Madrid and the Costa Brava

After a short stop in Valladolid and the wine region of the Ribera del Deuro, we arrived in Madrid late on a Friday. Early on Saturday morning armed with the address of the James Joyce Pub; the only place in Madrid with Sky Sports; we went to watch Rugby - the final of the Super 15. This started a weekend of sports and wine, with loads of Olympic tennis and athletics; even SA vs England cricket. We found a great bar with a bottle of wine and a plate of jamon for 9.95 euros and  by the end of the weekend we had our favourite table in front of the TV and  free Wi -Fi. Madrid is great for strolling and that's what we did. Tapas bars are clustered in various areas and these streets and pavements are packed with party goers and families on weekend evenings. Even without doing all the touristy bits,Madrid still rates as one of our best cities in Europe.
Then we drove east towards the Costa Brava. En route we stayed near Poblet, home of the wine varietal called Trepat and closer to Tarragona we visited another small Spanish wine region; Priorat. These are rare Spanish varietals that wine snobs in London and New York alike are raving about these days and so worth the detour and a taste.
We enjoyed catching up and with Eric and Veronica and their friends in Perlada for a few days. An added bonus was the fact that we were in the heart of Dali territory. A day in Cadaques and a few trips to Figueras can't be a bad thing.The "Theatre Museum Dali" always keeps Neil entertained for hours!  For all the Northern European summer sun seekers out there,the Costa Brava is not a bad place to choose for a longer stay holiday with great food, good beaches, art, culture and mountains all within easy reach. Oh, and the local wine is Cava bubbly from nearby Penedes to wash it all down with.