Palamos

What a pleasant place to stay for a few days.Typical beach resort with lots of sandy beaches and a laid back style.The town has quite a history as it was established centuries ago as the outpost for Barcelona barons rule and subject to forays from neighboring powers. Because of this the old town is interesting though small in comparison to some coastal places.
Today I visited the Fishing museum and was surprised at the presentation and detail of the collection.Interesting comparison to our fishing industry. Here it is an ancient craft and way of life for families.Men fish,women mend the sails and wait..Dangerous occupation of course and many still do things in traditional ways.
The fishing boats go out early and arrive back late afternoon in time for the fish auction at five.Brad and I did go and have a look at this and it is fascinating.Buyers come from all over,chefs,housewives etc compete for the best fish.Some are odd looking species.
To day the weather cleared before lunch so I had an indolent afternoon reading,swimming and lazing on the beach.I have got rather sunburnt though as it is hard to cover up with sunscreen.
Tomorrow I pack up and head to Hotel EETU, not far from Palafrugell where I meet up with the rest of the family.
It has been a nice sojourn but time for the next chapter.

Rest and Recover day.

Today has been very low key and we have enjoyed the opportunity to poke around the town in the morning.We had a late breakfast for us and enjoyed a substantial meal from an great selection of breads,croissants, fruits,meats and cooked offerings.Not sure how I will ever get back to my bowl of porridge!

We found the local weekly market which was huge and ran along a major street.There was also the regular food market attached so we spent time looking at the different foods available. The fresh vegetable section was huge with enormous peppers,lots of melons and everything in between.

I got myself clothed for the next stage of my trip.No longer a walker but a lounger and sun worshipper beckons.

I bought a beach towel with the map of our walk, a light scarf to cover my bathing gear and a beach bag for carrying everything,all for less than twenty euros so very happy.
I spent a few hours at the beach swimming and sunbathing.So nice to lie on the warm sand and people watch in between a swim or two but as it seems to do here the sun has gone and it is much cooler and it seemed I was one of the few left on the beach.Time to go and shower and read a book.

Brad went wandering around the town and arrived back about the same time so a cup of tea is the next pleasure in store.
We plan to go to see the fish market later but now reading a book seems the best idea.

The final day of walking the Costa Brava

My thoughts this morning ranged from relief to regret.
It was tough walking to start our week and I wondered how we would cope if it got more challenging.It is always hard to tell from the notes provided just what to expect but thankfully the days have become easier and more interesting.

Today was to be another long day walking,five hours in the notes but we have found them to underestimate the time.I think they use Google maps to work out the time on distance but that does not account for terrain and we have had some pretty hazardous climbing to do.
We set off after a very nice breakfast sitting outside admiring the view over the bay and packing for the last time.

We left about 9.30am on a warm,calm morning about 21 degrees so lovely walking weather.We climbed around a headland to start with and up and down little stony beaches.One even had a cafe tucked into the bank.

The trail  was mostly along the bays and beaches between Tamariu and Palamos but we did have a mountain pass to get across about halfway through the walk but it was easy stuff today.We are well conditioned to this level of climbing.

Some of the bays were old fishing villages so had quite a different feel to them than the wealthy holiday places in the popular beaches.One village was in the S' Alger Cove and is considered a place of National Cultural interest.It dates back to the 15th Century and provided shelter and refuge for fishermen and their gear.

The walk also had more walkers doing what we were doing so met a group from Norway who we had a chat too.They were in search of the sun they said.

The sandy beaches would be great for a swim but we had to keep moving or we would be very late to Palamos.

We passed some interesting relics of a different era. There was an archeological site dating back to Iberian settlement  in the 6th Century BC to the 2nd Century BC at Castell up on a headland called sa Cobertera.There is an old church now converted to a restaurant here with amazing views along the coastal pathway. We also passed the ruins of old castles, one of which is called the Castle of Sant Esteve de Mar. In its heyday it would have been part of the original settlement of this region.which were now derelict and stand as a reminder that this was a place of fiefdom and royal conquest.

In Capella de Parafugall  we had a coffee in a cafe overlooking the bay.It was a welcome break after some hours walking over the headland.
Lunch was on the top of the pass and afternoon tea at the hotel.
A very nice hotel it is too.The best place to stay here according to the BBC travel writer.Our room is not overlooking the beach but we are comfortably housed.
A hot bath, bags unpacked,washing done and a cuppa ,we are ready to explore the town before dinner.Restaurants open for meals at 8.30 pm so a bit of time to go yet.We found a local cafe with character and ate well for thirteen euros each.
Next excitement is the wedding,only a few days to go and we will all be getting together to celebrate Nick and Els's nuptials.It will be a change to wear nice clothes again.