So I have two more days in Barcelona to account for. On Tuesday, we rented a car from Europcar on Gran Via, which was a good place to start from, as the street leads straight on to the highway, so no worries driving through the city. Our plan was initially a day trip to Girona. We headed north on the C-32 which is a toll-road for a while, then veered off onto the smaller highway which hugs the coastline, stopping to visit some of the interesting small towns along the way. We had a good map and used the Eyewitness guide to choose towns to visit.

We had a picnic lunch in a park overlooking the port in Arenys de Mar, then headed to Blanes to visit their botanical gardens, recommended by the guidebook, since both Mom and DD love gardens. We got a bit lost in the town, but found a tourist information office housed in a local library. The gardens turned out to be well worth the visit. The Marimurtra gardens are quite extensive, situated on a hillside overlooking the Mediterranean, so the blue water provides a beautiful backdrop to the lush vegetation, and breathtaking views over the cliffs. The hillside paths looked daunting, but we were offered not one, but two electric(!) wheelchairs, so the visit proved to be an adventure, as neither lady had ever used an electric wheelchair before. They had fun learning how to navigate the paths, and teaching my mom to let go in order to stop, rather than pressing harder on the lever when she wanted to brake, provided some hair-raising moments. If you've seen Betty White's "Off their Rockers", you have an idea of the scene.

After Blanes we continued as far as Tossa de Mar, which was a lovely place to end the day, as we had by then decided that we would not make it to Girona. We had dinner at a restaurant on the waterfront which had great sangria, then headed back to Barcelona.

Our last day in the city, we returned the rental car, then spent the day doing some gift shopping in the Gothic quarter. This was the only day when my mom showed signs of fatigue and asked to go back to the apartment for a rest. DH was already gearing up for his return to work mode and wanted to work on his computer, so DH and Mom stayed in for the afternoon while DD and I shopped. We had dinner in the little restaurant just below the apartment, then turned in early for our 7.30am flight. Oh, the agent came that evening to return our deposit as we were leaving at 5.00am. (The owner of the apartment in Paris is a more trusting soul - he did not ask for a deposit, just told us to leave the keys in the mailbox on the way out)

DD flew home via New York, while our connection was in Paris, so it was hard to leave her by herself at the airport, but all went well and she made it home without incident. After being very careful with our possessions throughout the trip, I managed to leave my passport at security in BCN airport, and Mom left her purse in a washroom in CDG, but on both occasions, after initial panic, the items were later recovered intact. Kudos to airport staff.

So that was it. A different trip from the trips my husband and I do on our own, but having the ladies along proved to be fun. We travelled at a more relaxed pace, and didn't worry about trying to see or do everything, but we enjoyed all the places we visited. Things really went better than I expected, and the trip accomplished the objective of cheering up my Mom. She seems a lot less depressed and is still enjoying looking at the pictures we took and reminiscing about the trip. Now she's asking; "Where are we going on our next trip?"

Thanks for posting rest of trip,, what a sucess! The apartment in Paris looks like the sofa bed was a "futon" those are pretty comfy, at least compared to most spring loaded hide a beds!
Looking forward to Barcelona!