With WiFi connectivity, everyone was keen to get online and check e-mails first thing...
It had been a windy night, but calmed down at breakfast time. We headed into Pals and mooched around the old town - the odour was a bit disconcerting for some (it seems they must have been spreading muck on the surrounding fields).
We took a peep in the foyer of the museum:
Climbed up to the top of the town
The ancient buildings are interspersed with heat-loving plants
Meld was very taken with the bougainvilea
At the view point, the girls just wanted to sit and rest
Now this is what girls really like - shopping
We went round by the church to check Mass times
There had just been a christening, so the lights were still on, which was a bonus as it's normally dark inside.
Its the first church in which I've seen a vending machine for votive candles
...these were used to good effect
The carving of St Peter above the doorway is ancient and impressive.
We then drove inland via some very small roads (OK, tracks) and got a good view of Pals on its hill across the fields.
Having driven through a few small villages, we stopped to climb a small hill. The girls stayed with the car and talked to some horses whilst Meld and I made the 10-minute ascent. From the top there was a good view over the flat land between Torroella di Montgri and Pals - the mouth of the river Ter, now constrained and used to irrigate the fertile plain. Of course, my friend Montgri was still in evidence.
To the north west we could see a series of fires, always a serious threat in this area (there's a fire watch point on the Montgri hills).
Back in the car, we drove north to Torroella passing this 5th century bridge we went through the ford next to it (though there is a new bridge now too).
After shopping and then lunch back at the campsite I went for a walk down to the southern end of Platja de Pals, where the Costa Brava cliffs start. From among the smart houses I was able to sneak a view across the bay, giving some idea how long the beach is - and the scaffolding in the right corner is evidence of more building work on the hillside.
I then met the others on the beach, and we swam in the surf (yes, it's been so windy there is real surf on the Med). But the cameras stayed away from the salt, sand and spray.
A dash back to the campsite, a quick shower, then Meld and I went into Pals to Mass. This wasn't totally successful, as the traffic was heavy, parking was abysmal (it's their Festa Major this weekend, and things were starting to get going for the evening) and "El Pedro" is on top of the hill. Still, we were only 10 minutes late - for a Mass that lasted just 30!
Back at the campsite, the girls had prepared a feast of Spaghetti Bolognese which we ate as the sun set over the pine trees, and we discussed plans before retiring for another windy night.
