Spain

After our hike through Crete, it was clear, traveling as a trio or an occasional quad (when we are lucky), was just too easy. So, we pushed on to Spain where our travel squad increased by a whopping 12 people, and who knows how many more pieces of luggage!  Only the people on the trip with a Ph.D. in Tetris and who packed the van each morning, know the answer.  It was time to spread a little Demon Deacon love around the world.  And just to eliminate any confusion, we did this trip twice, forward and backwards, with two sets of 12 students—twice the fun, and occasionally….double to trouble.

We started in Barcelona, where Wake Forest students arrived over a couple of days to begin a journey through Spain, France, and Switzerland under the guise of a course named “Global Perspectives in Food, Activity and Health”.  Earning a passing grade in this course requires experience with a fork and a good pair of sneakers because the syllabus alternates between eating and exercising over 3.5 weeks.  In Barcelona, we sampled jamón Ibérico and other tasty treats on market and tapas tours, circled Gaudi works on foot and by bike, flipped tortilla de patatas in cooking classes, and gorged ourselves at Bar Cañete.

To move the crew to the next destination and to save some money for overly expensive Switzerland and bonus adventures, we loaded up in two vans with Mama and Papa Demon Deacon at the wheel.  It is usually at this point where the trip becomes known as “We Are The Millers”—sometimes lovingly, and other times, not so much.  Cost saving measures usually require sacrifice, and by the end of the trip, renting, riding, and driving these vans are it.  To be brief, the sacrifice involved the rental agency unflinchingly giving us vans one seat short of the 15 person roster, the back seat jamming out of position for a couple of hours during the first loading, the door nearly falling off after 6 weeks, and a planter jumping out of a parking spot and embedded itself on the side panel.   But alas, the hardship and cost saving measures gave us the freedom to hit the more remote spots on the journey, and deposit us in Cadaqués for our second stop. 

In Cadaqués, we beached, hiked, ate, and enjoyed a bit of Salvador Dalí inspiration—some people have the mustaches to prove it.  A day was spent hiking out to Cap de Creus and swimming in coves along the rugged coastline.  A favorite evening was spent at Compartir, where we all enjoy the tasting menu of 10 courses and 3 desserts.  It is a great opportunity to try every kind of seafood you never knew you liked or didn’t like, in every shape, form or foam, you never dreamed possible. Yes, I said foam! Who knew fish could be foam? And, thank goodness Joel joined the trip!