Empuries - the Greeks & Romans in Spain

The first impression I get as I drive into the parking area, with the turquoise waves in front of me, is that the Greeks looked at this same exact view more than 2000 years ago. That is really something!

Empuries is located in the stretch of land of the Gulf of Roses, protected from the open sea, and flanked on each side by two promontories, Roses to the north, and l’Escala to the south.

I’ve been reading about the Greek and Roman colonization of the area, so my mind is full of the literature, and now I’m going to see the real thing, and I feel tingly with anticipation. However, I feel compelled to warn the casual tourist of possible disappointment. The Greek city is leveled and the Roman city has not been fully excavated. So, someone expecting a small version of Athens or Rome will be very, very, VERY disappointed.

If this is the case, you should see this little excursion as part of a day trip to this beautiful area, including the stunning beaches below and the “Passeig dels Enamorats” (The Lovers’ Path) between Sant Martí d’Empuries and l’Escala.

Now, back to why we’re here.

The set of ruins closest to the beach belong to the Greek city, and is called the Neapolis (or New City). This is the main Greek settlement, but it is not where the Greeks first landed, or even the first Greek city. The first “city” called the Palaiapolis (or Old City) was founded less than a mile away on an island, which is now Sant Martí d’Empúries (and not an island anymore with the subsequent land gains).

The Palaiapolis was founded by the Phoceans (Greek Turks) as a trading post between their wester capital in Marseille and the local Iberian tribe known as the Indigetes. The Phoceans called this trading post Emporion (Market). The Neapolis was settled soon after, when it became clear that this trading post was to become permanent and the Indigetes proved themselves to be “friendly.” I put this in quotation marks, because the Greeks still deemed it necessary to wall their city. From then on, this Greek outpost flourished.

The water filtration sysytem.

Since the ruins are basically a floor plan of the city, the focal interest of this visit is what is found at ground level and below; in particular, the mosaics, and the extensive system of water cisterns. Water was collected both from rain from roofs and through very ingeniously designed water filters, and from wells. Sewage troughs have also been found in the market area (those Greeks were serious about their hygiene!).

Also of note is the grandiosity of some of the foundation rocks (almost boulder-size). I took a picture of one of them. There were some kids playing in the grassy knoll beside this rock, and I asked them if they would be willing to stand beside it to get a feeling for the relative size of these rocks, but alas, they only laughed at me.

I work my way up through the old streets until I reach the highest point called the Acropolis, and looked down into the sea, past the floor plans of the homes, the open air Agora, and the Stoa (market), which is now in the process of further excavations, since a more “modern” paleo-Christian church and crypt had been built over it.

Behind the Acropolis are the Greek walls, and a lime kiln. I didn’t read the information sign at the kiln, and now I regret it, because after conducting some research online, I have not found anything about it. Now, I’m obsessed! I did find somewhere that lime kilns are found in most Greek archaeological digs and were typically constructed in the Middle Ages to burn the pagan Greek marble statues to make cement! But, I can’t be sure that this is the case with the one in Empúries, so I’ll leave it to one of our guests to find out, and report back. If it is in fact Greek, it would make sense that it is placed here, because the breeze from the sea would take the foul smell of limestone cooking away from the polis. There is, though, a clay kiln for the many vases and amphora and other ceramic bric-a-brac found in the Museum.

One of the private homes excavated also shows a floor mosaic with a Greek inscription which reads “How Sweet it is to Be Reclined,” leading archaeologists to believe that this room was dedicated to the sweet reclining activity of the Symposium, where citizens (landed gentry/free men) could meet, relax and discuss their day’s work over fish and wine. There is no mention of what the women were doing, but I have a feeling that they were most likely in the kitchen, gossiping.

The Museum is worth seeing for the objects that were found during the excavation, and which are now housed away from prodding hands and the beating sun. The statue believed to be of Asclepius (the god of medicine, and the son of Apollo and Coronis) is now also housed here. And I say: believed to be, because some archaeologists are unimpressed, and think it might actually be a Roman statue of Jupiter, or Serapis, or even Agathodaimon (who’s that?) The uncertainty lies in the fact that the Romans also built over the Greek city, and the two cultures lived in harmony for some years before the Greeks were completely absorbed into Roman society and religion.

Above the Greek ruins, past the Museum, are the ruins of the Roman city. The Emporion citizens opened up their arms in welcome to the Romans when they arrived in a battle ship bearing large armament, an inordinate number of troops, and an impressive Roman general named Scipio. The Greeks must have been pretty impressed indeed, as the normal ships docking on the port were for commercial purposes. But Scipio landed at Empuries and said: “We are here to fight the terrible Hannibal, of Carthage, and his thousand elephants, who are crossing the Pyrenees, on their way to burn Rome!” So, the first Roman city actually served as a military encampment.

