Anne & Kirk Woodyard – Music and Markets Tours

The Costa Brava calls today – for one of our May Barcelona tour day trips we’ve sped northeast to Girona on one of Spain’s super fast trains, picked up a car, and headed for the sea, where the coast towards France becomes rugged and remote, with gorgeous little coves edging in to the the rocky forested hillsides. Villages are few and far between, but worth stopping by – we pause at the pretty village of Begur for lunch,

wandering through the market stalls til we find a few cafes in the historic center. Expecting a simple goat cheese salad, I’m surprised with a towering creation – lots of flavors complementing the baked cheese atop the salad-filled crepe – wow!
Catching enticing glimpses of vivid turquoise as we wind down the steep road to Sa Tuna, we eagerly step out of the car – glad that the spring rain is holding off so we can walk to the next cove, as planned – see the path on the left? 

Knowing that our tour guests enjoy walking, we’d given them a choice of another museum today, or a coastal walk – we’re glad they wanted the hike! Every other step demands a pause to take in the latest vista – just gorgeous!

Continuing towards Cala Aiguafreda – we spy a private stairway to the water…you’d have to be quite nimble to get to the water and back!
The raindrops start as we’re nearly back to Sa Tuna, with its little chapel – just in time!

An hour or so through the rain and we’re back in Girona, with its colorful homes hanging over the river – and a snazzy Eiffel-designed bridge across!

The cathedral tops the town – lots of steps up no matter which way you go! On the way we pass through the Call, the ancient Jewish Quarter, and walk by several vaulted stairways – the rain has passed so we stay out in the open. And we head even higher, walking a ways on the ancient walls that used to surround the town. Behind the church, the wall is easily accessed from the Bishop’s Garden. We have time for one more stop before catching the train back to Barcelona – the best churros ever at Montse L’artesana on Cort Reial under the arches. Dipped in thick hot chocolate they’re a don’t-miss Spanish treat – wish we had some right now!

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The best way to describe us (Kirk and Anne Woodyard) is that we’re interested in the stories that make the places we visit come alive.
We’ve visited Europe more times than we can count, learned some entertaining stories there, and met some warm and helpful people who also enjoy the wonders of music and life in Europe. We look forward to sharing these stories and friends and experiences with our Music and Markets guests.
Between our music-related travels, we split our time between our homes near Washington DC and the south of France.
While both of us have experience in organizing travel and music groups Kirk’s background is in project management and competitive writing, and Anne is an accomplished pianist with over thirty years of teaching experience, and a travel and food writer specializing in France and Italy.