La Sagrada Familia (and the most common bird in Spain - the crane)

imagine telling the building inspector you didn't use mortar!

B in a little church in Segovia

Walls of Avila

No more photo envy for the kids.

So after the wonder of Salamanca Cathedral, we saw the 1000 year old walls of Avila with 86 towers, and moved on to Segovia. This place had a cathedral to match Salamanca (and we had a camera this time!), a castle that would start another castle envy round with the kids (and Real Gaston) and an enormous 2000 year old aquaduct (yes, other real Spike Gaston, we have seen an aquaduct - a heck of a lot of construction to carry a ditch about 150mm x 150mm, not sure they couldn't have paid the peasants to carry the water instead, but it sure looks neat, but pretty amazing that there is no mortar in it).
Met our first Canadian campers (from Burnaby) and stayed up way too late with Rioja and Port before the big (500km) road trip across the middle of Spain to the low point campground of the trip, but the scenery on the way was a spectacular mix of mountain, mesa, prairie, wind farms and river valley. Off through the industrial belt to get to Barcelona early the next day, to a campground with a view over the Mediterranean (clothing is apparently optional on their beaches) and close to the train (everyone was dressed, 15 minutes into the centre of town). We checked out their redeveloped waterfront (a huge marina, cruise port and theme park and bi-level roads and pedestrian boulevards), the gaudy Gaudi cathedral that has been under construction for over 1oo years as a tourist attraction (which one person said had nothing to do with God and all to do with Gaudi, which we will leave to you architects to discuss), and the Picasso Museum, giving a great perspective on the evolution of his art from 15 years old until 80 or so. We also had a superb dinner in the place that he used to hang out early in his career. And everyone was hanging on tightly to their purses and packs, which was disconcerting, so enough city for us.
Off on the autopista to the south of France, where people seem a little lighter in the heart. Passed through the Fitou region and thought of Mark. Landed at a really nice campground on the river and a short bike ride to the fishing port and beach town of Grau d'Agde, along the beach from the mega resort of Cap d'Agde. First cloudy day in ages, but great to slow down in a place that is so pleasant. We may not move for a while.