An unexpected Turn - Barcelona & Costa Brava

About 20 miles from Barcelona, the trip took an unexpected turn. The Hygge Bus suddenly had difficulty switching gears and let out a funny noise. We pulled over in a wine cellar parking lot , luckily with a beautiful view, and spent the night there before we could be towed to a mechanic the next day.

It was Saturday and the mechanics were closed until Monday, so we spent the weekend in Barcelona without the Hygge Bus. We took our first train ride of the trip from the road assistance center to Placa Catalunya. Barcelona here we come!

BARCELONA

What are we doing at the train station?!

Happy arrival in Barcelona!

Our insurance policy covered the cost of hotels while the bus was in the garage. In the meantime, we lived it up in Barcelona. Thank goodness for Dutch insurance!

Over the weekend, we hopped from plaza to plaza and bench to bench watching the people and soaking in the Barcelona vibes, always with beers and a picnic in tow of course.

PLAZA HOPPING...

CHOCOLATE SUISSE & SCRABBLE

A Barcelona must-do: an afternoon cafe sit at La Nena for a cup of thick chocolate suisse, homemade cookies or churros, and a game of scrabble. Heavenly!

The time came to return to the Hygge Bus. Unfortunately, the mechanics in the area weren't experienced with vintage Opels and suggested fixing it back in the Netherlands. Our insurance company gave us the option to finish our trip with a new camper for 30 days while they towed the Hygge Bus back to the Netherlands. We were sad to leave our baby behind, but we had no choice. Once again, thank goodness for Dutch insurance!

BYE BYE HYGGE BUS! :(

In our brand new Fiat camper, we headed for the beautiful Costa Brava…

TOSSA DEL MAR, COSTA BRAVA

Our first stop along the Costa Brava was in Tossa del Mar, where we relieved our shock with a gin & tonic on a cocktail napkin with a very fitting saying...

"May your glass always be half full"

Although the Blitz didn't make it until the end, we could still continue the trip and jump off rocks and swim in the ocean. The glass is half full indeed. :)

Koen began to feel at home in the new camper with his freshly shaven mustache and classy tank-top.

AIGUABLAVA BEACH, BEGUR

On the road again… there's always time for a pit stop at the local fruit stand.

CADAQUES, COSTA BRAVA

In Cadaques, Spain we were reunited with our friends, Alexander & Mel. A happy, fun, vibrant, and talented Aussie/Dutchie couple from Amsterdam. We shared 24 hours full of fun moments with these two, including a seaside picnic, camper casino night, a cozy camper sleepover, yummy bacon breakfast, and a champagne toast in what used to be Salvador Dalí's front-yard.

Take a look at their beautiful floristry business in Amsterdam: http://www.apbloem.nl!