The resort town of L’Escala has never featured on our Costa Brava itineraries despite being among the closest towns to our customary base in L’Estartit. Its main claim to sightseeing relevance is in nearby Greco-Roman ruins, which is the type of attraction that rarely receives priority when I travel with children. Beyond that, L’Escala is a typical seaside town: a pleasant promenade above the beach, a few commercialized streets in the town center, a bustling restaurant scene, and little else in terms of standout vistas or beyond-the-beach vibe.
Nonetheless, on the last day of our recent two-week stay in the area, we decided that we could spare a bit of time for L’Escala. Here is a small selection of pictures.
The seafront of the town is stretched along several coves with beaches that are mostly pebble and stone, and very little sand.
The floating platforms in the middle of each cove were a first for me, although I am sure they exist in other places.
Expressive statuary is on display all along the main seaside promenade. Here is La Cobla, a traditional orchestra that accompanies sardana dancing.
And commemoration of sardana itself – the national Catalan dance.
The monument to the Fisherman’s Wife.
The monument to the Seafaring People.
Apparently there is also a series of statues based on The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, but they escaped our detection.
There are occasional notable architectural features found on the streets of L’Escala, such as this Modernist-looking enclosure of Clos del Pastor gardens…
… or a Renaissance balcony.
A couple of street perspectives – running up to the main church of Sant Pere de L’Escala and down to the waterfront.
Eye-pleasing enough, without being exceptional.
These and other pictures can be found in my Catalonia Flickr album.