Leaving Capellades via the highway in the valley, we looked back up at the Quaternary travertine cliff formation. Here I see probably more modern housing carved into the soft-ish rock, but not the caves. Still: interesting.
We visited a geopark in a valley lined with caves. We didn’t arrange to enter them, just walk the path in the valley, and peek through the bars. Cova del Toll.
Cova del Toixoneres (Catalan spelling), usually Teixoneres in the academic literature. The strings outline 1 m squares to trip the workers…um, to make it easier to keep locations straight.
Artistic rendering of comely young archaeologist.
Cova Morta. They get significant runoff here at times, I’m guessing.
Reconstructed Neolithic huts.
Beside the access road to the cave-valley: dolmen de Cuspinar, dating to the Chalcolithic (sometimes called the Copper Age), so after the Neolithic.
Also by the access road, Republican trench from 1936.
Roadside view—high-elevation snow.
Heights with snow; horses in foreground (ignoring guardrail).
Our first view of the Mediterranean: Playa Castell walking to the Castell.
Look at some of the huge stones at the Castell de la Fosca, a promontory fort. Ascending to the top is no longer permitted, but at this level, inside the protecting wall at the neck of the peninsula, excavations produced datable remains. The first occupation was in the 6th C BC, in the earlier Iron Age—several small semi subterranean huts, then abandoned. The site was reoccupied in the mid-5th C BC, and the hut depressions were used for garbage. The maximum population was in the 4th C, and into the 3rd C BC, when buildings were built on terraces along both sides of the landform. The presence of column bases (shown here), of imported stone, and other features suggests there was a public building, possibly a Hellenistic temple, on the highest point in the community. Both Greek and Phoenician trade goods are among the pottery/material culture recovered by excavation, although most artifacts are of indigenous types/styles.
Enough archaeology. We have arrived at our home away from home for the next six days, and the splurge of the trip. Here’s our private patio and our sea view. Lovely.
From the secure railing, here’s the view down onto the rocks where the sea is crashing.
The room is designed so you can chose to shower watching the Mediterranean—at least until the glass steams up! Dinner at 8pm tonight (we chose early), petit breakfast at…we chose 8:30am. Off to eat, sleep, eat. Good night!