The town of Arbucies
captures the true essence
of Spanish living.
TRAVEL
T
saida valenzuela pozo W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 | W E S T W O R L D A L B E R T A 11
VACATION
THE LONG
A Canadian family discovers a wealth of
culture in Spain during a six-week long stay.
B Y A N D R E W F I N D L AY
THERE ARE NO SECRETS ON CARRER SORRALL STREET.
ree-storey apartments snuggle so closely here that I can crack
our cozy living room windows, reach across the street and
nearly high-five Dona Santi, our 60-something neighbour, who
closely monitors the neighbourhood. We're in Arbucies, Spain,
a small town in Catalonia, about an hour's drive north of Barce-
lona. While Lisa and I sip espressos, our daughters Zola and
Sabine, age five and two respectively, carry on a now-familiar
repartée with la Dona.
"Hola guapas!" la Dona says, prompting the same greeting
from the kids, who then hide giggling behind the curtain.
We ascend to the rooftop terrace to bask in the morning
sun. Clay-tiled roofs glisten from last night's thunderous squall,
and the Romanesque clock tower next to the tiny town plaza, a
few blocks away, chimes for morning mass. Puffy white clouds,
remnants of the fall storm, scud across the blue sky and cling to
the peaks of Montseny above the town, its slopes cloaked in
beech trees showing the first rusty signs of autumn.
