I've done three days of my walk now and I'm on a much needed rest day (Day 4), enjoying the sights of Cadaques.
The 3 days took me through different landscapes: beach, wetlands and headlands/bays.
Day 1 I chose to get a lift to L'Escala, chopping off about half of the 6 hour walk. I wasn't being lazy - I wanted the time to explore Empuries, an excavation site which is considered to be one of the best in Spain. They have only excavated about a quarter of the known Roman area, and the top of the Greek section but there was plenty to see. The area was settled by the Greeks in the 5th Century BC, pushing the original inhabitants further inland, then later by the Romans, who built their own town next to the Greek one. Most of the excavations for the Greek town date back to the early part of AD; they would have to dig deeper to get to the early stuff. It is right on the coast and was a major trading port so there were lots of businesses, shops and of course temples etc. A one stage there was a lot of sickness in the area, so Escleplius became a favourite god. In the excavations they found a temple to Serapis, a later Greek/Egyptian god who started in Alexandria. There was a fish sauce factory and also a foundry and a sewage system to rival most small towns today.
In the Roman town there was a magnificent villa with a series of mosaic floors still in situ. Black and white mostly, in geometric patterns in what appeared to be a large wing of bedrooms. There were also several separate garden areas. Perhaps the residence of the local governor? They have also excavated the large local baths, and in one section you can see the hypercaust as well as the multiple drainage pipes. The forum area has been partly reconstructed. It does help visitors to see what it was like but it all seems a bit new.
One long section of city walls still stands, complete with a gate which has a penis carved on the wall beside it, for protection! The amphitheatre is outside the walls and had wooden seating between stone supports, so the seating has gone, although the stone structure is still good.
The museum was excellently set out, leading from the early times through, with explanations in English as well. They had some small but beautiful pieces - the majority are in the museum at Girona which was shut when I went through :( Unfortunately, by the time I got to the shop just after 1 pm it was closed - of course! I think there's a copy of the book in the Classics library at school though, and I'll have a look in Barcelona as well.
I spent a total of 3 hours there and enjoyed every minute :)
The walk was actually circular, the first part inland, the return along the coast so I headed off along the famous Costa Brava, walking in the shallows of what seemed an endless beach. Unlike August when over 30,000 fill the caravan parks and beaches, I saw less than 30 people. The beach is sandy, unlike the Cinque Terre, and there are dunes which looked odd to someone used to a flat beach. It must have something to do with the prevailing winds (geographers - can you help?) but I can se the advantages of finding shelter and even shade. The sand is great sandcastle texture, as witnessed by the number of structures I saw in the populated areas. In one part, there were a number of people para surfing and earlier a solo beginner wind surfer was struggling to pull the sail up and move in almost no wind. It brought back memories of long ago.
I've become accustomed to the silence of walking alone, and find I enjoy the meditative nature of it.
The 3 days took me through different landscapes: beach, wetlands and headlands/bays.
Day 1 I chose to get a lift to L'Escala, chopping off about half of the 6 hour walk. I wasn't being lazy - I wanted the time to explore Empuries, an excavation site which is considered to be one of the best in Spain. They have only excavated about a quarter of the known Roman area, and the top of the Greek section but there was plenty to see. The area was settled by the Greeks in the 5th Century BC, pushing the original inhabitants further inland, then later by the Romans, who built their own town next to the Greek one. Most of the excavations for the Greek town date back to the early part of AD; they would have to dig deeper to get to the early stuff. It is right on the coast and was a major trading port so there were lots of businesses, shops and of course temples etc. A one stage there was a lot of sickness in the area, so Escleplius became a favourite god. In the excavations they found a temple to Serapis, a later Greek/Egyptian god who started in Alexandria. There was a fish sauce factory and also a foundry and a sewage system to rival most small towns today.
In the Roman town there was a magnificent villa with a series of mosaic floors still in situ. Black and white mostly, in geometric patterns in what appeared to be a large wing of bedrooms. There were also several separate garden areas. Perhaps the residence of the local governor? They have also excavated the large local baths, and in one section you can see the hypercaust as well as the multiple drainage pipes. The forum area has been partly reconstructed. It does help visitors to see what it was like but it all seems a bit new.
One long section of city walls still stands, complete with a gate which has a penis carved on the wall beside it, for protection! The amphitheatre is outside the walls and had wooden seating between stone supports, so the seating has gone, although the stone structure is still good.
The museum was excellently set out, leading from the early times through, with explanations in English as well. They had some small but beautiful pieces - the majority are in the museum at Girona which was shut when I went through :( Unfortunately, by the time I got to the shop just after 1 pm it was closed - of course! I think there's a copy of the book in the Classics library at school though, and I'll have a look in Barcelona as well.
I spent a total of 3 hours there and enjoyed every minute :)
The walk was actually circular, the first part inland, the return along the coast so I headed off along the famous Costa Brava, walking in the shallows of what seemed an endless beach. Unlike August when over 30,000 fill the caravan parks and beaches, I saw less than 30 people. The beach is sandy, unlike the Cinque Terre, and there are dunes which looked odd to someone used to a flat beach. It must have something to do with the prevailing winds (geographers - can you help?) but I can se the advantages of finding shelter and even shade. The sand is great sandcastle texture, as witnessed by the number of structures I saw in the populated areas. In one part, there were a number of people para surfing and earlier a solo beginner wind surfer was struggling to pull the sail up and move in almost no wind. It brought back memories of long ago.
I've become accustomed to the silence of walking alone, and find I enjoy the meditative nature of it.
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