Carcassonne Chapter: Costa Brave--Perratellada

After descending the peak via a decidedly less twisty and turn-y road, we headed toward the sea. Our next destination was Peratallada, a restored Roman town. We hadn't much time, as our stomachs were announcing that lunch should be coming up soon. My stomach hadn't gotten the message quite thoroughly that times for the midday meal in Spain are much later than it is accustomed to, even in Carcassonne. Lunch times in Spain generally start after 2, and often run as late as 3 or 3:30. Our lunch was waiting for us at the seashore, so we had just enough time to skedaddle through the town and get back on the road.

Narrow sunless streets

Stone upon stone

Humans have been living in Peratallada for millenia. The first impressions are of stone--everything is built of the smallish stones pulled out of the soil, not quarried in blocks. I think of the perseverance and the skill it would have taken to gather them, and then fit them into walls that have stood the test of 1000 years. The Romans and the Greeks knew a good spot for a town when they saw it. Of course, it has the ever-present encircling walls to keep out marauders who wanted to take things that did not belong to them.

Hanging easrs of corn on one porch

Brick work arches

Mailbox in the side of a stone-walled building


Mediterranean blie

the second impression was of immaculateness. There was not a cigarette butt in sight, the paint was fresh in most cases and the bougainvillea was blooming as if ordered to do so be a film director. The place is charming, but I cannot imagine how slick and slippery everything would be in a downpour. Some shops were open, some restaurants welcomed diners. It was plenty warm in the sun, but cool in the very narrow alleys that didn't get much direct sun. It always comes as a bit of a shock when I can stand in the middle of a "street" and just about touch the walls of the buildings on either side of me. It just reminds me again of how small and slight a race of people are these Catalonians and how big I must seem to some of them.

Stone and local pottery

This guy found his sunny spot

There are people who do live and work inside the walls, maybe even more so than in Carcassonne. I got the impression that it takes some serious money to live there and maintain your property to accepted standards. Everything was in great repair--and there was some interesting non-Roman architecture.

This caughty my eye

I likes some of their Christmas decorations very much, especially the tree that had no ornaments. Instead it had tag board messages for best wishes hand written and placed on the branches by prior visitors. Such a nice way to leave a message, instead of spray-painting it on walls.

Greeting left by a previous visitor

Tied to the tree instead of lights and shiny ornaments

Shadow of the very simple municipal Christmas decorations

Veronica pointed out what she called Roman chariot ruts worn deep into one of the stone streets. I don't know about chariots on such a narrow alley, but I am fully prepared to believe that those scars were made by years and years of carts. As always, I wondered about how lived there, what their lives were like, what they dreamed of and how they viewed their world.