But the Romans liked it here. They saw an economically rewarding future here, and decided to stay. So over the military settlement, they built a sprawling metropolis, with streets and avenues, with some beautiful private homes, a Forum for public life, temples, public baths, and even an amphitheater, and they called it Emporiae. From this humble beginning, these Roman entrepreneurs went on to build a sophisticated network of roads, the Via Augusta being the principal one, and other Roman cities, such as Barcino (Barcelona), Tarraconensis (Tarragona)…, and in fact, colonizing most of the Iberian peninsula. Russel Crowe, for example, was from Emerita Augusta, in modern Spain’s Mérida, in the Extremadura region in the southwest, then called Lusitania.

Because the Greeks had been so welcoming the first time, they were allowed to keep their “independence.”

The Roman city is about ten times as big as the Greek city, but it is mostly unexcavated. A very nice manicured garden separates the two cities, and where most of the Greek city is off-limits to wandering tourists (you are only allowed to meander through the “streets”), the Roman city is open to the minutest inspection. You can wander into the private homes, walk all over their mosaics, touch the sculpted columns and sit on the now half-ruined walls.

I look back, and through the pines, I see the glistening city of l’Escala as it juts out of the blue-green Mediterranean.

I’m starting to feel saturated from the visit. I’ve now been here for over two hours. I decide to visit the Forum, and then leave. The Forum has been reconstructed for our viewing pleasure, and this is how tired I am from cultural absorption: I think to myself that this would be a great place for a wedding reception, and I imagine myself inhaling some tapas and sipping (guzzling) chilled Cava, as I recline on some cushions on the floor, and now I remember the “sweet reclining” of the Symposium, and think how things haven’t changed much since classical times.

Behind the Forum, we could have at one time been able to buy goods from the commercial stalls that line the Forum walls. A thin line of concrete separates what was the original wall structure found, and the reconstructed bit.

Beyond the Forum is the Insula, the first suburb of town houses ever built in this area. And I’m done. I can go no further. I see the remains of the amphitheater beckoning to me, but I can’t, I can’t, I can’t. I turn away and trudge back to the car.
See pics here.

How to get there: The road to this living museum and archaeological site is easy, modern and well marked; it is a 50 minute drive from the hotel. Take the N-II towards Girona, to the C-31 (Marked as the Exit to LA BISBAL/L’ESCALA/FIGUERES. Take this road to l’Escala/Viladamat. Right before you enter l’Escala, on the straightaway and before the first large round-about, you’ll see a Tourist Office on the right. If you want, you can stop by and get your information for the area here. They have ample parking, and you can sit in your car as you decide what you want to do in this area, and after your visit to EMPURIES.

As soon as you get to the large round-about, follow the signs to RUINES d’EMPURIES. Keep following the signs which will take you through a residential neighborhood. The ruins are at the end of this residential street, and you will have to stop and pay before you park under a pine-tree canopied expanse.

Admission: 3€ for adults. Kids free.

Hours: June to September: from 10 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. | From October to May: from 10 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Closed: December 25 & 26, and January 1.

The Hike to Santa Magdalena

  

There are two routes to get to Santa Magdalena from the Hotel. The first is to walk there from Sant Llorenç, starting at the mouth of the Boadella reservoir, climbing up to the ridge of this pre-Pyrenee mountain range, and working your way across this ridge, with the beautiful views it affords, until your reach the chapel. At a brisk pace, this route should take about 2 hours.

The second route (the one we took) starts at the church of Nostra Senyora de la Salut, in Terrades. From the hotel, we drive until the turn-off on the left, before reaching Terrades, to Boadella, and then, after a few windy turns, we take another turn-off to the left, following signs to "Centre Socio-Sanitari La Salut".

We park the car at the large expanse above the church, and quickly find the foot path to the chapel. The first twenty minutes of the path is under a canopy of trees and tall bushes, and we trudge on soil, and over tree roots, and small pebbles. It's quite lush. Of course, we are still in April. By August, rains are but a distant memory. In any case, the more interesting part of the hike is the second half, when we leave behind all this lushness, and enter the arid, windswept area.

Greenery is now at a minimum, and we are walking on loose slate and large boulders, eroded from the strong forces of the Tramuntana wind and water. These bald rocks are infinitely more fascinating. They seem man-made. Some have cavities in them, from which desert-like plants grow. I spot what is either a large green gecko or the common chameleon scampering into one of these cavities as it hears me approaching with the camera. Too bad! I find a rather large piece of loose quartz. This is a gold mine!

