The Medieval Village of Pals

The tour was touted as Girona and the Costa Brava. Yet here we are heading inland to the tiny village of Pals, once on the Costa Brava, but now positioned well inland due to centuries of silting. It is also one of the first Medieval villages on the Costa Brava to be restored. Taking more than thirty years, it needed restoration due to the battering it took in the Spanish Civil War.

The bus pulls into a large parking lot at the foot of a hill, and I think — tourist town.  A week and a half ago, Alex gave me a hard time when I complained about tourist towns.

“What is this complaining about tourists?  You are a tourist.”

Put in my place then, I refrain from commenting now. I follow our guide on our long climb to the top of the hill.

And Pals—surrounded by verdant fields—is bursting with perfectly preserved and restored charm. Apparently filled to the brim in summer, the only tourists haunting the narrow alleyways at the moment seem to be our group of sixteen—thank goodness for the end of October.

At Pals uppermost area, it is possible to see the Costa Brava if you stand tip-toed, on a ledge. Using a long camera lens, you can see it. Just there.

“See Michael, I told you…”

What I can see clearly, is myself living in Barcelona and wanting out of the city. I would take a drive to the country and have lunch among all of the glorious golden-ochre stones. Stones that tower over the cobbled streets, curling and tumbling down the hill to the village’s edge. It wouldn’t be a bad thing. At all.

A Word About Pals

Taken from an article in the Guardian in 2004. A long time ago, but worth the read.  The link is below. “But break off and head for the showpiece of all villages, Pals, still dominated by the great Tower of Hours, all that’s left of the castle that once guarded the estuary of the Daro. Stand there on the walls and look into the Emporda.”

When trying to find the history of Pals on the Internet, I came across many articles. At least one of them proves — you need a car.

http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2004/feb/22/spain.observerescapesection

http://iberianature.com/spain_culture/