Skipping Barcelona was kind of a bold move. But we decided to drive straight from El Prat Airport to Cadaqués, a breathtakingly beautiful town situated right on the Cap de Creus peninsula, on the Costa Brava, the northernmost stretch of the coast of Catalonia. Rocky coastline, glorious beaches, and quiet coves seemed like a great place for, well, let’s call it a “date,” even though both of us had traveled over 12 hours to meet in Spain. J and I had met a month before, but work had us in different parts of the world. Spain was in the middle. Plus, it was Spain.
I drove the first two hours from the airport, but upon entering the old town at the head of Cadaqués Bay, I passed the wheel to J. The very charming, very narrow cobblestoned streets seemed like they’d be more enjoyable from the passenger seat. This proved to be a good call. At one point, as we navigated the town looking for our Airbnb, I instructed J to “turn right,” because Google told me to “turn right.” But that right ended up being a steep stone staircase ending at someone’s front door, forcing J to reverse the car up the steps, Mission Impossible–style, to get back on an actual road. Which he did, very impressively.
After finding our white-washed, Mediterranean-style house, we set off on a 10-minute walk to the historic quarter. We were expecting a quaint harbor village dotted with cafés and seafood restaurants. Instead, we happened upon a full-blown Mardi Gras celebration; turns out it was Carnavales. Men, women, and children dressed in lavish costumes and elaborate masks spilled out of the bars and restaurants and onto the square. Carnival music blared from every corner, and bands played on floats roving the streets. People offered to buy us drinks or share food, the language barrier basically nonexistent. The purely communal, celebratory vibe was a truly unique and amazing way to start the trip.
The area’s stunning nature topped it, though. Our first hike from Cadaqués to the Cap de Creus lighthouse was a gorgeous four-mile trek full of small ups and downs and secluded beaches, ending with a steep climb to the lighthouse and the adjacent Restaurant Cap de Creus, a lovely place for a beer and some snacks. So lovely, in fact, that we stayed to watch the sunset … and learned that grabbing a cab from a remote lighthouse on the edge of the Mediterranean is not really a thing. While we contemplated if we could survive the four-mile hike back, in the dark, with no flashlight, our waiter offered to drive us to town—not something we’ll forget.
The rest of the trip was filled with more hikes—including a challenging yet rewarding trek from Palamós to Calella de Palafrugell—and lazy days in town. We visited the Santa Maria Church and the Teatre-Museu Dalí, ate suquet de peix (a traditional Catalan fish stew), and drank excellent wine by the sea.
And then we jumped out of a plane.
As with Carnavales, this was not part of the plan. But as we were driving up from Barcelona, we saw a billboard for Skydive Empuriabrava. J mentioned that he had been skydiving several years before, and, without thinking, I said, “I’d do that”—a bit of a flex on my part, but also I didn’t think we’d really do it. But, three days later, I was being harnessed to a large Spanish man who reassured me, as J did, that I could change my mind at any minute. Which didn’t necessarily feel reassuring.
The ascent was the most nerve-wracking part of the experience. Then I was standing at the open door of the plane, 13,000 feet in the air, and at that point I couldn’t really change my mind. We free-fell for one full minute, at a speed of 124 mph—one of the most exhilarating minutes of my life. The instructor opened the parachute at 5,000 feet, and then we floated for five minutes, looking out over the beaches of Costa Brava and glimpsing the Pyrenees mountains. When my feet touched the ground, I looked around at everyone else in the landing area, and they all had the same astonished grin that I had; we had all just jumped out of a plane! Sitting at picnic tables, we ate sandwiches and watched other jumpers land. Again, in spite of the language barrier, we all shared the same feelings, the same thought: When can I do this again?
So, I think it was a good date.
Golden Globe Award–winner Maura Tierney stars in American Rust: Broken Justice, now streaming on Prime Video.
