The wind is blowing hard in the morning and my stomach is a little upset. We have late breakfast, do some laundry and don’t leave the condo until 2 p.m.
We decide to drive through a national park to the seaport of El Port de la Selva. There is a monastery on the way that looks good in photos, but I expect it is mostly a gift shop. Still, something to do. Once in the Parc Natural del Cap de Creus we find ourselves again heading up a very twisty mountain road. We head for the Monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes. To get there we must summit one of the highest mountains in the area. The road is surprisingly well made though the drop offs are significant, and the views along the way marvelous.
Arriving at the end of the road and a parking area, we have extraordinary views to the sea and the mountains all around. The monastery is quite large and castle like; it sits impressively on the the side of the mountain just below the summit where an ancient castle was once perched. Our view is of the impressive building in the foreground and the sea beyond.
Once in the monastery, we find it has been most carefully preserved and rebuilt. The church in the building is most impressive with high vaulted ceilings. It was built about 1000 years ago, in a Romanesque style, and one wonders just how a collection of monks could pull it off.
We wander through the building for over an hour listening to the audio guide and marveling at this place from the middle ages. The monks apparently had quite a bit of status and power and own a great deal of land. For many years they ran a wine business that flurished. The monastery was a fortress against an array of seaborne enemies. One of its two towers was specifically a place for a last stand against invaders. The audio tour makes is clear that there was a sort of corporate structure among the monks: executives, and workers with responsibilities for meeting all the requirements of the community. It was a surprisingly worthwhile stop on this trip.
Afterwards, we took a steep trail to a rocky mountain top where the remains of Verdera castle, built in the late 800s, were still in place. It was about a 45 minute hike up and not easy going. At the top the castle was protected by cliffs on three sides, our trail the only meaningful way of reaching the fortress, said to be 2000 feet above sea level. Much of the castle was gone, but enough was left to get a feeling for its size and stature. Apparently it was a viable fortress until the invention of artillery. Its state of deterioration made the monastery below even more impressive. We had a real trip back, way back, in time.
We made our way down the mountain road to the harbor town, needing a late lunch. Once again we were out of sink with the Spanish dining clock, at 6 p.m. about nothing was open except for drinks on a Saturday evening. We had a drink and was told by the waiter that the kitchens in town would not operate until 8. Fortunately, we found a nice butcher shop and bakery. We bought some veal steaks, cut off a roast to our liking, by the butcher. Then got some good bread (surprisingly, not always easy to find) and hit the local supermarket for a few more supplies. Once back to Roses, we made our own dinner finding the veal very good. We made a salad and used some of the goat cheese we bought in Prioro, which turned out also to be very good. We’ll definitely be lugging what’s left of it home in our suitcases.
We enjoyed the meal on the porch with the neighboring hills alight from the Saturday night crowd that was in town. Very pleasant day indeed.
European Trip 2019 