We made the almost 5 hour drive from Espot to L’Escala. It was finally raining when we left Espot so it was nice to feel a little cooler weather. It has been so hot and humid the whole trip that I didn’t mind getting a little rain. So far, the weather at the coast has been a little more pleasant but still pretty warm.

We went for a walk on a trail along the sea this evening and ended up at Empúries. This is one of Catalonia’s most famous archaeological sites. It comprises of the remains of a Greek city, the only one to be excavated on the Iberian Peninsula, which existed alongside one of the first cities built by the Romans in this territory. We saw a sign that said it would close at 8, but it was only 6 so we decided to head in.

The Greek city was founded first (around 575 BC) which is closest to the water. Excavations started in 1908 and are still ongoing. I have never been to such a large ruin before and both cities were very impressive to walk around. They cover a lot of ground and they have only uncovered about 20% of the Roman ground so far. I was very impressed by the mosaic tiles they found at both sites that are still in great condition. They do cover them in the winter to protect them.

Ruins from the Greek city:

Ruins from the Roman city: