrugell, a little oasis of calm. Rectoria de Regencos, was, as the name suggests, the former rectory of the village, and has been renovated to four simply stylish 1- and 2-bed self-catering apartments, all sharing a large walled garden with a small pool. The property is perfectly set up for families with small children, and while we didn’t fit that description, we had a lovely stay – it’s close to many attractions and away from the bustle.

We pottered about the village, went to see the (ruined) castle of Begur, which does have fantastic views to the Pyrenees, and to its little market; my husband, Colman, also took the opportunity to stock up on some very local Catalan wine in a vast wine supermarket. However, the highlights for us were a delicious dinner at Antic Casino restaurant in nearby Pals, the best of our whole trip, and the terrific walk along the coast to Llafranc, in brilliant sunshine with a sparkling sea beside us.

We all enjoyed our sojourn in Catalonia, and benefited from it being a quieter time of year than the summer (although some restaurants and wineries were closed). Everybody was very friendly, and the sea was still warm enough to swim in. Esme practiced her Spanish, Cormac ate seafood, Colman bought wine – something for everybody!