La Jonquera to Espolla
18 JUNE 2023
The wonderful pension managed by a friendly Romanian couple opened their bar/restaurant early despite it being a Sunday. I relished being able to eat fresh croissants and drink green tea ahead of my day's walk.
I walked on forest paths strewn with bits of cork bark . The way markers were good. I'm feeling fit and fresh. I stopped at Ermita de Santa Llucia before crossing the plateau summit of Puig dels Falguers.
As I rounded a bend in the track. I came across the location of the DC6 plane which crashed into the trees in 1986. An eery silence surrounded the wreck, broken only by the squeaking of the swinging tail gate in the light breeze. Looking back at the site from a distance, one wonders what went wrong - how did they miss the hills there?. A memorial to the French aircrew is implanted in a rock close by.
At Requesens, which consists of a cluster of houses, it was impossible to know there was a wonderful bar-rstaurant down below with a fabulous menu and views of the Castel Requesens. I discovered it all by sheer curiosity. I met a waitress inside who'd worked in London and so lovely and friendly.
The rest of this section of the trek was through forests full of flowers. Eventually I reached Coll de la Llosarda, from where I got the first glimpse of the Mediterranean sea in the distance.
The decent to Els Vilars was long, fly ridden and hard. I'd decided to give camping a miss and head for Espolla. I was worrying about the availability of accommodation.
In the village, I found one bar open and asked inside for help. I was walked round to a fabulous local homestay with very traditional style rooms - a peaceful, relaxing, clean, lovely room for 35 euros.
I spent the rest of the evening sitting with a fellow Swiss hiker sharing stories and watching the local elders dancing in the adjacent hall. There was a real sense of community here - this village seems active, with a strong sense of inclusivity. A couple of men shared their local dish with me - prawns and rice in a thick spicy black sauce - delicious. A rare insight into village life.