13 August, 2010

On the road from Perpignan to Barcelona


The frontier between France and Spain is just at the top of the highway what gives the feeling to the drivers they are going to fall from a world to another. The cars have just to slow to let their occupants be seen by the policemen of the two countries. The waiting queue of La Junquera, the village where, formerly, the road traffic crossed, is no more than a souvenir, relegated to the past.

Spain starts with Catalogne, a province with its own language, prior to castellano. Once the Pyrénées are back, the highway enlarges and directs the cars to many seaside resorts of the Costa Brava. The cities and their commercial and industrial suburbs have grown rapidly and are now hit by the commercial crisis which produced shops closures and a abrupt ceases of buildings constructions.

After nearly two hours, Barcelona, the capital of Cataluna, is in view. Its industrial nature is visible "thanks" to the permanent fog over the city. New buildings along the sea testify of the ambitions of the inhabitants. The road finished with the Estaciones Maritimas where boats are waiting...

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