In a roundabout sort of way ...

Our local airport, here on the sunny Costa Brava, is Girona-Costa Brava Airport. It opened in 1965, but only had modest numbers of passengers until a certain Tony Ryan decided to use it as one of his airline's major European hubs. Well, after that, it was boom time for the Aeropuerto de Girona-Costa Brava, and they've never looked back since.

It's still got a fairly rural feel to it as international airports go. The rush hour is often held back by the odd tractor or combine harvester, depending on the time of the year. Recently there's been a rush of civic pride in the local villages as they seek to announce their specialities to the visiting tourists. And they've taken a rather quaint and very unique way of doing this.

On the big roundabout, on the approach to the airport, at Cassà de la Selva they've got some rather large Cava corks, which seem to suggest that they've got a rather splendid drink to quench your thirst after all that travelling. Well in fact it's not so much the drink as the corks that they're wanting to tell us about. The village is surrounded by cork trees, and back in the day it was one of the major centres where they made corks for wine bottles. Nifty, eh?

Cassà de la Selva, Girona

These photos were taken by Emi one afternoon last May as we raced round the roundabout. I'd just noticed this new addition and shouted in my excitement for a photo. The young chap did rather well to get the camera sorted out and pointed in the right direction in time to capture anything.

Cassà de la Selva, Girona

Well this year, they've added an embellishment to another roundabout at the village of Campllong. How do you like the tractor?

Campllong, Girona

I'm not sure when it was built. Maybe it's part of their Spring Fair Country Show celebrations. But all things told it's a very good impression of a tractor, don't you think?

Campllong, Girona

And not to be out-done they've put a plastic pig on the roundabout on the other side of Riudellots de la Selva. Guess what they're famous for farming? Sadly this piggy didn't make it into our photo album, but someone drew his cheeky cousin on this little pumping house in the fields on the other side of town.

Riudellots de la Selva, Girona

So as you're driving down to the Costa from the airport you're guaranteed a multi-media tour through some of the highlights of what the area has to offer. Ingenious!

All the best for now,

Bonny x