It was a sunny day in Spain. We anchored at Palamos which is in Catalonia. This region is also known as Costa Brava, which means Wild Coast or Rough Coast. This region is a tourist destination because of the beautiful scenery.
Our excursion took us out to the countryside to see two small villages. It was a real treat and I loved it.
Port in Palamos
Many boats were anchored in the harbor area. Fishing and fresh seafood is a big part of the culture.
Our tour guide providing local information.
The landscape on the freeway looked a lot like Texas. It was hot and dry.
My first impression of Spain is that it is clean and well maintained.
As we got off the beaten path we began to pass vineyards.
First glance of Pals, one of the villages we visited.
We got off the bus and transferred to an open air trolly which took us on the rest of the tour to the small villages.
We drove down rock paved narrow streets with rock walls close enough to touch on both sides. Even though the rock work is very old, everything was amazingly maintained and people still live and work in the villages.
Just look at this beautiful place!
I fell in love with Spain.
We drove past this patch of purple-ish flowers. Not sure if it was lavender.
The windmill looked just like home.
We just drove past this small village.
The rock homes with tile roofs dominated the area.
Our first glance of Peratallada, which means "carved stone." This place is so very beautiful I just wanted to lay down in the street and cry. I didn't want to leave.
My pictures don't begin to capture the old world elegance.
Thus is a section of the moat that still remains. Many of the buildings are built with stone carved from the moat. Documentation for the village dates back to 1056 AD.
The streets were pedestrian and immaculately clean.
Vines were dripping off the walls everywhere I looked.
The uneven surface was difficult to walk on but beautiful to look at.
The house in the background is an example of an old dwelling that is still in use. The arches are the openings on the street level where farm animals were kept with storeroom behind. People lived on upper floors. Today, this is someone's "second residence."
Ivy covered walls and flowering vines were a delight to the eye.
Small cafe in a larger open square.
Parts of town were lined with stores selling some lovely wares. We didn't have shopping time and I really really wanted more time to wander and explore.
This was the old covered market place. The arches covered wares from rain and weather.
The Peratallada Castle is now a private residence.
We drove past this small village but didn't go in.
I'm not sure what this is. Maybe a well?
We saw another well that was covered with a stone dome cover.
The sunflowers were facing the sun in the opposite direction.
We saw several large fields of rice
We drove to Pals, another small village that was established in the 900s -1000 AD. According to our guide this is the oldest building in the village.
Sooooooo many lovely gift shops. Not having time to shop was torture.
I'm standing underneath a wall into the city
Our guide stated some of the iron work is original.
Just look at this souvenir store! Medieval costumes for kids!
The church of Sant Pere dates back to 994.
I mistakenly believed the bell tower on the church was the famous "Torre de les Hores" (Tower of the Hours). I barely caught a picture of the well known tower to the right of the church. This tower is all that's left from the old castle. Construction started in the 12th century and the belfry was added in the 15th century.
Interior of the church. A person was playing beautifully soft piano music.
The hills seen in the distance are sometimes called the "sleeping bishop" due to the resemblance of a person laying on their back. The middle hill has a castle on top that looks like the ring.
I wondered if these openings are archer's slits.
Dried sausage for sale. He was giving samples.
Yet another Alfa Romeo
We returned to the ship for our last evening. Unfortunately, Ricky wasn't feeling well enough to eat supper. We had our bags packed and in the hallway by 10 pm as instructed.