When we finally make it to the top, I'm feeling less tired than I did in the first five minutes of the hike. I know part of it is well-warmed muscles, but the views are exhilarating. The peak greets us with a panoramic view of the area, from the snowy peaks of the Pyrenees to the hazy glimmer of the Mediterranean. Closer, we see the rows of leafy cherry trees in Terrades, or the dinosaur-looking ridges of the Roca de la Penya. On the other side, we can see the Boadella reservoir in its entirety, Sant Llorenç de la Muga, and the isolated and abandoned "masias" that dot the up and down mountains. Minding our step, we look down the hair-raising cliff to the north.

The chapel itself is small, and in much disrepair. A small enclosed garden leads to the metal doors, filled with graffiti and scratches, which surprisingly do not offend, most of them are just names. The inside of the chapel is plastered in white lime, but otherwise bare. Instead of an altar, a shrine to Mary Magdalene. In any case, she stands under the round apsis, surrounded with flowers and other offerings. A visitor's book lies open, with a pen by it, inviting you to write a thought.

This chapel was built in the XIVth century. A priest from the Terrades parish presided over this hermitage until the early XVth century, when the chapel was destroyed. No documents survive, but it is likely that it was the result of the strong earthquakes that devastated the region between 1428 and 1438. The chapel was originally dedicated to the Virgin of Codó. It was then rebuilt (the date is uncertain), but it was consecrated and dedicated to St. Magdalene in 1681. The sisters of St. Anne (from the nearby sanctuary of La Salut) were put in charge of its care, and they still are.

Back at the church and sanctuary of La Salut, Stephan and I go into a little bar and buy some refreshment. The bar owners are fixing up their kitchen and dining room. "We're opening in May," says the owner, with a bucket of paint in one hand, as we pay for our drinks.

I snap a few pictures of the church from outside. It is a site of pilgrimage, and the Virgin is known for her curative powers, in particular to those with sports injuries.

The gardens below, and the statue of a VIRGO CLEMENS, standing on an obelisk, at then end of a daisy carpeted aisle, lined with lilacs. Stephan is waiting for me at the steps by the Church.

Click here for more pix.

On the trail of the elusive Caula river lagoon.

Stephan and I are on a mission to find every single swimming hole in the Muga Valley!

After our hike to Santa Magdalena (since we weren't tired enough), I convinced Stephan that we should find this elusive natural pool: the thermal pool of La Caula (La Caula is a stream that feeds the Muga River). I had read about it, and seen some beautiful pictures of the site. I had even located it on Google Earth, but I had not been able to find it on my own two feet. So, as we we drove down from La Salut to Boadella, we stopped and asked a local gentleman about it. First mistake: the Google Earth marker is wrong. The "gorga" as they call the swimming hole here was in fact in Les Escaules. I tell the gentleman that I had been to Les Escaules the week before and had been unable to find it. He continued with his directions, and after asking him many questions, I finally figured out where I went wrong. I felt confident that we would find it today.

So, with what we thought were definitive directions, we drove to Les Escaules. We parked at the entrance to this miniature town (smaller than Sant Llorenç) and climbed up a paved road that took us to a strip of houses built on the cliff. As soon as we hit the last house, and before reaching the top of the hill (about a 5 minute uphill), we went down a small footpath that leads to the neighbors' vegetables gardens. Soon, we noticed that the footpath joined a small stream, and we walked along it, with ferns and tall reeds whipping past our legs.

And sure enough, a few minutes later, after crossing the small stream through a high-tech bridge consisting of a 2x4 plank, we were there. First, we saw nothing, and then we saw the fall, the lagoon. I had a moment of almost religious ecstasy.

Getting down to the water was not so easy. We had to go down a short but steep slippery strip of wet rock and soil. Stephan jumped down. I scurried down in a sitting position (that is, on my ass). At the bottom, we did not find much place to spread a towel in. Possibly, in the summer, when the water level goes down, there is more dry space.

Next, Stephan went to a possible water source, and put his hand in to see if the water was in fact warm. It was not. But, it was definitely warmer than the water at the Muga River. We reached the conclusion that there must be a thermal water source, but it is clearly not the only one. We will probably go back another day, with more time, and explore at length, and see if we cannot reach the true source, over the waterfall.

Next, we went to the Salt de La Caula, a very short drive away. The water from the natural pool we just visited falls down this escarpment, before reaching the Muga River. We had been here last year, but I couldn't find the pictures. First, though, you have to get over the disappointment that this waterfall is by the road, facing a drab restaurant with somewhat odd management.

I think that when we first came to see the Salt de La Caula (as it is referred to here), there was either more water, and was more impressive; or there was less water, and the exposed rock was what struck me. (I remember the waterfall being very colorful, and I have a feeling that it was the rock, with all of the different mineral deposits.) Anyway, I took a couple of pictures, which I know are not as good as the ones we took last year (que será, será...)

But, we did climb the stairs that go around the waterfall, and into the caves. Those were fun. I took some pictures with Stephan in them to see the scale.

You can view more pics here.