Day 2 took me through the wetlands which includes a bird sanctuary and other semi protected areas. As I walked along the River Fluvia (bilingual tautology) I was hoping to see a variety of birds, but alas, only ducks and a single stupid pheasant who ran along the path in front of my looking like a demented road runner. In the river a huge fish leapt out in a series of jumps. The camera wasn't up to the challenge - all I have is a black smudge. It did seem a rather stupid 'look at me' action in the middle of a bird sanctuary but maybe it thought it was too big, or it knew there weren't any cormorants or kingfishers about.
After hitting the beach, the track turned inland into a swampy area. There are 3 sections to this area: the coastal part which is obviously very salty, the inner section which was originally a large lake until humans drained it for agriculture but is now a series of man made and natural channels, and the section in between which has been reclaimed from human use, which has fresh water and is filled with reeds and other aquatic plants. They still allow agriculture, particularly rice growing and pasture for cows and horses, but worry about the pesticide and fertiliser use.
On the last section of beach I had seen some deer footprints and I hoped to see some actual deer, but didn't. There were a number of hides and a large lookout tower which had been an old silo, and a few people with very large lenses on their cameras. The closest I came to a bird was a stork near its nest. The storms had been disappearing from the area, but are back in force. I remember the comment on the Classics trip about the staying all year around now because of climate change.
On leaving the wetlands the path took me past apple orchards, covered in fruit, and corn crops which had been harvested. The husks were lying on the ground. Do they have a machine that strips them? So many questions. Speaking of prevailing winds; all the apple trees are espalliered in the same direction and wind breaks of poplars run perpendicular to break the cold North wind which is prevalent through the region.
My destination was Castello d'Empuries, which had been the medieval centre of the area. The old town still has a few interesting buildings but it is more rundown than towns like Cordoba or Segovia. It was a holiday weekend though, and there was an art festival with lots of private buildings open and hosting small exhibitions. All free. I enjoyed wandering the old town, taking photos of architecture and art. The church dominated the skyline. It wasn't a cathedral, just a basilica. I hadn't realised that the word Cathedral is bestowed upon the building by authorities. This one wasn't approved. Maybe they didn't offer the authorities enough money. As in other towns we had visited, there was an old Jewish quarter, although apart from the little markers on the ground, like in Segovia, there was nothing to distinguish it. Unlike in southern Spain, the potted history didn't mention Isabelle and Ferdinand by name, they just said the Jews had been expelled by the 'Christian rulers' in 1492, presumably because the rulers were Castilian not Catalan.
The old jail was fascinating, with carved graffiti on the walls of the cells still visible. The explanations for them were only in Catalan and Castilian unfortunately.
All the signs in the whole area are bilingual, a bit like Quebec. Catalan is much closer to French in sound, and I have become accustomed to saying 'Bon dia' in greeting. Many of the menus are in Catalan, Castilian, French, English, Italian, German, Russian and often Dutch. Puts us to shame.
There was also an old mill which I think was grinding the wheat until recently. It is now a museum and although there were plenty of diagrams and explanations, I found the whole process baffling. The grain seemed to move through 3 or 4 floors, being heated, cooled, dropped, bashed, shaken and sieved.
After hitting the beach, the track turned inland into a swampy area. There are 3 sections to this area: the coastal part which is obviously very salty, the inner section which was originally a large lake until humans drained it for agriculture but is now a series of man made and natural channels, and the section in between which has been reclaimed from human use, which has fresh water and is filled with reeds and other aquatic plants. They still allow agriculture, particularly rice growing and pasture for cows and horses, but worry about the pesticide and fertiliser use.
On the last section of beach I had seen some deer footprints and I hoped to see some actual deer, but didn't. There were a number of hides and a large lookout tower which had been an old silo, and a few people with very large lenses on their cameras. The closest I came to a bird was a stork near its nest. The storms had been disappearing from the area, but are back in force. I remember the comment on the Classics trip about the staying all year around now because of climate change.
On leaving the wetlands the path took me past apple orchards, covered in fruit, and corn crops which had been harvested. The husks were lying on the ground. Do they have a machine that strips them? So many questions. Speaking of prevailing winds; all the apple trees are espalliered in the same direction and wind breaks of poplars run perpendicular to break the cold North wind which is prevalent through the region.
My destination was Castello d'Empuries, which had been the medieval centre of the area. The old town still has a few interesting buildings but it is more rundown than towns like Cordoba or Segovia. It was a holiday weekend though, and there was an art festival with lots of private buildings open and hosting small exhibitions. All free. I enjoyed wandering the old town, taking photos of architecture and art. The church dominated the skyline. It wasn't a cathedral, just a basilica. I hadn't realised that the word Cathedral is bestowed upon the building by authorities. This one wasn't approved. Maybe they didn't offer the authorities enough money. As in other towns we had visited, there was an old Jewish quarter, although apart from the little markers on the ground, like in Segovia, there was nothing to distinguish it. Unlike in southern Spain, the potted history didn't mention Isabelle and Ferdinand by name, they just said the Jews had been expelled by the 'Christian rulers' in 1492, presumably because the rulers were Castilian not Catalan.
The old jail was fascinating, with carved graffiti on the walls of the cells still visible. The explanations for them were only in Catalan and Castilian unfortunately.
All the signs in the whole area are bilingual, a bit like Quebec. Catalan is much closer to French in sound, and I have become accustomed to saying 'Bon dia' in greeting. Many of the menus are in Catalan, Castilian, French, English, Italian, German, Russian and often Dutch. Puts us to shame.
There was also an old mill which I think was grinding the wheat until recently. It is now a museum and although there were plenty of diagrams and explanations, I found the whole process baffling. The grain seemed to move through 3 or 4 floors, being heated, cooled, dropped, bashed, shaken and sieved.
Russian signs? Is that because of the multitude of Russian tourists, or is that suggesting there is actually a minority population of Russians in the area?
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